2003 VW Beetle coolant going missing but not overheating?

409 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by billymade, 4 mo ago

mwestcott

Discussion Starter · 4 mo ago

Hi! I’m new here! I own a 2003 vw beetle turbo s, 163,000 miles, I’m currently having a problem with the coolant. Sometimes i need to fill it up every other day, or once a week. I’m 99% it’s not a head gasket leak. There is no white exhaust smoke, oil is a caramel color (need an oil change in 1,000 miles), there is no sweet smell. I know i have a tiny radiator leak but i see nothing while i’m driving or when i’m parked. I’ve had the car for 9 months and have had that radiator leak since then. It is currently winter so could that be the problem? I did have an incident were i couldn’t get up my driveway in which i was pressing on the gas pretty hard while stuck in which i had some coolant spew out from under my car. The car has never overheated, i’ve just had to keep an eye on the coolant and fill it up when it’s low.

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billymade

· #2 · 4 mo ago (Edited)

Coolant leaks can be tough to narrow down; I would try a cooling system pressure tester, this typically makes all the leaks obvious.

This is the kit i use but there are many others, just make sure, its sold with the correct vw adapter for the coolant bottle.

PITTSBURGH AUTOMOTIVE
Radiator Pressure Tester Kit

Radiator Pressure Tester Kit

Amazing deals on this Radiator Pressure Tester Kit at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Keep in mind, on a high mileage 20 year old VW, you may have multiple leaks in the cooling system; so, it may require multiple cooling parts replacements and pressure testing cycles, to find them all.

I have a 2002 New Beetle Turbo S and just refreshed my cooling system and replaced most of the parts, that were old, as i got sick of having so many various coolant leaks. I would fix one, only to have another hose or cooling part fail. (Kind of a game of “whack a mole”). You might go ahead and refresh your whole cooling system; if or when, you replace the radiator.

If you go that route, let us know; as i just did mine and there are some plastic parts, that you can replace with aftermarket cast aluminum, that won’t crack ever again.

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oops

· #3 · 4 mo ago

I had a small leak on a 2005 Beetle 2.0L, it required adding a pint of anti freeze about every two months. Never could locate the leak until one day it blew out a gallon of anti freeze on a two mile trip to the grocery store. The plastic manifold that directs water to the cabin heater had a very small crack in it that decided to become a very big crack that day. Give it some time, your small leak will turn into a big leak.

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billymade

· #4 · 4 mo ago (Edited)

Don’t ignore cooling system issues. Its best, to deal with a coolant leak as soon as you can, when the coolant levels indicate something is wrong; you can blow a head gasket or cause engine damage, leave yourself stranded somewhere, requiring a costly tow.

The leaks can be tough to find, invest in the pressure test kit; it will save you money in the long run. And you will end up using it again in the future.

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Thejarhead

· #5 · 4 mo ago

The two most common leak points , the water pump which shows up as a drip on the bottom of your timing belt cover on the passenger side of the car, and the coolant flange over top of the transmission on the drivers side, which on a small leak shows up as wetness on top of the transmission.

A pressure test should find it regardless.

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DarronHemphill

· #6 · 4 mo ago

I just updated my cooling system and replaced the majority of the outdated parts in my 2002 New Beetle Turbo S because I grew tired of having so many different coolant leaks. Once I fixed one, another hose or cooling component would break. (Similiar to the game "whack a mole") If or when you replace the radiator, you might as well go ahead and renew your entire cooling system.

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billymade

· #7 · 4 mo ago

Any updates?

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Ato80

· #8 · 4 mo ago

mwestcott said:
Hi! I’m new here! I own a 2003 vw beetle turbo s, 163,000 miles, I’m currently having a problem with the coolant. Sometimes i need to fill it up every other day, or once a week. I’m 99% it’s not a head gasket leak. There is no white exhaust smoke, oil is a caramel color (need an oil change in 1,000 miles), there is no sweet smell. I know i have a tiny radiator leak but i see nothing while i’m driving or when i’m parked. I’ve had the car for 9 months and have had that radiator leak since then. It is currently winter so could that be the problem? I did have an incident were i couldn’t get up my driveway in which i was pressing on the gas pretty hard while stuck in which i had some coolant spew out from under my car. The car has never overheated, i’ve just had to keep an eye on the coolant and fill it up when it’s low.

Hello, I am really new here, but I had the same problem. What I discovered was the heater core hose connector was cracked. I also changed the thermostat and the reservoir had a hair line crack in the back. Hope it helps.

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billymade

· #9 · 4 mo ago

Quite a few of these plastic cooling parts are now available in cast aluminum and make nice upgrade, that will never crack again.

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