NickVR6

PS: When i bought the car it had 0% antifreeze in it, so that may have cracked the header tank.

Apologies for the double post, bit new to foruming, and i really do apreciate all your help on this guys, and those that give up there time to run this site. 2cc, i will be getting one first thing tomorrow. I was finding it hard to understand how a small leak there can let air in rather than blasting water out. Im a novice though, so im going with you guys. Its cheap, and the old one is obviously on its way out so needs doing anyway. How much is a new header tank? If they are a similar amount i may as well try that too as although water is leaving from the outlets it sits around the rim and not convinced thats not a crack as well! There is coolant running into the header. Checked the level thismorning and i swear its gone up over night!! might be airlocks playing games. Will fit it and report back! My local stealer said the pipe was £100+vat, but i may not have described it very well! :? :oops: :cry: :(

pps for mr chubby b: its a VR.

Olly, cheers my friend, another trick to try. Spose truth be know its worth doing everything, it may well be a combination of things. I have def got a lot of air in the system somehow though. Ive part 2'd this thread with a new post if you want the latest long winded version!!

Thanks guys, keep it coming and ill get there! In answer, the small outlets in the side of the header tank are where im loosing coolant when its hot, but its making it impossible to confirm if its coming out the bottom aswell. i have got it hot and cant see anything other than the header tank leaking. Had a few leaks before but they are all fixed now. As for "that god dam pipe", its only white right where it meets the head and when its hot and running you cant see or here anything. Im not sure if this pipe is boiling or sucking air, as they both sound similar. I knwo it must have lots of air as you can here it when the car is stone cold in the morning sucking air then water then both, spitting and hissing in the pipe.When its cold and you squeeze that pipe it sounds like its mostly air with a bit of spit in there! took the presure cap off and there is water coming from the small pipe that fills the header, from cold, more of a trickle than any real presure though and it stops and starts and bubbles every now and then? Surely that means something? Gauages all look fine, but im driving everywhere with the heater blasting as im paranoid about that pipe giving me a hot spot that the gauages dont confirm and then nackering my probably fine headgasket!! I told the garage to fill the water system from the main top rad hose and they said they did, amoungst others!? Def lots of air in the works somewhere somehow. Shall i just do that pipe myself and report back? PS: melted the credit card on some tyres for my new alloys to cheer me up a bit, only a 2 mile drive! Got some picks if anyone wants me to post them? if so where? thanks again!!!! :?:

Termostat & Housing: Replaced (Again) Nolonger leaking Presure Cap: Replaced with VAG blue jobbie Aux Pump: Taken off and checked all ok, pump nicely. Coolant: Flushed twice and bled from 3 diff places 3 times. Sensor on rad: Replaced and sealed properly. Heater: Works great all the time, no wet carpets Hose to head/h-matrix: Slight white mark round the head and very slight perishing starting but does not appear to be leaking anywhere other than the tiny white ring round the head end. Constant 70mph = constant 92 water temp/106/108 oil temp MFA, BUT...... ORIGINAL PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS Leaking from header tank outlet Pipe from head to heater matrix still bubbling/gurgling and or boiling? Now the cars cold I swear by squeezing every pipe there is under the bonnet they are all half full of air and water! and it doesnt feel or sound like theres any water in that head/matrix hose to me at all now its cool. GARAGE SAYS: Must be the main pump gone, only reason your cars not overheating is because the electric pump is taking care of it!? I would think if the mechanical pump was shot the car would overheat? Been quoted £180 to do the pump, and if thats not the problem they said it has to be my head gasket. Nothing seems to be making any sense. If its the pump hows air getting in?? If theres an air lock why does my heater work. Can anyone give me a fairly sure answer with all the above?? SHould i go for the pump? I'm desperate, feels like im never going to have a clear cure for this!!

Termostat & Housing: Replaced (Again) Nolonger leaking Presure Cap: Replaced with VAG blue jobbie Aux Pump: Taken off and checked all ok, pump nicely. Coolant: Flushed twice and bled from 3 diff places 3 times. Sensor on rad: Replaced and sealed properly. Heater: Works great all the time, no wet carpets Hose to head/h-matrix: Slight white mark round the head and very slight perishing starting but does not appear to be leaking anywhere other than the tiny white ring round the head end. Constant 70mph = constant 92 water temp/106/108 oil temp MFA, BUT...... ORIGINAL PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS Leaking from header tank outlet Pipe from head to heater matrix still bubbling/gurgling and or boiling? Now the cars cold I swear by squeezing every pipe there is under the bonnet they are all half full of air and water! and it doesnt feel or sound like theres any water in that head/matrix hose to me at all now its cool. GARAGE SAYS: Must be the main pump gone, only reason your cars not overheating is because the electric pump is taking care of it!? I would think if the mechanical pump was shot the car would overheat? Been quoted £180 to do the pump, and if thats not the problem they said it has to be my head gasket. Nothing seems to be making any sense. If its the pump hows air getting in?? If theres an air lock why does my heater work. Can anyone give me a fairly sure answer with all the above?? SHould i go for the pump? I'm desperate, feels like im never going to have a clear cure for this!! :( :( :( :( :cry:

Back on line now (been banned at work!!) Thanks for the comments guys. Heater controls all work acept 2 settings for face and face/low. rest is fine, but occasionally one ring will light up but the rest never does. I can live with it until this water is sorted. Just got the car back from the garage. 2nd new stat housing and stat fitted free of charge. Temp sender in rad replaced and presure cap. All leaks now sorted, presure caps is still leaking and the pipe is still boiling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They reckon the only thing left is the main water pump, and think the electric pump is keeping things down and saving the day. I cant belive this. Yes the pipe to the head does have a small white mark round it but other wise is mint and intact. Somebody save me from insanity AND A £200 BILL FOR A WATER PUMP THAT MAY NOT BE THE PROBLEM......AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

exsqueeze me!?? how much, its about 12 inch long peice of rubber !? I can here a ripping sound. Next job is the heater controls, how much are they about £200 ?

