Does the MK2 in general overheat

[Tramp]

I read in an article that the Mk2 and MK1 where prone to Head Gasket blow outs usually due to not regular checks on coolant. It basically has a coolant system that is only up to 90% for the job. I come across lots of Head gasket blow outs on e bay and elswhere. Easy to replace but time consuming. Just needs checking and topping up now and again...

[SoundillusioN]

I read in an article that the Mk2 and MK1 where prone to Head Gasket blow outs usually due to not regular checks on coolant. It basically has a coolant system that is only up to 90% for the job. I come across lots of Head gasket blow outs on e bay and elswhere. Easy to replace but time consuming. Just needs checking and topping up now and again...

meh, not in my experience, had it happen once to high mileage 1.5 cab.  Personally I think that it can apply to any car that's been poorly driven and not serviced well.  The worst thing that can happen with coolant is not having any in the system in the first place.. Seen so many cars that have just been topped up on a regular basis with water and then corroded the motors internals.

You cant go to wrong with a motor that has had regular oil and coolant flushes and refills.

I take pride in knowing that my cars always have clear pink or blue water in spotless tanks that run clean at all times. similar can be said for oil.

My MK1 can get a bit hot but a lot of that with most cars like this can be due to age and wear.  which is why the above is even more important.

Often many older golfs are not in tune and this can cause a motor to get very hot very easily, I know this as mine is currently not well tuned and i'm currently addressing this issue.

[Slammin Huh]

My 8ver has 220k miles on it and havnt replaced the head yet at all and it still pulls like new! Mk2 <3

[Diamond Hell]

In my experience (and DannyP will echo this) Golf2 'big block' (1.6 and 1.8 motors), driven properly will go to about 100k and spit their headgasket dummy. 

At this point you get the head skimmed (if it needs it!) and put a new gasket on and you're set for another 100k.

Can generally be detected before over heating by a lumpy feeling motor, as one pot will be losing compression.

[Wayne]

As DH posted I have seen a few fail around the 100k mark, but with a light skim and a new gasket they are fine.

Some / most issues are caused by people just fitting another gasket without getting the head skimmed or checked.

[mk2bal]

My abf h/g went at christmas. Not 100% sure on mileage, but going off what the breakers told me it had done 120k,+ 5k I put on it.. No skim as it wasn't cooked/warped, jus went between cylinders 3+4..seems sweet as a nut again..

[twistedblack69]

The worst thing that can happen with coolant is not having any in the system in the first place.. Seen so many cars that have just been topped up on a regular basis with water and then corroded the motors internals.

Like mine, have been topping it up with water for 6-8 months once a month when the water lights been coming on :s think I might have to flush the engine :s. Am I right in thinking I can just take the top rad hose off to empty the water, and keep pouring coolant in the header tank until it starts coming out pink/blue? Or is this a bad way of doing it? Also, which is better, pink or blue? I can't remember which I put in last time, would it cause a problem putting the opposite to what I put in last time? And if so, I'm assuming I should empty out all the water, how would I do this?

[danny_p]

the cooling systems are actualy very strong and more than capable of keeping the motor at optomum tempritues even in high ambient tempritures with tuned engines.

but composite headgasets as found on mk1 and 2 do fail on a time distance thing.    if it's done more than 100k 10yrs on a gasket it'll be wanting one soon.  if it kills a gasket before that something is wrong.     MLS as found on mk3 gaskets are tough and much more duarable atho very likely to fail if changed and cyl head isn't skimmed.

the top favoret causes are

incorrect or lack of antifreeze.  - no antifreeze means no corrosion inhibbitors meaning chemical reactions will take place between the aluminium cylinder head and the irom block often causeing damage to waterways near the gasket face.  also some antifreezes are not safe on aluminium ( blue sh!t mainly ) ali engines shoudl allways have pink in them.   it also produces lots of rust int he engine that is brilliant at sludgeing up the radiator.

wrong fuel grades/ timeing or fueling.   insufficent octane for the ignition advance, overadvanced ignition or lean fueling or faulty knock sensors  will knock out head gaskets ( HG blowing in theis cas is a good thing as there cheeper than pistons, MLS gaskets as found on the ABF can be batterd by detonation all day every day till the pistons give up tho )

radiator clogged up with sh!te.

only issues with the cooling sytem are the o ring for the cap on the expansion tank dosent seal so well once it's old and may leak a bit. so it's a good idea to chuck a new cap on when you buy it or as with my customers i recomend fitting one at cambelt time.

heatermatrix and bypass valves.   the original mk2 matrix was sh!te and the bypass valves are useless. the original matrix should have given up by now and been replaced so the bypass valves should have allready left as well if not they can leave.