Diagnosis of external coolant loss?

[Caleb1534]

Our 2001 VW Beetle is experiencing yet https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=703937 another issue.

Her instrument cluster has been displaying the low coolant light (due to the coolant reservoir being empty) every time or every other time my father drives her to work. Our Beetle is his daily driver, and he usually works Monday-Saturday.

Thus, my father has been having to refill the coolant reservoir tank practically every day. And the OEM coolant is not cheap: $15 for 3 quarts (after being diluted 50/50 with water).

I looked underneath the Beetle recently, attempting to see where the coolant's been leaking. I saw a drip of coolant (it's pink) sitting on the bottom rim of the metal piece between the crankshaft pulley and the oil pan.

So, today I began trying to diagnose where the coolant is leaking from.

The Haynes manual lists a number of possible causes of external coolant leakage:

1. Deteriorated or damaged hoses
2. Loose clamps
3. Defective water pump
4. Leakage from the radiator core
5. Leakage from the coolant reservoir tank
6. Cylinder head gasket leaking

I had my brother rev the Beetle's engine to 3,000 RPM while in Park, then I looked in the general area of the coolant reservoir tank to see if I could visibly discern where the coolant's leaking from.

The hose coming out of the bottom of the coolant reservoir didn't appear or feel wet; neither was it spraying coolant everywhere.

The water pump didn't seem to be leaking.

The underbody wetness I saw before wasn't in the area of the radiator, so I didn't specifically look at it. However, I didn't see any coolant drips coming from that part of the underbody, so the radiator is probably fine.

The coolant reservoir tank seemed fine; it didn't seem wet and didn't appear to be dripping at all. However, it looks like it has a crack in it. No leakage from this crack, though.

I did, however, see coolant dripping from the bottom rim of the metal piece between the crankshaft pulley and the oil pan. In fact, the coolant drips were getting the bottom left corner of the oil pan wet.

So, if I'm correct, the only possible cause for Brigitta's (name of our VW Beetle) external coolant leakage is that the cylinder head gasket is leaking.
This would seem to jive with the fact that, before her last oil change, Brigitta was losing a quart of oil every week or two. This last oil change, I added a quart of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer to help slow down oil leakage. Also, today I noticed that the oil pan gasket looks like it's leaking too. I may replace Brigitta's oil pan gasket the next time I change her oil.

What do y'all think?

How difficult is it to replace the cylinder head gasket? I once replaced the valve cover gasket on a 1999 Toyota Corolla. I know the head gasket is further down in the engine than the valve cover gasket. However, after looking at the Haynes Manual's step-by-step process for replacing the cylinder head gasket, it doesn't look like it would be too hard for me to do. Reading is like a sixth sense for me, so I'm very good at following written instructions.

I will greatly appreciate any help, advice, or thoughts that y'all are willing to share with me about our Beetle's current issue.

Thanks, guys!

Caleb

[Blitzkriegbug]

Looks like the water pump to me. Its driven by the timing belt behind a cover so you cant really see it. Head gaskets arnt that common. If you dont know when the timing belt was replaced last you should tear it apart and change it anyways.
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57 beetle , 85 S10, 92 S10