Overheating Golf GTD????

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Wed 2 Jul 2003 22:36
Overheating Golf GTD???? - Rob the Bus {P}
As mentioned in Discussion, I have just bought a 1990 Golf 1.6 GTD for peanuts. Unfortunately there is something of an issue with the temperature gauge/the car overheating. On the test drive of about 2 miles the temp needle was at halfway but the temp light was flashing like a good 'un.

A few pessimistic so-and-sos have told me that the cylinder head is cracked but being the optimistic sort I am loath to believe them. The odd thing is, there is no gunk around the water or oil caps, there is no white smoke from the exhaust and the car drives fine. Today when the vendor trailered it to me, he moved it onto the trailer at his end and then off again at mine and the blasted temp light was giving it some already! Surely this is a sender unit problem?

Having said that though, when I investigated under the bonet after the test drive, there was a lot of hissing etc from the general direction of the water reservoir.

Any thoughts? As always, your help and advice is most welcome.

Cheers

Rob
"Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast."
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Wed 2 Jul 2003 23:02
Overheating Golf GTD???? - David Lacey
Water level sensor is the first port of call.....IIRC these did (Still do.....) cause some problems.

Hissing.....sounds like a split resevoir or a dodgy pressure cap?
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Tue 8 Jul 2003 00:14
Overheating Golf GTD???? - Rob the Bus {P}
Well, I've spoken to the garage today and apparently all that was wrong was an air-lock in the cooling system. They drained and refilled the system and then ran it for two hours and no further overheating occured. So, I am one relieved chap. Trouble is, I am about to do a long motorway journey in it. Could an airlock have caused the problems described earlier? Am I just being paranoid now? Does simply having the car running at idle put the same load on the cooling system as driving about? Will those pesky kids ever solve the mystery? Sorry about that....

Cheers

Rob
"Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast."
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Tue 8 Jul 2003 01:32
Overheating Golf GTD???? - Kimion
An airlock in the system may cause overheating problems.
You need to find out if the air in the system was just an earlier botched refil, or if air is getting in somewhere.
Find out if the seal on the resevoir cap is ok and not letting any air in(or any part of the system). You could have a slow leak of air getting in, which would cause the water level to be to low where its needed most. Also check the thermostat is functioning properly-not jammed- it might not be letting enough water around the engine. Both cheap things to fix, but both can cause head gasket problems.

After running the motor for 5/10 mins, is the rad and both hoses coming off it v.hot or just warm? (one cooler than the other?)
You may just have a faulty sensor
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Tue 8 Jul 2003 10:14
Overheating Golf GTD???? - David Lacey
I suggest you run it and keep a close eye on the coolant level and the gauge. I'm sure will all be well!
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