Page 249 of 541

Engine coo la nt
Introduction
In thi s section you'll find informat ion on the following:
Warning
engine coolant and topping off . . . 255
Never do a ny wor k on the coo lant system unless
you
-know exactly ho w to carry out the job,
-have the correct tec hnical informa tion and
th e proper to ols, supplie s, and operating
fluid s, a nd
-are familiar with the necessary safet y
pr eca utions
Traile r page 152
fo r work ing in the e ngine compartment page 242
Part s, acce ssories , re pair s and modification s
Engin e coo lant is poisonous!
Always keep the coolant in its origi nal con
t ainer stored in a safe place .
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never store engine coolant in empty food or beverag e containers or in any other containers that might mislead someone into drinking from them.
Always keep engine coolant out of reach of c hildr en.
Alway s make sure there is enough of tJ1e cor
re ct coo lant additive to provid e proper anti
fr eeze protection at the cold es t temperatures that can be expected where the vehicle will be used .
At extremely cold temperatures, the coolant could freeze, causing the vehicle to break down.
The heater would also not work, and vehicle oc
cupants could be without protection at subfreezing temperatures.
leaking operat ing
fluids and dispose of t h e m properly in acco rdance
w ith applicable environmental laws and regulat ion s .
Warning light and engine coolant temperature gauge
Fig . 153 E ngine coolant temperature gauge in the instr umen t Engi ne cold;® Normal temperature range;© Warn ing zone.
Core, maintenance
first read and note th e introduct ory information and heed th e on page 252.
normal driving conditi ons, th e needle
s h o uld be in the middl e of th e ga uge. The temper
ature may go high er w hen th e e ngine is w orking
h ard, espec iall y in hut
When the igni tion is sw itch ed on , seve ra l warnin g and indicator light s co me o n bri efly fo r a function
c h ec k. The y go our after a few seconds.
Th e fo
llow ing table explains w ha t t o do if th e en
gine coolant warn ing does no t go out a few secon ds after the engine is s tart ed or light s up or
s tart s fla sh ing while driving.
Page 250 of 541

Temperature
Lights up gauge needle response page252,
fig . 153
off the road and s top as soon as you can do so safely.
the engin e
coolant l eve l and add e ngine coolant if page 255. th e e ngin e coo lant E ng in e coolant tempera-
leve l is correc t o r the p roble m continues Warning zone l
u re too high. afte r addin g coo la nt and driv ing a sh ort tance, do not drive an y farther.
sary 341.
th e engin e coo la nt level after the en-
gine has coole d d own and add en gine
coolant i f page 255. the engine coo la nt leve l is correc t or tl1e problem continues after adding coolant, do
En gin e coolant leve l too not drive a ny farther.
Facility.
These in struction s apply only when the coolant temperature stays in the normal
rang e. immediately if the needle goes
in to
the red warning zone
Eng ine coo lant system the nearest authorized Volk swagen .. malfunction. dealer or authorized Volkswage n
Do not drive at hi gh en g in e s peeds or with heavy en g in e loads until the engine warm s
cause
Engi ne coo lant syste m malfun ction .
the engine compartment 252 253
Page 251 of 541

Failure to heed warnin g light s and instrument cluster text message s can cause the ve hicl e to break down in traffic and result in a and seriou s personal injury .
Never ignore warning light s or text I NGS.
Engine coolant specifications
introdu ctory information and heed th e on pag e 252.
The engi ne c ooling sys tem is fille d
p erce nt of Volk s wa gen engi ne coo lant additi ve G 12 plu s-plu s (TL-VW 774 G) o r G 12 plus (TL -VW F). Both of these engin e coola nt ti ve s are purple.
This mixtur e pro vides antif r eeze pro te ction down
to -13 a ls o he lps to pro tec t th e light
allo y pan s in th e eng in e coolin g sys te m against
corro sio n. In addit ion, the mi xture help s preve nt
c alcium dep os its and in creases the bo ilin g point of the e ng in e coola nt.
T o
protec t th e e ng in e, the mi xture must a lway s co nt ain nt le a st
mate conditions , th e perc entage of coola nt ti ve can be in cre ased. Howe ver, the coo la nt ti ve pe rc e n ta ge mu st never be m ore than oth erw ise , ant ifreeze prot ection is reduce d a nd
th e ability of the mi xture to coo l th e e ngine is als o
r educed.
Whe n addin g e ngine coolant, use a mixture of till ed water and at l ea st c o o la nt addit ive G 12 plu s- plu s for optimum co rro sion protection
Core, maintenanc e
Always stop the vehicl e as soon as it is saf e to do so.
Note
Failure to heed warning lights o r text can re s ult in veh icle damage.
Too little antifreeze protection in the en gin e coolin g syste m can cause eng in e failure and vere injuri es.
be used.
At extremely cold temperatures, the coolant could freeze, cau sin g the v ehicl e to brea k down. The heater would als o no t work, and ve hicl e cupants could be without protection at free zing temperatures.
Note
N eve r mix original Volkswagen engine coo lant additives with other additi ve s no t approved by
Volkswagen. Mixing Volkswage n coo la nt
facturers can serio usly damage th e engine and th e engi ne coolin g sys te m .
Eng in e coolant additive G 12 plus-plus can b e
m ixed with G 12 plus and G
If the fluid in th e e ngine coo lant res ervoir is any color but purple (s u ch
this is th e case, the gin e coolant mus t b e r epla ced immedi ate ly . envi se serious m alfun ction s or engine damage can occ ur!
E ng in e coolan t a nd engine c oo lant additi ves can pollute th e environm ent. le akin g opera ting a nd disp ose of th em in
acco rdance with appli cable e nvir o nm ent al la ws
a nd
Page 252 of 541

