ok this is actually driving me f***ing insane now!!!!!!!!!!

[cromwell 0]

right seriously now, this is getting ridiculous.

 

2 months ago, and 4 days after buying the car, steam started erupting from my header tank and the it was overheating so over the past 8 weeks i changed:

 

radiator

2 gaskets (one at the side of the head one at the front, think theyre called coolant flange's)

thermostat + thermostat housing

header tank cap

 

and i flushed the system out about 6 or 7 times. the car still boiled up. i asked on here and people said it pretty much had to be head gasket or water pump. so i eventually scraped together enough money to get the head gasket and water pump changed at the same time, and the head skimmed so that then i knew everything was done and i wouldnt have to worry about it again.

 

The garage rang me up on friday and told me they had found a hairline crack in one of the cylinders and id have to replace the head. they then rang back later and told me they had made a mistake and it was fine so i was obviously very happy and was looking forward to getting the car back today.

 

went to get the car today (at a cost of £650 i might add!!), and they have told me the thing is exactly the same as when i took it in originally. It still boils up and steams. are they taking me for a ride or is there ANYTHING else it can be? ive now been without a car for over 2 months and its getting beyong a joke. in the 4 days i had it i managed about 80 miles in it.

 

apparently marlow VW (also known as cressex vw) in high wycombe did what looks like a shoddy job on the thermostat and so theyre guna change that again and see if it makes a difference.

 

ive spent just under £1000 trying to fix this problem so far, and its exactly the same as the day it went wrong. i have absolutely no money left. what can i do? i would get sod all if i sold the car now wouldnt i? i

 

thanks guys, sorry for the uber-long post but i really dont know what to do now. :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[chrishill 0]

man thats unlucky. I cant offer much advice, as much as I'd love to be able to, but I hope you get it sorted soon. As for the money thing, you dont technically 'need' both kidneys... something to keep in mind.

[cromwell 0]

lol that wouldnt be a problem if i wasnt so squeemish! cant even bring myself to have an ingrowing toe-nail removed!

[cromwell 0]

oh yeah and with my drinking habits, i probably do need both.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Air lock?

 

Did you fill the coolant via the radiator top hose? I wouldn't fill it up through the expansion tank as that just introduces loads of air into the block.

 

Can you smell exhaust fumes in the coolant?

 

I've removed the last paragraph as that doesn't really help solve your problem ;-)

[cromwell 0]

yep filled the coolant through the radiator top hose and have flushed the system out many times. also ive had 3 different garages do it so im assuming there are no more air locks. i dont remember smelling exhaust fumes in the coolant but i havnt seen the car running yet since the head gasket replacement. what would be causing this if i do find that i can smell fumes?

 

yeah maybe i shouldnt have called the guy what i did in that para lol fair enough for removing it. but i would like to know whether he screwed me over when selling me the car or not :S obviously ill never find out. but your right, it doesnt help solve my problem.

 

i just cant think of anything else it can actually be? i cant think of any more parts involved in a coolant system!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

If you've done theromstat, water pump and head gasket and it's still boiling over, likewise, I'm stuck too!

Did you use a genuine stat? I had a brand new GSF stat not open on me once, and since then I've always tested them in a jar of boiling water first!

 

If you can smell exhaust fumes in the coolant, that would indicate the head gasket is leaking around an exhaust port. Happened to me on an old 16V once. I would assume the garage did a good job of the the HG change so that shouldn't be an issue..... unless the head was cracked after all?!

 

Not sure tbh.... might be an idea to get the car back and get a second opinion. The GWerks boys are G60 experts and should be able to diagnose it fairly quickly.

 

LOL, I doubt the seller screwed you over, but even if he did, he'd just say "sold as seen mate" unfortunately!

[cromwell 0]

im not sure what stat was put in, ill have to check it tomorrow when i go back. they showed me it today but i didnt think to check if it was VAG or GSF.

 

where are G-werks based? i might have to take it to them if its still the same when i go back tomorrow. id have to save up again first though!

 

yeah it was sold as seen, its just damn annoying! if i knew my car was dodgy, i wouldnt do that to someone personally though, its just immoral.

 

hmmm, this sucks :(

[dr_mat 0]

Still sounds like the thermostat to me!

Can you describe how long it takes for the temp gauge to move, and how far it gets up before it starts steaming?

Basically, if the temp climbs steadily from the bottom of the gauge to over 100 degrees and the fans never come on your thermostat is not working.

The stat should open at 80 degrees (ish) and obviously when that happens the engine gets a dose of cool water flow into it, which stalls the needle from climbing any higher, *even if you're not driving along*.

[2_Door_fun 0]

Is the bottom hose hot??

 

I know that sounds real condesnding sorry. However in my recent adventures into Corrado land I found that I just could not get the stat to open. I had 3. Each time the lower hose was stone cold. All 3 tested in hot water all 3 opened fine!!!!

 

On tickover ect the engine would get so hot it was scary. As it was nobody on the forum could come up with anything. I have had my head done, skimmed refitted the lot. new VAG pump ect. Removing the stat was the only solution.

 

I even filled the block through top hose and the temp flange hose so the water went direct to the pump rear chamber.

 

I now have no stat in the car and she runs fine. At least for the summer.

 

Plus I got my MOT pass today woohooo.

 

So much work in teh last 4 months all worth it.

[cromwell 0]

the water temp doesnt rise with the temp of the engine, it rises slowly to about 1/3 of the way up and stays there while the oil temp goes sky high.

