Water prob cont--are the garage right or talking.......s!

[NickVR6 0]

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!!

[2cc 0]

nick48480.

I assume the level in your header tank is within the min/max marks? If it isn't, with the header cap off, diss the top hose from the rad and fill down the pipe into the engine till overflows then reconnect the pipe. Disconnect the aux pump wiring plug and run the engine up to temp so the thermostats are open and with the header cap off you should see the water moving about in the header tank IF the main pump is working.

 

You also said the header tank outlet is leaking. Which one? The one underneath or the one on the side? Could be you have a weak hose clip or the hose may be split which will allow air in, lower the boiling point and allow water/steam out.

White residue on the heater hose is indicative of a leak (a common point of failure). Can you feel or hear it leaking here when running at normal temps?

 

Check these hoses thoroughly and tell us what you find.

[dr_mat 0]

We already told him that top heater matrix hose is suspect in the other thread, PARTICULARLY if it's got residue on it. Cheaper than a water pump, isn't it?

 

Run the engine up to temp, then get out the car and let it idle for a short while. Water temp should climb to 100 degrees within a minute or two, and if you've got a leak you'll see/hear it.

[chubbybrown 0]

Water pump is about £50

It took me about 3 hours and I know guys can do it in an hour and a half but its not rocket science to do it.

Is it a VR6 or a valver ?

[dr_mat 0]

Yeah, but garage rates darn sarf puts a two hour job at nearly £200 on it's own. Not worth changing the water pump if you're not convinced it's dead, is it?

[NickVR6 0]

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!!!!

 

:?:

[NickVR6 0]

pps for mr chubby b: its a VR.

[2cc 0]

just makin sure what goes on I've just had a play with mine. with ign on the aux pump runs but it does not push any coolant to the header tank. with eng running the main pump pushes coolant into the header tank through the small top hose. if that's what you've got then sounds like your main pump is OK.

 

If everything else is OK then hairline crack(s) in you header tank?

 

PS I would have changed that head/matrix hose by now. Checked my vag invoices, only costs £32.13 + vat so what you waiting for.

[VR6 0]

For future info, please don't start a second thread for the same problem. Just find your old thread and update it. It helps the people that are trying to help you because they can see what's already been suggested and tried.

 

Cheers

[NickVR6 0]

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: :(

[NickVR6 0]

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

[2cc 0]

Hose is 1H0121157H

When your dealer said the hose would cost £100 he may have meant all in cost of hose, new coolant and fitting, which would be about £100 INC VAT - so he's still asking a bit much for the job in my opinion.

No idea what the header tank costs as have not changed one.

[NickVR6 0]

Chris, many thanks, part number is very useful indeed.

Will let you know tommorrow the £s, then an update whilst fitting it my self!

 

Trying to sort my gallery too at the mo, so you can see what your helping to save!!

 

Nick

[Storm 0]

Please dont take this the wrong way but have you thought about trying a different garage?

[Rpmayne 0]

Some garages have a bung type thing (sorry about description) which has some fluid in it that reacts to combustion gases present in the coolant. It fits in the header tank with the cap removed. This should tell you whether its the head gasket which is then pressurising the coolant system. Also they can have another bung which can be used to pressurise the system to see the leaks when it's cold and not running. Maybe worth asking before buying anything.

[NickVR6 0]

Storm, i wont take it the wrong way. They have been fantastic in the past and done me loads of favours. But this is starting to wind me up now. I can see where they are coming from, as we have checked most things now and i dont think they think it is the head gasket. But i am loosing patience yes.

 

Thanks Rpmayne, will be asking tommorrow, guess it will give me peice of mind or make me very upset!

 

Fitting that new hose right now anyway though, got it from stealers today for £37, thanks to 2cc for part no as they didnt have a clue! cant beleive they had one!!

[NickVR6 0]

Oh, feck! What happens if the tab breaks off the f.... sh... VW springy hose clips. One right at the back aswell by the bulk head. How am i going to get it off now! I think its a fag and a coffee wooo saaaaa momment

before i started kicking panels!

[NickVR6 0]

RIGHT! Its done and i've topped the water up through the top rad hose as suggested. The main pipe looked fine except the small pipe that t's off was totally blocked at that restrictor bit, so im hoping that was the problem! Off for a test drive and further top up i guess. although I seem to have lost the use of my knees! Beers on me if this works!

[2cc 0]

Nick,

Did it? Work that is.

Those clips are fun aren't they. I bought myself a set of pliers for them from my local tool guys which made life a bit easier, about £4 or so I think.

[NickVR6 0]

2cc, what can I say apart from i'm a complete muppet and you lot are are life savers! No more noisey bubbling pipe, no more header tank problems. Only just replied as i wanted to really give it a couple of runs but its 100%. yes those clips on the 2 pipes where actually facing each other and the clips were overlapping, but i got there in the end.I can listen to that fantastic noise again between 4&5k that make those hairs on the back of your kneck stand on end!

Thanks for humouring my moans, you really are stars, can't thank you enough.If your at the inters on the sat let me know and i'll buy you a beer/lunch.

Cheers guys, spec 2cc & the dr. I'll be grinning like an idiot driving to work tommorrow!!

[dr_mat 0]

My work here is done ... :)

[2cc 0]

8) (sic)

Hooray, result.

I think I lost track, did you change the tank as well or was it just the pipe?

Now you can post a 'happy' pic of you looking at the engine :)

[NickVR6 0]

Work done in the end was:

Stat and stat housing, and temp sender on the rad as both areas were leaking. I admit this was all done by my garage! But header was still leaking and pipe was pumping air and boiling.

I replaced the pipe the other night and it solved everything!! No more header tank leak (yes its still the original) but its bone dry now after 150 miles of all sorts of driving hoooooooorah and a BIG thank you guys.

 

It runs at about 92 on the water gauge now (was 90 before all this started but then the stat me have been old and minutely stuck open maybe?) Either way i assume 90-95 is normal, rising to near 100 then fan comes in and it drops again in traffic.

Oil temp is 104/106 at 60 and 108/110 ish at 80 or giving it some B roadage it may touch 112. This all sound normal?

Oil temp seems totally related to revs, as in traffic although the water builds the oil cools to around 100/102. Hard to see much of a squirt into the header from the small pipe, but i think i would know if the main pump was shot hey!?

 

Think i will fit an oil cooler next, as the other half has a vento vr which runs at 90 water but never over 100 on the oil but much less restricted airflow on those so makes sense.

[Henny 0]

temps look good to me... Congrats on getting her sorted out... 8)

[2cc 0]

Agreed, temps are pretty close to what mine runs, the guage is only an indicator after all - you only really need to worry if it suddenly goes off the clock