read and note the introductory
on page 252.
If th e coolant level drops too low, the engin e
coo lant level/ tempe ratur e warni ng ligh t lights up.
Park the ve hicl e on level ground.
Always let the engin e cool
th e engine hood
There is a fig.
When the eng in e is co ld, check the e ngine
coolant leve l relat ive to th e marking on th e sid e of th e expa nsio n tank fig. 154.
Always protec t face, hands and arms from h ot
escaping coo lant o r steam by cover ing the cap with a larg e, thi ck rag.
Carefully unsc rew the
Add new engine co olant ac co rding to Volkswagen specifications page 254)
Th e engi ne coo lant leve l must b e in sid e the mark s on the sid e of the 154. Do
not above top edge of the
the engine compartment
Fig. 155 Coolan t e xpans ion tank cap in the eng in e
compartment.
Screw the lid tightly.
Even in a n em erge ncy, do not use any other kind of coolant addi tive if eng ine coolant meeting
Volkswagen pa ge 254) is una v ail
able! Instead, add distilled water
page 254.
H
ot steam and hot engin e coo lant can cause se
rio us burns.
Never open the hood if yo u sec steam o r coolant esca ping from the engine compartment. Always wait until you no longer see or hear steam or coolant escapin g from the engine.
Always let the e ngin e cool down compl etel y
before carefully opening th e hood.
When the engin e has coo le d down and you are ready to open hood:
- F
irmly apply the parking brake and shift (automatic) o r Neutral (manual only).
- Hemov e
the vehicl e key from the ignition.
- Always keep c
hildren and others away from the en gin e compartment and never
leave them unsupervise d.
The engine coolant system is under pressure
w hen the engine is hot. Neve r unscrew the coolant expansion tank cap whe n the engine is hot. Hot coolant can spray out and ca use severe burns and other serious injuri es.
254 255
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-Turn the cap slowly and ve ry ca re full y in a
counte r- clo ckwise dir ect.ion whil e appl yin g light downwa rd pressure o n the top of th e cap.
-
Always prot ect your face, h ands, an d a rms
f ro m hot escaping co olant o r steam b y ering the ca p with a la rge, thick ra g.
Never spill fluid s on th e e ng in e o r exhaust
sys te m when refi lling . fluid s ont o ho t
p ar ts of the e ng ine or exhaust syste m can cause a fire. some conditio ns, the eth yle ne
g lycol in en gin e cool an t catc h fir e.
Note
di still ed wa te r onl y when adding coo lant! All othe r types of wa te r contain ch e m ica l pounds that can ca use exte nsive cor rosio n
damag e to the e ngin e. Th is can eve n lead to
ri zed Volkswa ge n deale r or an authorize d to have th e coo lant sys te m
d rai ned , flu sh ed , and refille d compl ete ly w ith the
p ro per co olant.
m aintenance
Note (co ntinue d !
Refill eng in e cool ant only up to th e to p edge o f the m arke d fill range=> p age 255, fig. 154 . Excess
e ng in e coolan t m ay be forced out of th e e ng in e
co olin g sys te m when it ge ts ho t and cau se
d am age.
engi ne coo lant o nl y wh en the e ng in e is coole d Sig n ifica nt engin e cool ant loss is a s ig n of leak s in the cooling sys te m. Have
th e e ng in e coo ling syste m ch ecke d immedi ate ly
b y a n authorize d Volkswage n deale r or an ri ze d Volkswage n
When ch an gin g o r top pin g off ope ratin g
fluid s, make sure tha t yo u pour the fluid s int o th e
correc t reservoi rs. ma lfunctio n s and gine da m age can result if yo u p ou r operating fluid s int o the wro ng
Page 254 of 541

