NoodleVille 0 Posted June 8, 2006 his guys i have scanned different posts about overheating mines slightly different started on the motorway car overheated i was cruising along at about 80 4500 revs pulled over car cooled did the old heaters on in the car the temperarture did drop but was a very very hot day last sat so thought nothing of it on way back on sunday overheated again checked coolant in serivice station topped it up took about a litre but i diddnt know how much was in before the journey on way back the oil pressure guage also dropped into red so at home i checked for any signs of head gasket blown no oil in water ect no sign tonight collant light was flickering on but only when i reached about 4000 revs and oil pressure is back up again i have lost no performance from the car but i still think its the head gasket after reading some previos posts in this topic tommorow day time i am going to change air filter eliment flush the radiatior system and check all electirical connections. the car seems to become hot quickly and runs at about 3/4 of the guage any help with the situation will be awesome also anyone who knows how difficult it is to change a headgasket could point me in right direction of were i can get a gasket kit from as i would hope to do itmyself if possible i not very mechanical but was hopeing th job was quite straight forward. the car is a 1.6 gti k reg thanks guys Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pete C 0 Posted June 8, 2006 Is the car actually using water? Water in oil isn't the only sign of HG failure, it depends where the break in the gasket is. If it's between the water jacket and a combustion chamber, for example, then the car will drink water and you might not notice until it overheats. It shouldn't overheat at motorway speeds really, there should be plenty of air going through the rad to keep it cool. If it was short of water that might explain it, but you have to ask, where is the water going? I might just be a leak, but then again it might not. Drop in oil pressure might just be a dodgy eletrical connection from the sender, don't really see how they could be related. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoodleVille 0 Posted June 8, 2006 ok i have been out had a look around checked the air filter will change this black staining on it and looked pretty bad also i failed to mention in my first analysis of the problem there was a warning light coming on on my dash that i am not familiar with something to do with the radiator i believe a box with a series of wavey lines going through it what does this mean lol i dont know what it means at all plus i only have 1 fan for some reason should i have 2 as there is 2 spaces for fans Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ada205 2 Posted June 8, 2006 (edited) ok i have been out had a look around checked the air filter will change this black staining on it and looked pretty bad also i failed to mention in my first analysis of the problem there was a warning light coming on on my dash that i am not familiar with something to do with the radiator i believe a box with a series of wavey lines going through it what does this mean lol i dont know what it means at all plus i only have 1 fan for some reason should i have 2 as there is 2 spaces for fans The light you mention is the water level light, which indicates you've got low or no water in the expansion tank. I'd say your lucky to have one that works! In my experience, they rarely do! You seem to think it's head gasket, some other symptoms for head gasket include white smoke out the exhaust(worse when theres plenty of antifreeze in), sometimes trouble with starting, as there could be water in the bores, and pressurising, with rock hard waterpipes when engine is hot. Like peter c says, wheres the water going? If i was you, first thing i'd do is make sure the car is fully topped up with water, then, with engine running, try and see if theres any obvious leaks in the bay, or dripping underneath the car. Remember to keep an eye on the temp. All pipes are possible candidates, as is waterpump and rad. The metal pipe in O/S wing likes to rot. It sits between and 2 sections of the rads bottom hose. Also check inside car and make sure theres no water under the dash, at the back and sides of the centre console. If the carpets wet around here, then it's heater matrix. If theres no obvious leak, and it's still losing water, it maybe HG, though i had these symptoms once with no dripping under the car, but the water light would come on after a few miles every time, and that turned out to be water pump.It never leaked when car was standing, only when under strain. As for the fan, there should be only one. Hope this is some help. Edited June 8, 2006 by ada205 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob_the_Sparky 9 Posted June 8, 2006 If it is a HG then they normally go as a result of over-heating rather than as a cause. Did you see the low water warning before it overheated? Overheating at high speed is probably a blocked radiator or a thermostat not opening. Both will restrict the amount of cooling available and potentially lead to overheating. Rob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoodleVille 0 Posted June 8, 2006 i have been working on the car today i have taken it to a friend of a friend to get a HG test done the flui stayed blue wahooooo which means the head gasket is not the problem and in roughly 30 mins i will fit the thermostat i bought from halfords and flush my radiator system i have had an opinion that makes a lot of sense any views on this welcome if the thermostat int working properly the car will be running hot when car is running hot the oil will be hot which may make the oil pressure drop i found a leak on the brether pipe before the heater matrix losing small amounts of water all the time so hopefully when i change the thermostat and flush the system the problem should be sorted thanks for the feedback guys helped me vastly just pleased its not the hg will post an update when the thermostat is fitted Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TEKNOPUG 3 Posted June 8, 2006 If the thermostat is playing up then it would indicate that the engine is running hot when in fact it's not. Does the temp guage shoot up after only a few minutes driving? Do the fans come on very quickly? Similar happened to mine and I just changed the rad and all was fine again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob_the_Sparky 9 Posted June 8, 2006 I believe we are talking about the water flow thermostat, not the temperature gauge sender... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest cknotty Posted June 8, 2006 (edited) Certainly check the thermostat first as they are fairly cheap and (relatively) easy to replace. My mate's 405 Mi16 started to get hot on the motorway as we were on a trip to France (middle of summer, heater on full... ). After changing the thermostat, the problem was still there so checked the radiator and found that a lot of the fins had blown out due to corrosion. Replaced the radiator, and all was fine Certainly handy being out in France to get what we needed! And was useful having changed the rad to make the ferry after leaving the French GP... Well, you gotta find something to do on holiday, haven't you?! Edited June 8, 2006 by cknotty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoodleVille 0 Posted June 8, 2006 yeh i cant think of anything better do do on holiday lol well i changed the thermostat air filter collant flushed the system cleaned the spark plugs as well dunno why my dad was so fussed to do that ahh welll temperature still goes up quickly but does not overheat seems to settle just above 3/4 of the guage were is the temperature sending sensor i have a supicion that my dash is lieing to me telling me its hot when its not. any help would greatfull Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pete C 0 Posted June 8, 2006 Mine seems to sit at about 2/3 - 3/4 of the gauge most of the time, as do a couple of others that I know of. That's not necessarily a worry, just as long as it doesn't get any hotter... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob_the_Sparky 9 Posted June 9, 2006 There are a few temperature sensors: Gauge and Warning light sensors are on the side of the thermostat housing The fan sensor is in the radiator just below the top main hose The ECU temperature sensor is just above the SAD If the car is stationary I'd expect it to settle that high and have the fans keeping it from going any further. When running it should sit closer to half way... Rob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoodleVille 0 Posted June 9, 2006 ok i will check the temperature sender which sensor sends directly to the dash is there one or no i will probably end up changing them all lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
