i think i have a problem with my cooling system but i'm not sure which part to begin checking.

lately, i have to add water to the coolant reservoir coz coolant level keeps on getting low. i already checked the radiator and all the places that i can think of that can possibly leak but couldn't find any.

there were 3 nights in a row that whenever i drive a bit hard or in boost, i could smell coolant but couldn't trace where it is coming from. there was no smoke too.

and today, i was stuck in traffic and it's summer here already, the temp gauge would go up by itself, and when the rad fan turns ON, the temp gauge will go up even higher then slowly settle to a still higher level from normal but when traffic begins to move, temp guage would go to normal.

what do you guys think is causing the problems i stated? by the way, the car is turbocharged at only 7psi and yes, it's summer here but i don't think it should cause the temp gauge to rise since it didn't do this last summer.

 

the possibilities are ENDLESS. jk. do a pressure test and check for any external leaks since you said you there was a smell of coolant. heater and by-pass hoses sometimes burst due to age on oil soaked. the smell could be coming from the exhaust due to burning of the coolant. sniff the exhaust for that smell.

 

i went to see the one who tunes my engine and he thinks that it's my water pump that's going. could a bad water pump causes temp gauge to go up while stuck in traffic then go back to normal level when the car is already moving?

 

addressing your traffic question, in traffic your motor is at idle. so if your water pump is bad, at an idle RPM your motor is not getting an efficient amount of coolant. but at your motors RPM's raise, your water pumps reps raise. thus causing your motor to get the efficient amount of coolent it needs. thats why your temp gauge goes back to normal.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CivicSiR94 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> addressing your traffic question, in traffic your motor is at idle. so if your water pump is bad, at an idle RPM your motor is not getting an efficient amount of coolant. but at your motors RPM's raise, your water pumps reps raise. thus causing your motor to get the efficient amount of coolent it needs. thats why your temp gauge goes back to normal. </TD></TR></TABLE>

thanks. that make sense but how about if it's the thermostat? what kind of symptoms does a bad thermostat give?