Is Your Volkswagen Leaking Coolant? Here is What Could it Mean

You all know how engine is one of the most important components in a car. So the safety of the engine is also at the top priority. Issue arising due to some damages or malfunction in the engine can highly affect the performance of the car. To make the engine work safely and efficiently, oil and coolants are used. These two are the fluids that are very essential for the engine as they help in proper functioning of engine. You must be knowing about the function of the oil, it lubricates the engine. But coolant is also very important and you should know more about its functions. But like other fluids, coolant too get leaked out of car as there are various reasons behind it. In this article, you will know about the coolant leakage occurring in Volkswagen.

Importance of coolant in engines

Coolant is also known as antifreeze. It is a fluid that is used to maintain a correct temperature in engine and prevent overheating of engine. Engine especially during a warm or hot weather are more likely to get overheated due to repeated generation of heat in it. This heat remains in the engine and puts a negative impact on the health of the engine parts. If the health of the engine is badly affected, then the performance would also be badly affected. Overheating can gradually lead to premature wear of the engine parts. So coolants are very essential for the engine like oil. So by prevention the overheating, coolants make the engine last long.

Coolants are stored in their reservoir in cooling system. Then pumped up to the engine by water pump. Coolants after reaching the engine absorb the heat. Coolant again flows back to its system where it goes to the radiator. There the heated coolant is cooled down by the radiator fan. To maintain a correct temperature in engine, the coolant flow is regulated by the thermostat. Too less coolant can make the engine overheat and too more coolant would lead to cool down of engine and the performance of the engine would decrease. Engine should remain in temperatures where it can perform properly for long time. Without coolants, the engine would suffer from overheating frequently and you have to also take your car for repairs.

What causes the leakage of coolant in Volkswagen?

It’s very strange and a matter of worry if engine overheating occurs in cars like Volkswagen. Volkswagen is one of the best car manufacturers in the world. Volkswagen cars usually have a very good performance with good lasting components, but still these can get victim of such issues. And it is found that mostly the coolant leakage cause such issues. Here are some common causes of coolant leakage in Volkswagen.

Damaged coolant reservoir

If there is some holes or cracks developed at the reservoir, then the leakage of coolant would occur at it. Reservoir is a tank where the coolant is stored. So there would be a heavy leakage of coolant through that hole.

Damaged hoses

The hoses connect the engine to the cooling system. Hoses are like bent tubes which make the coolant flow possible. Sometimes, the hoses develop cracks. From the cracks, coolants leak out.

Damaged head gasket

The head gasket is one of the important component of engine that prevents the leakage of coolant internally and prevents the mixing of oil and coolant. Extreme temperatures and pressures both are encountered by the head gasket. So sometimes this gasket gets blown. So coolant leaks to the engine. A blown head gasket leads to mixing of the oil and coolant which is severely bad for the engine.

Loose radiator cap

The radiator cap is responsible for maintaining the pressure in the cooling system, because it has a spring which holds it tightly to its place. If the radiator cap is loose, then there would be a low pressure in the radiator and the coolant would leak out from the cap.

Common signs of coolant leaks in Volkswagen

Coolant puddles under the car

If the coolant is leaking, then you can find puddles of pink or green colored fluid under the car while it is parked. This liquid is the coolant that is leaked from your car.

Coolant light on dashboard

If there is coolant leakage or other problems in the coolant which would lead to overheating, then the coolant light would glow. Sometimes, the coolant light glows even if there is no issue with coolant due to faulty temperature sensor.

Sweet odor

Coolant has a sweet smell. If the coolant is leaking, then the leaked coolant would emit the smell.

White smoke

If there is an internal leakage of coolant and the coolants drips on some heated parts of engine, or inside the combustion chamber, then the coolant would burn and produce a white smoke.

Conclusion

If the coolant is leaking, then know that your car would run out of coolant soon and the engine may overheat. So get the leak fixed and refill the coolant.