[ckohler3]

This morning I warmed the car up for a bit then drove to work. When the car reached temp the heat started blowing cold air. I got a low coolant and overheating message on the dash after driving 10 minutes. The coolant is about an inch below minimum in the reservoir. It was -17 F.

A few weeks ago the heat wasn't blowing hot enough so I ran the car with the reservoir cap off to bleed it a few times. The heat started blowing warmer and the coolant level dropped a little. I topped off the coolant and thought all was good.

I do have VCDS and will check for faults later. Looking around here and the rest of the internet it seems like it might be the thermostat. There should be a hose that I can check to feel if it's hot or cold right? When I bled the system last time I didn't bleed the hose under the cowl on the passenger side. Should I try that? I don't see any leaks coming from the vehicle. The ground is snow covered so I would think it would be easy to see. If it's not leaking could it just be the coolant contracting from the cold or more air coming out? The only other place I can think the coolant could be going would be horrible news.

 

[ckohler3]

The ride home was uneventful. I was ready to stop and let it cool off if it got hot, but it never went above normal and I had heat. I topped off with straight coolant thinking it might be a weak mix. I will test it later.

I was able to get some air out of the heater core hose. I pulled the hose back some until air came out of the little hole. Can someone clarify this procedure? Should I let the car get up to temp and do it? The coolant was just a bit warm when I did it and the car was off. Some air definitely came out but I'd like to get all of it out so I don't have to worry.