Coolant smell and seeing steam

[Brandon1978]

So I'm new to the Mk7 platform and am always reading and just came across a thread about water pump failures, which instantly had me thinking about my car as sometimes I smell coolant and see steam coming from the grille right under the hood. Im I experiencing the water pump failure?

 

[Finglonga]

Thde water pump is not the weak spot, it is the gasket holding the waterpump and thermostat on. If you are seeing steam yes you have a problem. Not going to suddenly fail just keep an eye on your coolant level. IF under warranty then use it, if not find a good independent garage as they are much cheaper than the main stealer.

 

[Adurm]

Pop the hood and find where the steam is emanating from. Also look for white residue in the engine bay. My water temp is usually around 188 to 198f after a 20 minute ride. As Fing said, it's the thermostat housing seal that fails. Mine did at 35k miles luckily. It should be covered to 50k or 60k under the powertrain warranty as its a sealed engine component.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Thde water pump is not the weak spot, it is the gasket holding the waterpump and thermostat on. If you are seeing steam yes you have a problem. Not going to suddenly fail just keep an eye on your coolant level. IF under warranty then use it, if not find a good independent garage as they are much cheaper than the main stealer.

Unless you're under warranty then go to the dealer.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Pop the hood and find where the steam is emanating from. Also look for white residue in the engine bay. My water temp is usually around 188 to 198f after a 20 minute ride. As Fing said, it's the thermostat housing seal that fails. Mine did at 35k miles luckily. It should be covered to 50k or 60k under the powertrain warranty as its a sealed engine component.

And if it's a good dealer they will cover it regardless of tuning and bolt ons. Mine did.

 

[Adurm]

Brandon, what year, what model and how many miles? The coolant smell i think is fairly common but the steam...

 

[Antomero]

I’m experiencing the same symptoms with my 17 R. Steam and coolant smell after I shut the motor down

 

[Antomero]

BTW my water temp never exceeds 194.
Not sure if that’s a concern or not

 

[jimlloyd40]

BTW my water temp never exceeds 194.
Not sure if that’s a concern or not
[/QUOT

That's not a concern. Mine always is higher than that.

 

[dr_mat]

We had coolant puddling on top of the gearbox when this went. Not ideal.