VT losing water somewhere...

[karlee]

i have a vt wagon and when i bought it it was losing water somewhere. just wondering if anyone has any ideas where it could be losing it?
I have replaced the radiator cap which was crap, the thermostat gasket and removed the thermostat.

[Dr HaxZaw]

start it up and let it idle till it warms up... get under the car and see if you can see any leaks coming from any hoses or connections
also check your engine oil if its milky thats where your waters going although it probably would have cause some issues by now if thats the case

[Jonno]

do a preasure test on the radiator

[karlee]

there is no oil in water or visa versa so im guessing thats a good thing.
as for pressure testing can it be done at home or does it need to be done a radiator shop?

[ari666]

a lot of minor leaks you will never really notice. you are looking for a white/greenish residue, not dripping. a lot of the time the water evaporates as soon as it gets out.

so look around all your hoses/hoseclamps, look behind the water pump pully, look around the overflow and under the radiator cap, the front and the back of the radiator, heater core connections etc etc

remember, you wont see water, just a whiteish substance. fixing it will depend on where you find the leak

[HamaTime™]

In addition to all the above, check to see if there is water leaking out of the seal of the water pump, mine was losing water from there for ages, but never actually dripped when the car was stationary.

[karlee]

forgot to mention the water pump has been replaced.
lately its been losing water quite quickly. usually i could go about a week without having to fill up water but now its every 2-3 days.

[Dr HaxZaw]

i had something similar a while ago... had a pin hole leak in the top radiator hose and it would only leak once it got hot and even then it would drop straight out of the engine bay without touching anything

[karlee]

how quick were you losing water dr haxzaw?

[Dr HaxZaw]

I lost probably a litre or 2 over 3-4 days id say... it was holed just before the spring clip that held it on
once the engine got hot and started circulating water you could see a drip

[ari666]

a good trick for looking for leaks underneath things is: have a clean rag. run your hand around a hose clamp completely then check your hand for wetness. if nothing rub the entire hose top , bottom everywhere then check your hand, and do this over the entire engine bay.

if you find a wet bit on your hand then clean it and re check the area 5 or 6 times so you can pinpoint exactly where its coming from. fixing it is just a case of removing the leaky component and replacing.

[Sabbath']

and removed the thermostat.

Wait...what?

[Killr6]

i lol'd, did you replace the thermostat?

[juiceie vh sle]

try getting a mate to hold it at 3,000rpm while you look under the car... i had a leak the other day that wasnt visible at idle

and for god sake put your thermostat back in your engine needs it

[karlee]

my partner removed the thermostat after replacing the gasket.

[Sabbath']

my partner removed the thermostat after replacing the gasket.

Then get him/her to put it back in.

[MrSirWantalot]

my partner removed the thermostat after replacing the gasket.

lol at leaving the thermosat out!!

[Matt K]

I ended up finding some of my water down near the crankshaft area behind the flywheel. Was a random spot to find it in but it wasnt a major leak, didnt have to really replace water in it.