why is the red water warning light on, on my vw polo?

hosiescott

....i know why really, but does anyone know what bits need replacing on my old P reg polo.

basically, warning light comes on, i check water levels (very low), top up....then 3-4 days later, warning light comes on, i top up etc. etc.

does this mean small hole in radiator - and new radiator needed.

I've been told that i can crack an egg into the radiator and this will seal it !! :shock:

Eat My Dust

I think there's a product called Radseal (or something like that). I don't know how permanent the fix will be though.

Salsiccia

Next time you use the car, have a look under it after it has been parked for a few minutes and look for a tell tale puddle and see if there are any obvious drips. It may be something simple like one of the hoses having moved and/or come slightly loose.

Tom Butcher

It's a bad sign if there are no external leaks from the hoses or radiator.

hosiescott

bugger. it's in a car park at the mo so i'll check mid-day for drips. thanks for the tips....out of desperation i might give some radseal a go , a trip to halfords at lunchtime - i guess they should have it


edit: if there ARE no leaks, why is that a bad sign ? >gulp<

Red Rock

If there's no external signs of a water leak then check the inside of the oil filler cap to see if there's any murky white deposits. If so then the water is escaping into the engine, which would indicate that the head casket needs replacing. If this is the case then you need to get it sorted a.s.a.p. before the water damages the engine.

Hope it's just a hose leaking though.

daniel_b

I was jiust thinking HGF - fingers crossed though.

If it is a new rad they won;t cost that much, clearly don't get a VW part, try somewhere like GSF, German, Swedish and French, if you have a mate with some mechanical nouse, you could fit it between you.

If your lucky and it's a split hose, you might either need a new hose, or if it's near the end, and there's enough play, might just be a case of cutting it below the split, and re-fitting it.

Dan

renard

I had a leak in my old peugeot 405.

What made me confused was that stuff in the glove box was a bit wet.

What had happened was the heating matrix had broken - used to heat the inside of the car.

Fixing it was not that cheap - lots of labour.

Hope that is not your problem

nwallace

One of Dads Lagunas had a matrix fault in the air con system.
I had told him on various occasions that something wasn't right because a) I could smell water and b) I wasn't feeling well when driving the car. Garage couldn't find anything. Eventually it was found, but only after it had become bad enough for me to get suddenly very drowsy at the wheel and fine seconds after getting out the car (thankfully in a lay-by)

My car is in at the garage getting a bearing replaced, the mechanical also found a fuel leak I had never noticed. I had just been assuming the carburettor was spitting more fuel than before out the overrun due to extra wear. (Must fit LH-Jet)

nicklouse

white emulsified oil on the filler cap can also be due to short runs that do not allow things to warm up and dispel the moisture.

A look at the oil on the dip stick will show any water in it as it will be milky...

If the oil is fine. go for a drive and warm things up... get home and pop the hood leaving the engine running any steam?

Random Vince

possible leaking hoses,
core plug,
seals around thermostats and other sensors etc
gaskets are the order i'd check in, mainly cos my car eats coreplugs

under no circumstances should you put an egg into the radiator other than "oh crap i'm on the hard shoulder of the M1 with a leaky radiator and are willing to replace the radiator later.

rad weld is essentially a get you home fix

redvee

Not the low fuel light ?