th is sect io n yo u'll find inform ation on th e low ing:
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Check ing . . . . . . . . . . 2 59
Charg ing, replacing, disconnect ing
and c o nn ecti ng the ve hicle boHery . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
you are uncerta in in anyway , have the work do ne an aut ho rized Volk swage n dealer or au th orized
Volkswage n Service Serious personal
tery
Symbol Meaning
Always wear eye protectio n!
B a tt ery
acid is hi ghl y co rro sive. ways wear protective gloves and eye protec tion !
Fire, sparks, op en light and sm okin g
a re pro hibit ed !
W hen a batt ery is c ha rge d, it
Bookle t Warranty and Main tena nce book let
fo r worki ng in th e eng ine page 242
Par ts, acce ssories , repai rs and m odifica tio ns
or the electrical sys te m
in your vehicl e can cause seriou s acid burns,
fir es, explo sion s, o r electri ca l s hock s. Alway s
re ad and heed the followin g and safety preca ution s befor e working on
Before working on the ele ctri cal s ystem, way s switch off the ignition and all ele ctrical
consumers and di sconnect the negative
Alwa ys ke ep children awa y from
Always wear eye prot ection . Never let ballery
ac id or lead particles come int o contact with
your eyes, skin , and clothing .
Sulfuric battery ac id is ve ry corros ive . In
contac t with your skin , it can cause acid burns.
If it to uches your e y es, it can cau se blindn ess.
your hands, your arms, and your face and eye s from spillin g or squirtin g acid. To reduce your risk of injury , n eve r tilt the batteri es ,
as thi s could acid throu gh th e vents and burn you.
batterie s from the
v e hicle electri cal sys tem, always disconnect the negative cable H fir st and then the positive cable(+ ).
Always swit ch ofT electri cal con sumers for e reconnec tin g th e batt eri es. Reconnect the plu s cabl e(+) first and then th e nega tive cable().Neve r rev erse the pol arity of the connection s.
Thi s could cause a fire.
A highly explos iv e mixture of ga ses is give n
ofT wh en th e battery is be in g c harged.
D o no t s moke and avoid fires, sparks , and open names when wo rkin g. Never create sparks or ele ctros tati c charges when handlin g ca ble s and elec trica l equipm ent. Nev er short cir cuit the b att ery te rminal s. Hig h -energy s parks can
ca use seriou s pers on al injury.
256 257
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Never use or attempt to ch arge a damaged or frozen battery, or a battery was frozen but has thawed. a frozen or thawed battery could cause explosion s and ch emi cal burns! place damaged or froze n ba tt eri es m ediat ely. A disc harge d battery can freeze at
temperatures around +32 Alway s
the battery has a ve nt lin e or tube, make sure thi s is connec te d.
Always make sure that the vent line is curely attached to a cated in the
If you battery acid in your eyes or on your
eral minutes. The n medical attention
ical attention immedia te ly.
Warning
Battery posts, termin als and related rie s contain lead and lea d compon ent s, cals known to the of to cau se
cancer or other h arm . Wash your hand s after
handlin g.
Note
Never di scon nect a ba tt ery or connec t
two b atte ries to each other when th e
Do not expose the battery to dire ct light for an extend ed p eriod of tim e as ultraviolet rays may damage th e battery housing.
is lef t s tanding in the cold for a
lon g tim e, prote ct th e battery from
fr ee zin g. A battery will be permanentl y damaged by fr eez ing.
infunnatiun on pa ge 257 .
Light s cause up
Alternator malfunctio ning.
W he n th e ig niti on i s s witched on. several warning
a nd in dica tor lights come on briefly for a funct ion ch eck. T hey go out aft er a few seco nds.
Failure to hee d warning lights and instrument
Never ignore warning light s or tex t
cleaning, maintenance
to an authorized dea le r or authorized Volksw agen Fa-cilit y. Have e lectrical syste m ch ec ke d . off unnecessary elec trica l load s. Th e ve-battery will not be c ha rged by the alt er-nato r whil e th e is in moti on.
Always stop tl1e
Note
Failure to heed warning lights or te xt
Page 256 of 541

Checking the
the engine compartment: Remove the
cove r from the vehicle
first read and n o te th e introducto ry
o n p age 257.
the ve hicle battery does quire mainten an ce.
th e ve hicl e for work in th e engin e page 242
page 242.
the battery cover
De pending o n the e ng in e ty pe, there are different kinds of battery covers:
cove r: fig . 156 in directi o n of th e arrow and re m ove the cove r upward.
With a soft cove r: th e s ide
If the lighti ng conditi ons a re poor, use see the ba tt ery charge indicato r and w ha t co lor it is. Neve r use
The round ba tt ery ch a rge wind ow level
the engine compartm ent Fig
. 157
the engine compart ment:
p la ce d. Have it ch ec ke d by an thorize d Volkswagen deale r o r an authorize d Volk swage n cility.
Ba ttery electro ly te leve l is to ry.
Working on the batterie s can cause se riou s acid burns, exp lo sion, or electri cal shock.
Alway s wear eye protection and protective
glove s.
tect above a ll your hands, your arms, and your fa ce and eyes from spilling or squirting acid .
Never tilt the vehicl e battery. Acid could out of the battery vents and burn you.
Never open
258 259