Help please.......coolant loss!

[cococola]

I have a 944,2.5cc lux ythat had a top end engine rebuild about 2 years ago (approx 4k miles)and I noticed that I would loose a little coolant every 500 miles or so which didnt bother me too much.I did 130 miles over the weekend (following another top up)and when I got home found that there was no coolant registering on the bottle marker.I topped up and went to work doing about 13 miles and find I have no water registering again.The car runs fine and doesnt overheat and I cant see any obvious leaks,I did get a weak smell of coolant in the vehicle.I hope Iam not experiencing another head problem again and would like any pointers for where to look for common problems/leaks.
cheers!
Alan

 

[xenon]

Does the oil (on the dipstick) look water-free? Could be the headgasket,with some coolant getting into the bores and being evaporated away. []

Hopefully it's 'just' a leak and somebody more knowledgeable than I will point out some likely areas to look.

 

[Fen]

I can't remember if it's Turbo-specific (I can't see it would be) but there are various water pipes that can corrode and pinhole. They can leak only under pressure or low enough volume that the loss evapourates before you get a chance to see it.

Check all the metal coolant pipes - or even the rubber ones. I think theere's a tricky little one round the back of the head.

 

[cococola]

Oil shows no sign of contamination and there is no sludge on the cap,the oil level hasnt changed either.[8|]

ORIGINAL: xenon

Does the oil (on the dipstick) look water-free? Could be the headgasket,with some coolant getting into the bores and being evaporated away. []

Hopefully it's 'just' a leak and somebody more knowledgeable than I will point out some likely areas to look.

 

[peanut]

you might try putting a flo dye in the water and see if you can spot it leaking out on your drive etc.
Have you checked your exhaust when stating from cold. There should be no white smoke (head gasket)
You could get a leakdown test done at a local garage for nothing. It will pressurize your coolant system and show up leaks under pressure

 

[cococola]

I refilled my coolant and left the car running,with the aid of the leadlight I noticed a wet screw end at the rear of the engine.On close inspection moving the rear hoses I found a drip coming from a small split in the hose that goes into the heater.
How releived am I that its not a headgasket again![&:]

 

[xenon]

Excellent news. []