Coolant gushing out

Tiny
SONNYG22
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA
  • 2.0L
  • 4 CYL
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 165,000 MILES
Coolant is gushing out underneath engine area on drivers side and near coolant reservoir area on passenger side.

I was in the process of replacing the coolant flange and coolant temperature sensor, when I noticed the “old” coolant temperature sensor had been sealed with a type of sealant and upon further inspection I noticed that the sensor was cracked and missing the gasket. So, I replaced it with a new sensor and the problem persisted. I filled the coolant reservoir to max level and the water gushed out from the bottom. Doesn’t last more than a couple minutes.
Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 2:27 PM

18 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
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Hi Sonny,

Unfortunately, this could be coming out of a gasket/seal, sensor, or the block itself.

Is there a way that you can pour water only in the reservoir and then try to track where exactly it is coming out? If you can at least find the component that it appears to be coming out, I can give you a little more clear direction on what needs to happen to get it repaired.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 4:55 PM
Tiny
SONNYG22
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Hi, are you able to view the video I uploaded?
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 5:50 PM
Tiny
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Unfortunately, it did not post to the site. Can you try again? Thanks
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:04 PM
Tiny
SONNYG22
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Yes, hopefully it posts now.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:07 PM
Tiny
SONNYG22
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Here’s the longer version.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:09 PM
Tiny
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Okay. You weren't lying. That is coming out everywhere. Just to back up, did this start as you were replacing the temperature sensor or has this been an issue all along? Basically, I am just trying to understand the history if this just started or did the vehicle overheat and then this happened?
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:15 PM
Tiny
SONNYG22
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I’ve owned the car since brand new, but it’s been passed down to my nephew and it hasn’t been maintained. It started leaking coolant about a month ago and he would top it off with water. It started to get worse, so a friend of his decided to “seal” the broken/faulty coolant sensor instead of replacing it. He said it was doing better, but he would top it off with water. Then a few days ago he noticed the coolant low gauge come on while driving, but it register as overheating. That’s when he noticed it was dumping the water out. He said it never got “hot”. There’s no milky oil that I can see. So I bought a flange and coolant sensor in an attempt to hopefully fix the issue. I saw what his friend did to the old sensor and I just replaced it and not the flange. I wanted to ask for some help before I try and replace the flange just in case it’s a water pump or something more serious. I should also maybe double check the hoses to the flange. I noticed what seemed to be a universal clamp on one hose. Thanks for your time.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:27 PM
Tiny
SONNYG22
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Here’s a couple pictures of what it looked like.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:28 PM
Tiny
SONNYG22
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Here.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:30 PM
Tiny
SONNYG22
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Couple more.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:31 PM
Tiny
SONNYG22
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Here.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:32 PM
Tiny
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Okay. That connects some of the dots. I suspect what is happening is the water pump pushed out the front seal and it is spinning and throwing the coolant all over.

I would suggest letting it cool down and then top off the coolant with water again and then put a pressure gauge/pump on the system and pump it up to about 15 PSI. Then start looking for where the leak is coming from. This will pressurize the system just like the pump does but the engine is not running so you will be able to look around easier. You should see just a small stream of water coming out from where it is leaking rather than seeing coolant pouring from all over.

Again, I suspect the pump but you are correct, there could be other areas. So unfortunately this is just going to take a little time but using the pump and water with the engine off, you are not in danger of overheating, dealing with a hot engine, or have coolant going everywhere. It will be more controlled.

Let me know where you see it coming from and I can get you repair procedures for those components if needed.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:34 PM
Tiny
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Could it be the coolant flange?
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:44 PM
Tiny
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It could be because at this point it could be anything. If the leak is substantial enough to get close to the fan on the front of the engine then that will throw the coolant all over. So that is why you need to pressurize it and test it with the engine off so you can pin point it.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:47 PM
Tiny
SONNYG22
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Should I use my rhino ramps to elevate the car?
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:50 PM
Tiny
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If you have them, I would think that would help. It will make it easier to get under it if you need to.

Also, I just saw the pictures that you posted. Not sure why I didn't see them before. I think you are on the right path. Once you pressurize it I think you will find all the leaks. Depending on how bad the leaks are, you may need to have someone continually pumping it to keep pressure on it. You just need to do it until you find all the areas.
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 6:56 PM
Tiny
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Okay, I’ll give it my best shot. I may try replacing the flange too since I already bought one. Thank you for your time and feedback. Very much appreciated!
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Thursday, June 27th, 2019 AT 7:00 PM
Tiny
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Sorry for the delay. Yes. If you have it, it won't hurt. Please let me know if you need anything else. Thanks
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Saturday, June 29th, 2019 AT 10:32 AM

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