GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: Goops on 29 September 2007, 18:43
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Hi Guys,
I was replacing coolant every other day and this morning let her idle in the drive to find any leaks etc.
There was no leak in the hoses but when the fan kicked in (100 deg) the water pump was dribbling a few drops.
A mechanic said this needs replacing....
He fitted in a water new pump and thermostat but when we ran the engine without the water tank cap...
the fan doesnt kick in??? We let the car heat upto 130 and the fan still didnt come on..
What could it be? I ran a wire on the fan switch and the fan came on.....could it be the temp send switch at the bottom of the rad?? or did something go wrong with the waterpump??
I am perplexed coz the fan was coming on fine this morning :sad: :sad:
All help appreciated?
Thanks,
G
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sounds like an air lock. :undecided:
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Mate two hours of massaging your pipe will sort it! Snigger :evil:
Fill at the top rad end first then massage your lower rad pipe snigger also leave the expansion cap off so it lets pressure out over night. :smiley:
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Cheers guys,
I let her run with cap off, thought the air locks would coe out when the water bubbles out?
Massaged the pipes, might give that another go now..
I hope its just an airlock, can i get the tem sender switches of any spare parts shop or is it VW specific?
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GSF do the switches
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GSF are closed sundays mate!
I need the car for my daily commute on monday?
Such a pain the rear end :sad:
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make sure you have the heater switch set to it's hottest setting.
also if , ou're losing water but can't find a leak, it's probably the expansion tank cap thats failed.
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GSF are closed sundays mate!
I need the car for my daily commute on monday?
Such a pain the rear end :sad:
Well to make sure and rule out the thermo switch to the rad, get some boiling water and dip it until it reaches operational temps. The fan should kick in then to let you know its just an air lock just remember that the cavity on the switch housing has a tight flow rate meaning to get air out of their you need to massage the top pipe and bottom one together so the water forces the air lock out.
If the fan worked before then its defo air which like I said it takes a good two hours of forcing out the air.
I have a spare tested one if needed it I'll be at Players just let me know and I'll PM you a number to reach me.
I've just changed out the fan today before the show tomorrow as it failed mid week. So I'm sure you can sort it before monday.
Jay
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Hey,
I doubt its the expansion tank to be honest, ive not seen it let any steam out etc? Its a blue one at that.
I hope it is an air block, scarily i did let the car run for about 10 mins with the cap off and was waiting for the fan to kick in...
reached dangerous temps at 140 at which i jus had to switch the car off!
I hope i can get this fixed tommorow, miss my car :(
Alan il try give her a proper massage yesterday and see if it kicks in..
Yeah Jay if you could pm me a number it wud me much appreciated?
p.s dont know if its worth mentioning...I put the heaters on maxand put the fan on setting 3....the air is usually hot and it was coming luke warmish?
Thanks,
G
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p.s dont know if its worth mentioning...I put the heaters on maxand put the fan on setting 3....the air is usually hot and it was coming luke warmish?
Thanks,
G
definatley sounds like an air lock. I don't think the heater has to be running when you bleed , just open .
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I'm 100% sure its air trapped in the heater matrix. Try taking it out on longer runs or run it till its about to boil then screw the cap back tight let it cool down then repeat.
Could be faulty thermostat :undecided:
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I will try letting the car run again with full massage on the pipes tommorow morning!
Hope it is just an air lock...the thermostat was new from gsf bought it a month ago?
I have left the car with cap open tonight..
Hope tommorow is a better day :sad: despondent and down today!
thanks,
G
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hey Guys,
Tried all the massage etc the fan did not kick in...
Now comes the strange bit-
When we took out the waterpump yesterday, there was NO THERMOSTAT in there?
It was just the base of the thermo sealed onto the pump...
and When we put a new thermostat in, the fan did not kick in....
Today, we took the thermostat out put the old seal back (no thermo) and the fan kicked in at 100 degrees!??!?
My questions are:
1) What the hell is going on..how does the fan kick in without the thermo etc?
2) Why did the previous owner cut the thermo out of the water pump
3) What is the actual problem with the car?
3)is this a serious issue with the car (engine, head gasket etc)
Please let me know your thoughts...
what started off as a coolant loss is escalating into something entirely diff?! :cry:
Thanks,
G
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Boil some water over the stove and place the thermostat into it and see if it opens up!
The fact its from GSF and new means nothing I'm afraid.