 

before i had the head gasket, the top hoses were rock hard and hot and the bottom were cold and loose. what is involved in removing the thermostat altogether? just take it out? how will this affect the car?

 

cheers for the help! 8)

[2_Door_fun 0]

Hi.

 

What do you have. Im in a G60.

 

To remove the stat on a 60 do:...

 

Get under the car. At the power steering pump simply remove the alloy rear support bracket. two bolts vertical in to teh block and 1 going in to the pump.

 

Once this is off you will see the stat housing. Black plastic with water pipes going to it. Get ready to be wet. simply remove the two bolts in the housing. Pull housing away. Catch water n antifreeze if you like. Remove stat and then rebolt housing up. Only nip the bolts up. Then you can refill car. Use the top hose and also the hose that goes from the temp sender flange. This gets water into the pump rear chamber.

 

Now start car. get it up to temp and remove the clip off the top hose. Slip a broad blade screwdriver under the hose and rotate it. This will open the hose a little and bleed any air from the system.

 

With luck your bottom hose will get warm then hot quick. Ie coolent is flowing round the engine.

 

If all is OK refit the power steering pump support and your off for a drive.

 

As for your worries about removing the stat. The car will be fine. The stat is mainly used for winter. It holds the water in the block to get the car up to temp faster. When up to temp the stat opens and cool water rolls into the block. It also helps to get your heater hot quick. Ie it holds the water whilst warm making you nice n toasty.

 

My car has been fine since. Why the stats would not open is beyond me.

 

Its a fight for next Autumn. The engine will cool alot faster in the Winter months Cold air hitting the rad. so that is why you have a stat. To keep the engine at optimum temp.

 

Hope it helps

[PhillT 0]

had a similar problem with a F*ord and turned out to be a faulty thermostat supplied by F*rd themselves

 

put a halfords jobbie in and all was well.. just goes to show you can't always trust main dealers

 

also do you get hot air from the heaters? common on most cars that if you've got an air lock you won't get hot air

 

definately sounds like the thermostat to me... try running it without one (not advisable during winter but now won't be a problem)

[2_Door_fun 0]

had a similar problem with a F*ord and turned out to be a faulty thermostat supplied by F*rd themselves

 

put a halfords jobbie in and all was well.. just goes to show you can't always trust main dealers

 

also do you get hot air from the heaters? common on most cars that if you've got an air lock you won't get hot air

 

definately sounds like the thermostat to me... try running it without one (not advisable during winter but now won't be a problem)

 

Even with the stat out I had no heat at the Matrix. On tickover the pressure is not enough to force an air bubble from the Matrix. As soon as I took her on the Rd I had hot air. Stopped the car and checked the coolent. Sure enough it needed topping up. So as you drive the blockages will clear.

 

Def don't always trust the dealers.

[bcstudent 0]

I've had faulty thermostats from new in the past too. I'd definitely try the car with no thermostat as a next step.

[Rustynuts 0]

This may sound stupid at this stage, but you are sure there are no cracks in the header tank, as this will prevent the system running at the right pressure and may not even get up to temp for the stat to open before boiling up in the header tank.

 

A mate with a Golf had this problem, I know you say you have changed the cap, but make sure that the rubber seal is seated correctly as this will cause the water boil over if it is not. Sure enough when my mate popped round with this problem the seal was out of place.

[cromwell 0]

nah i dont get any hot air from the heaters. i will get them to run it without a thermostat tomorrow and see how it is. what will i do in winter though? :S

[cromwell 0]

i will also check the header tank tomorrow! cheers for that!

[PhillT 0]

well if you can run it without the thermostat it'll give you more time to sort it

 

I've not looked into the coolant system of the corrado yet (got to put the engine together first) but depending where the thermostat is it may well be stopping hot air from passing through the heater matrix

 

just covering all the bases but did you make sure the heaters where on full heat before putting the coolant in? on a Mk1 it shuts off the flow of water to the matrix (which could be causing the lock) and should be on full heat when replacing the coolant

[cromwell 0]

im pretty sure we put coolant in at full heat, because at the same time we were waiting to see if the heaters came on. im not sure if other people since have though, another thing ill put on my list to check!

[lottysvdub 0]

what will i do in winter though? :S

you my friend get a little colder :lol: ive had problems , but not as bad as yours , my temp gauge rises to around 110 before the fans kicked in so now ive wired the fan to a remote switch so when im in traffic i can flick them on and let them run all day at 90 , hope you sort it soon as the problems you have had will be forgotten when you get it sorted and then start to enjoy the corrado experience to the max , remember corrado owners need deep pockets lol :D

[dr_mat 0]

I suggest lottysvdub gets a new fan control thermoswitch!

[2_Door_fun 0]

what will i do in winter though?

 

You & me my friend have work to do in Autumn...Get the system working with a stat :lol:

 

Still if it works for Summer then a Summer of fun can be had :wink:

[VEEDUBBED 0]

Faulty/loose water pump impeller?,partially blocked radiator,block cracked?,expansion bottle return hose blocked?radiator matrix blocked with filth?,head not torqued down properly?.

In order to get rid of air locks just drill two small holes around the outer part of the thermostat,always worked in my Vw's.

[2_Door_fun 0]

In order to get rid of air locks just drill two small holes around the outer part of the thermostat,always worked in my Vw's.

 

God damn son. That is good idea. 8)