Engine coolant light came on!

[Davstylee]

Hello everyone

Just hoping to get a better idea of things here, so I hope someone can shed some light on the subject.

Just jumped in the car to drive home from work and after I started it, the engine coolant light came on with 3 beeps and a message in the display saying stop check engine coolant. I turned the engine off and had a quick look at the coolant level, and it is sitting just on the bottom line where it says minimum, so it does need topping up. Anyway I started the car back up and the message didn’t come up again, so I drove home and kept an eye on the temp gauge, which was all fine and normal.

Anyway I have a few questions. The first is; what engine coolant should I buy to top it up?

The second is, and this may seem really silly to some people so apologises in advance, does the engine coolant level have a tendency to drop much like the oil in a car, and not due to leaks or faulty parts?

I had a quick search of the forum and I can see there could be a problem with the sensor and maybe a leak issue, so I was hoping someone could tell me if there is an easy way to search for leaks, or is it a garage job? I am hoping it’s not a faulty sensor or a leaky part as the car is now out of warranty.

Thanks in advance guys

[Wayne]

Sounds like you have a leak somewhere

[Mini Mark]

Hi I had this a few weeks ago it happened just before christmas had it all topped up and it happened again about a month ago the garage had it in and one of the plastic parts had split cost about £130 inc vat to have done

[Davstylee]

Hey guys

And update and more questions for you lovely people to answer.

Went out this morning to go to work, but I thought I would check the coolant level and stuff before I set off.

Anyway the coolant level has dropped even more; it is now about 1cm below the minimum line. I thought crap, so I checked the oil filler cap, and look what I found.



This doesn’t seem good to me, guessing the coolant has leaked inside the engine or something?

If so what does this entail to get it repaired?

I know a really good indie garage near me (found him via this forum, guy called Dan Taber) my question is, is it safe to drive the car to the garage? It’s about 2.5 miles from my house.

[Gene Hunt.]

That gunge under the filler cap is what a lot of us are geting this time of year especially if doing a lot of short journeys etc. At worst the gunge could be H.G.F  ?, but i would get it checked at the garage you mentioned & ''yes'' as it's close by you should be fine.Good luck & hope it's a cheap fix.