Low Coolant Level (below MIN mark) no warning on HUD. STFAed but have simple question
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AudiWorld Member
Joined: Nov 2006
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Low Coolant Level (below MIN mark) no warning on HUD. STFAed but have simple question
Yesterday morning after driving for 20 minutes in the early am in SF at around 60F. I was checking the fluids in a flat area and the coolant level was below the MIN mark.
I usually drive short distances, 6 miles in the morning and 6 in the afternoon. If the enginge is hot I usually drive it hard. Could this be the cause of low coolant?
No indication of coolant in the garage floor or smell in the engine.
The coolant tank is dark grey vs the nice white and pink. ECS only has coolant for pink tanks so I am gonna go to the dealership to pick some up. Open the resevoir when the engine is cold, fill to min line, close the lid. Drive till warm and make sure that it doesn't go pass max.
Anything else I need to check for? I am afraid of getting air in the system.
I usually drive short distances, 6 miles in the morning and 6 in the afternoon. If the enginge is hot I usually drive it hard. Could this be the cause of low coolant?
No indication of coolant in the garage floor or smell in the engine.
The coolant tank is dark grey vs the nice white and pink. ECS only has coolant for pink tanks so I am gonna go to the dealership to pick some up. Open the resevoir when the engine is cold, fill to min line, close the lid. Drive till warm and make sure that it doesn't go pass max.
Anything else I need to check for? I am afraid of getting air in the system.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 6,095
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Same issue here. I even checked the pistons to make sure
I didn't have a cracked head. I topped off and haven't had an issue, and it hasn't gone down in level either.
I bought a jug of coolant from the dealer for around $23 ish.
I bought a jug of coolant from the dealer for around $23 ish.
AudiWorld Super User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,127
Likes: 3
When you checked the coolent, and observed the level below the MIN line, ...
how long had it been since you looked at the level the last time before? Was the filler cap fully tightened? Depending on the time period between checks, some gradual coolent loss is normal.
Don't be shy, top up the expansion tank to MAX level line.
BTW, some of the early '03 tanks were made from plastic feed stock that had some black feed stock pellets mixed in by mistake, thus the dark grey looking expansion tanks. Regardless, the coolent used is the same pink "G12+"(edited) OEM coolent, grey tank or clear white, no difference.
For less than $20, I bought a new replacement expansion tank, to install instead of the grey plastic originally fitted on my '03.
(Avoid removing the filler cap on a system that is fully warmed up/pressurized. The only exception, is when the system warms up from cold, without the cap installed/tightened during the warm up process so there is no pressure on the system.)
Don't be shy, top up the expansion tank to MAX level line.
BTW, some of the early '03 tanks were made from plastic feed stock that had some black feed stock pellets mixed in by mistake, thus the dark grey looking expansion tanks. Regardless, the coolent used is the same pink "G12+"(edited) OEM coolent, grey tank or clear white, no difference.
For less than $20, I bought a new replacement expansion tank, to install instead of the grey plastic originally fitted on my '03.
(Avoid removing the filler cap on a system that is fully warmed up/pressurized. The only exception, is when the system warms up from cold, without the cap installed/tightened during the warm up process so there is no pressure on the system.)
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