J
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Elo elo,
I did what you said, tried the thermostat in boiling water..
there was a very small (like 1 milimeter) in size difference when i measured it after boiling.
Im sure there supposed to be a bigger change in length?
I will try get another thermostat and get this in, but 2 things that are really bugging me:
1) Why did the prev owner take the thermostat out completely?
2) How does the fan work without it? (kicks in at around 100)
Also i have inserted the pics of what was under the water pump (looks like the thermo has intentionally been cut off)
see below:
(http://www.gsahota.com/gti/original.jpg)
in comparison to the whole thing below?
(http://www.gsahota.com/gti/new.jpg)
all help much appreciated?
Thanks,
G
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One mill is not working get it back and replace they sometimes sit for so long that the parts sieze up.
The reason why the fan kicks in is the pressure without the thermostat forces better water flow into the fan switch, so comes back to have pockets of air again and sometimes all it takes is restarting again with a new thermostat and repeat the massaging of the pipes. You will find the over heating will stop and your fan will kick in less. But like I said mine was a cascade pump, thermostat, leakie pipe, air pockets and then finally the fan bearings died. :rolleyes:
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Cheers mate,
I wil get a new thermostat in this weekend and hit with an update.
What i find very strange is the previous owner had intentionally cutt off the thermo and sealed up the pump.
if he had gone to the trouble of opening up the whole waterpump unit, why wouldnt he just put a new thermo in!?
Could there be an explanation for this?
Thanks for all your help on this by the way!
G
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Update:
Got a new thermostat with plastic housing from VW retailer..
Got these in with a new rad switch......
The fan kicked in at halfway on water temp gauge!
:)
Now everything seems fine mechanically! Plus engine temp warms up nice so come winter i should have a nice snug journey im hoping!
To conclude...
GSF THERMOS ARE CACK!!! buy the prope VW ones :cool:
Next step is getting some sweet alloys/wheels, im thinking of keeping them 15" prob borbet As or Ronal Ls??
Any recommendations anyone?
Not sure if 16s are the way to go, would i need body work due to scrubbing etc?? (car has not been lowered)
All comments appreciated!
Thanks,
G
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glad it's sorted.
GSF are sh!te. i bought an expansion tank and the cap wouldn't even screw on. :rolleyes:
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Yup finally i can drive in confidence!
Yeah couldnt agree more, they are bunch of baffooons!
Honestly, i wanted to replace the alternator adjustor, they asked for my car registration and all.....gave me the wrong one in the end!
Having said that i might need to go back there :grin:
Does anyone know where i can get the powersteering belt plastic cover? (the one that covers the belt to avoid contact with water)??
Thanks,
G
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Good glad it all worked out for you matey!
Things that are run on heat are always best shoved into a pan of boiling pan and this will always confirm parts broken or not regardless of newness :wink:
J
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Thanks mate, deffo will test something before i put it in next time! :grin:
With the thermostat in now i have noticed that the car warms up much quicker, i get to operational temps 100-110 faster and the heater giving me nice hot air quicker....
spells good for the winter me hopes!
I have relatives who run car workshops in africa and they said that in the hot weather they normally remove the thermostats in some cars and bypass the fan switch.
So everytime you start the car, the fan kicks in immediately!
Thanks for all the help guys!
G
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sounds like you had a combo of previous ownder bodges + airlocks, my thermostat was cut out in exactly the same way, when I put a new one in it ran absolutly fine, so the only reson they had removed it was to save the cost of a new stat, how tight is that?!?
In future when you drain & refill the coolant system bleed it by running it from cold with the cap off, keep the level topped up. Rev the engine to 2k now & again, and the whole time grab all the hoses you can lay your hands on & squeeze, dont forget the heater matrix ones! When the hoses get too hot to touch or the coolant starts boiling switch the engine off and fit the cap. Never fails!
No need to set the heater to hot on a MK2, as the matrix always gets coolant flow. On a MK1 there is a valve that isolates the matrix from the system. Also when you rev the engine check there is a good flow of coolant out of the small pipe to the top of the matrix, if not its blocked or your waterpump is weak!
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That is pathetic isnt it? cutting off and not replacing the stat now that is stingy!
Yup got the waterpump changed while i was at it too :grin:
Thanks for the tip on draining, touch wood the car is keeping nice snug temps between 100 and 112 even in traffic so im happy!
Next step is getting some nice wheels!