cheers Dr Mat, I will. I did notice that the end that attaches to the head was white and crusty looking round the very end?

dont want that stretched look though!!!!! or will they look ok?? sorry off subject i know!!

cheers Kev, i was wondering if that would let air in. Its running everso slightly warmer on the water temp after they fitted it too, mid 90s instead of bang on 90. Garage are noramly fab, and let me pay over a couple of months which helps! Im sure they will fix that, but still unsure it will cure the pipe rumbling! Just want it 100% as i know the cooling takes a pounding on these, then i will fit an oil cooler. Dont think after owning a golf vr and the wife having the vento vr i will ever come to terms with oil temps of over 110 when they both ran/run in the low 90s! I guess its down to the "shoehorned" vr in the raddo. Rocks though! PS: got my 8x17s sat here as discussed, still deliberating 205 or 215! This water things put the tyres back another month though aaarrrhh!

Tekara, hey buddy wheres you situated then?? It would be great to find another local VR, only seen one other but not on here and they dont flash or wave!

The big leak is from the thermostat housing my garage fitted last weekend, as it was seeping slightly, now its much worse. Its in there now overnight to check the exact leakage point and i told them to fit a new presure cap and "investigate" the bubbling pipe. I suggested a matrix air prob but they said the heater wouldnt work? It allways works VERY VERY HOT/WELL!! Im most worried about this strange pipe. Can you confirm what those two small diametre ones to the injection do for my own knowledge? Is that cooling or warm up related? One ts into the pipe in question

Im at the end of my tether with coolant leaks, somebody please tell me whats going on or as much as i luv my new vr its going in the garden as a water feature! Loosing small amounts when hot through the header tank valve. Lossing nearly a litre a night when it all cools down! Bubbling noise from one extremely hot pipe that goes from the bulk head into the back of the head--my main worry. You can here this in the car, and the pipe is vibrating like a kettle when you touch it as is the small pipe that t's off this into the injection manifold? what does that do, warm it up or keep it cool? could there be a blockage somewhere?? I've just had a second stat and housing fitted and the rad and aux pump are 6 moths old. ???????????????????????? ! :evil:

that will be why tugging on the gaiter is getting me nowhere! Your a star, back to the garage! You get my post a while back re-a brochure on your car on ebay. Guess its sold now anyway though!?

I guess so !! Cant afford it anyway, 8x17s arriving and no tyres and i know they will have to go straight on! Any advice on how to fit my new knob and gaiter, where do i start?

bugher! thought that might be the answer. anyone suggest a nice classy looking new wheel, I look a nice deep rim so to speak? Not to blingy shiny type. ps how do you get the original gear gaiter surround out!? have to take the back ashtray bits out first and work forward??

Drove, well, car park trundled my mates new R32 yesturday. Nice, but sticking with my raddo until i win the lottery :cry: . Anyway, holy vibratec did the steering wheel float my sunseeker :oops: CAN IF FIT ONE!?? Can it be made to fit? I know you can buy em for about £200 without the airbag. Is it a boss scenario or is this a non starter? :cry: Reckon it would still look good hung on the wall in the living room !

Gulp, mines done 120k on the original chains. Its a bit ticky but quieter than the other halfs vento vr on 90k. Should I start worrying. I dont want too as im still trying to cure my stat housing water leak nad expansion tank! It allways sounds quieter after i've polished it anyway!!

its leaking out of the overflow bit not round the cap. can here it hissing so i assume the cap is doing its job. this is like a chineese puzzle. obviously only does this when its nice and hot. Bizarly the leak from the stat housing only leaks when its cold though ie overnight! when its hiot that stops but i think its just a dodgey hose seal by the garage. i blame that one on those stupid hose clips vw insist in fitting. they dont seal, and when you take them off they spring out of your pliers and take your head off!

great thermostat housing or one of the hoses is leaking still aswell, def back to the garage!! getting stroppy now. Lucky that sound of the vr6 engine is second only to the smell hot castrol r/2 stroke or id driven it into a tree by now! dag nab it !

cheers RB, have to say the garage did it! I will check with them. Why am i loosing out of the presure cap though, is this caused by the air too??

You may be right actually it may be air as it does it when I fire up the electric pump in the morning, sounds like a washing machine in the bulkhead. the aux pump and rad are both a year old and obviously a new thermostat. Hows air getting in there and is that my problem then????? My garage flushed the coolant system and bled it all so what going on??

I've read all the searches on this but none seem quite the same as my problem, any help much apreciated! Here goes........ :?: :?: :?: :?: My VR is boiling water after a run, but only seems to be happening in the pipe that runs from the bulk head into the back of the top of the head. Front big hoses to rad seem fine. It even sounds like its bubbling when i turn the key from cold, but i think its the elec pump pumping water and air, but definately boiling round the aux pump after a run. Its also seeping out of the header tank overflow. I replaced the presure cap with one from GS and it blew about 2 litres straight out, put the old one back and its back to a seep so that cap must have been W..k! Just had the thermostat changed including a new housing as there was a normal looking gasket leak there but thoought it best to do the stat while there. Actually runs slightly hotter now after the new stat! but constant. Water temp is around 90 rising to 100ish, fan cuts in and it dies down again. Oil temp is around 102/104 gentle 65mph rising to a max of 112/114 blasting. So whats going on with me water works guv?? Tell me its not a head gasket as ive got a set of brand new 8x17s sat here im saving for tyres for! PS: Heater works fine, almost too well infact, scorchio!