Brown fluid leak

[insanesam]

Hi All

My mum's car has a brown fluid leak. It is not oily and has no smell (but definitely thicker than water)
Refer to pictures.
Any assistance appreciated.
Car is 2015 Polo 66kw 6C. 31000km

Thanks
Sam

[simon k]

Doesn't smell, but does it have a taste? (yes I'm serious, a little bit on your tongue won't hurt you)
When did it appear?
Is it getting worse?
Is it dripping from somewhere?
Does it come out when the engine is just idling when it's cold or only after the car has been driven and is warmed up properly?


I can see some dark brown stuff, and some green-ish stuff.

The green stuff looks like it's been spraying, could be brake fluid but that smells and tastes nasty, and mum would have christmas tree lights on the dash and the car wouldn't be stopping properly

The dark brown stuff looks like oil residue from a breather or something, but you say it's not oily and doesn't smell. That doesn't leave much that would leave a dark patch like that....

best thing to do is clean it off and watch for it to come back again

but take note of what cleans it off best... if it doesn't wash off with water then it's oil based, if it's really sticky won't wipe off with a rag get a bit of turps or even alcohol (like vodka/tequila etc.) on a rag and wipe it.

If you're near a supercheap/repco get a can of degreaser spray and hit it with that. After you've degreased it, wash it off with a bottle of water or the garden hose with low pressure - try not to spray water all over the place - dry it and then go for a drive

[insanesam]

Thanks for the response.
Didn't think about tasting it but may try next time.

I only noticed it today. My mother has told me recently she has been intermittently getting a red triangular warning sign with an exclamation mark with no other message (after driving for 15-20mins). Hence i took it for a drive today to try and reproduce the problem but couldn't. When i popped open the hood I notice the coolant was below minimum so i topped it up with distilled water. Also poked around and noticed that brown-ish fluid. Can you advise what is the part above the brown fluid with lots of hoses? Im assuming its the thermostat or coolant pump?

[simon k]

Thanks for the response.
Didn't think about tasting it but may try next time.

I only noticed it today. My mother has told me recently she has been intermittently getting a red triangular warning sign with an exclamation mark with no other message (after driving for 15-20mins). Hence i took it for a drive today to try and reproduce the problem but couldn't. When i popped open the hood I notice the coolant was below minimum so i topped it up with distilled water. Also poked around and noticed that brown-ish fluid.

tell her to take it to her mechanic and get them to read the codes, it might have just been the low coolant, but I think that's the general "oh crap" light

Can you advise what is the part above the brown fluid with lots of hoses? Im assuming its the thermostat or coolant pump?

dunno - does it look like this? 04E121600P Coolant pump Thermostat housing 1,2 1,4 TSI VW Polo 6C Golf VII | eBay

[insanesam]

Car got scanned with a Bosch scanner from Supercheap and no codes found.
I cleaned up the area and will monitor over the next few days.
Also there is a big bolt down there, anyone know what it is?

[godzilla]

Mine was the water pump . Your local Autobarn can get the water pump from nasons (I work at an Autobarn). The fun part is finding the correct tension to put on the belt that drives it.pump pivots to allow adjustment of belt tension when booting on. If belt has coolant on it it will need to be replaced . Vw had to get belt from Singapore and took a week . Also will need to flush old coolant as most brands are not compatible and require a complete flush so I used vw coolant

[insanesam]

Is it DIY'able or should i take it to the experts?

[Hillbilly]

Is it DIY'able or should i take it to the experts?

Take it to and expert. Hardly DIY if you dont even Know what it is If you mix coolants you can stuff it completely because what VW uses and older coolants turn into porridge.

[insanesam]

Mine was the water pump . Your local Autobarn can get the water pump from nasons (I work at an Autobarn). The fun part is finding the correct tension to put on the belt that drives it.pump pivots to allow adjustment of belt tension when booting on. If belt has coolant on it it will need to be replaced . Vw had to get belt from Singapore and took a week . Also will need to flush old coolant as most brands are not compatible and require a complete flush so I used vw coolant

How many water pumps does this car have? The part I am referring to the "coolant pump, coolant regulator" - Online Volkswagen Polo/derby/Vento-IND spare parts catalogue, Europe market, 2015 model year: engine group, coolant pump, coolant regulator subgroup, Volkswagen VIN decoder, aftermarket, etka online. Was your issue this part?

[godzilla]

It is the water pump and thermostat housing bolted together. Some genius decided to make it so you can access one thermostat with the housing in place and to change the other one requires the removal of the water pump . That’s right 2 thermostats in the housing .