intermittent leaky coolant
 

I have a '96 golf and it has randomly started leaking coolant. I had it parked in a super hot area for two weeks, then drove it for a 10 minute drive (with the motor at normal temperature) and when I parked it, coolant started leaking all over the driveway. I didn't deal with it until the next day since just considering it stressed me out (especially since a friend warned me that he thought fixing it would cost me a fortune). The next day, while the car was cool, I poured water into the coolant reservoir and it drained out immediately. It looked like it was coming out of the transmision. I checked and I couldn't see any leak from any pipes. It actually looked like it was some how coming out of a huge whole in the side of the transmission (weird, I know). The next day I drove it to a near by mechanic. It was a short drive and there was no sign of my car over heating. The mechanic poured water in it, and nothing happened. He didn't seem to believe me about where the water was coming out. So I drove away. The water level stayed high all week, with no leaking. Then I drove it again today and it leaked. Although it was really hot outside, my car hasn't over heated at all. I have no clue how it could just randomly leak. Any ideas please! I'm about to make a six hour road trip in two weeks so I need to try to fix it before then.
Thanks so much.

RE: intermittent leaky coolant
 

All i would say is keep some spare coolant in teh trunk, cause if all the pipes look arite it could be sometihng wit the tranny, cause if im correct i think the collant also runs though the tranny as well

RE: intermittent leaky coolant
 

As far as I'm concerned, no coolant runs through the trans. You might have a busted seal somewhere. I think your only hope of fixing the issue is trying to find where it's leaking from, the exact source. But yea. It's a good idea to keep a couple litres of coolant handy. I had done this for a while myself. If your car is not overheating, then leave it be till you come across the real leak. Best case, if there is high mileage on the car, you should do all your coolant hoses, some cost a few bucks, but they dont' last forever. Check the seals around the engine, since it does run through, a gasket might be gone and resulting in your coolant coming out. Try to do this as soon as you notice it leaking, follow the trail as best you can, localize the area.

-Jeff