coolant leak please help

[regs 0]

hi all i just got home from work and noticed that the coolant light came on on the dash so i went to up and noticed there was no coolant at all in the tank and it was dripping out from under the car any ideas i have topped it up and cant see any obvious leaks :-(

[dellert 0]

It could be anywhere, you will need to be more specific than that. Best to check when the engine is hot and coolant is under pressure. You will need the cap on for it to pressurise! once you find the leak I am sure someone will be able to tell you what it is and a price and probably a part number and fitting guide!!!!

[regs 0]

ok thanks you dont think it could be a head gasket checked the obvious signs no mayo and theres no white smoke/steam just a drop of oil coming from the exhaust on start up is this normal the leak it self seams to be coming from near the rad as its dripping down from my front splitter thanks

[stockers 1]

it sounds like its coming from the thermostat housing(very common) or a lower pipe connectio to the radiater. but when the engine is cold (to avoid burning yourself) fill the coolant up,wipe down all pipe connections then run the engine and check all the piping where the clips attatch.

you will maybe see a very small dripping, it doesn't take much to quickly empty your reservoir, from the thermo housing as the internal seals become brittle and split.

[ian 182 0]

Thats what it is mate.My other highline is getting booked in the garage this week for that very problem.Ive been told on here its either a £5 set of seals or a £50 all in new one

ian

[regs 0]

Think i have found the problem looks like there is a leak from the bottom right hand corner of the rad are new rads expensive or could i just use some rad weld not to keen on rad weld though as i have heard some bad stories about the stuff

[spindat45 0]

If you had an old banger then maybe Rad Weld would be a half decent temporary fix but i wouldn't chance it in a VR m8. They run very hot anyway and the cooling system is under quite a lot of pressure when hot. I've always thought that if Rad Weld blocks small leaks then what else could it block. Make sure the leak is not running down from a pipe or something above before getting it changed. Usually small leaks show themselves more after the engine has been run hot and has been switched off so look for steam to make sure. Not sure what the price of a new rad would be but I think that a replacement is better than a temp fix.

Kevin