VR6 Overheating advice needed

[daytona600 0]

Hi all. I need some advice please.

 

I have a 93 VR6.

 

Last weekend after a 15 mile run to Bury St Edmunds I noticed my fans where on full blast as I parked. The radiator was cold but the temp gauge was reading higher than usual.

 

An hour later I checked the water level before going home & it was fine. During the journey the water level light came on & before I could pull off the A14 the car filled with steam. I stopped immediately. Got recovered by police & RAC.

 

The garage said my heater matrix had gone. A soaking wet carpet confirmed it to me.

 

A new matrix was fitted but the mechanic said the fans were only coming on after the car was switched off. He suspected an air lock and told me to run it with the cap off for a minute after I got home. I did this and then took it out for a drive.

 

A couple of miles up the road it started to overheat again. I pulled over and noticed a crack in the side of the expansion tank as steam was coming out under pressure. Limped home pretty ****ed off.

 

The heating works in the car, all the hoses seem to be getting hot but the radiator is cold.

 

I am wondering if a blockage in the rad has caused the pressure to get so high as to 1st blow the heater matrix & now thats fixed, the expansion tank. Could this be right or could it have been the expansion tank all along or something else?

 

I hope someone can help. Cheers.

[Supercharged 2]

Has to be the thermostat (stuck closed or main water pump i'd say if the rad is cold - the mechanic should have checked this before it did more damage!

[daytona600 0]

Thanks very much. Is there an easy way for me to check if the water pump is working?

[Supercharged 2]

Not really... well you can take the belt off easily enough with an M8X80 bolt to de-tension it and then see if it spins freely but you really need to take it out to check the blades etc are intact.

 

You've had that car a while haven't you? what's been done in the past? say the stat and waterpump haven't been changed I'd maybe look at doing them both plus the crack pipe / housing and the new tank etc but depend how far you want to go

Edited April 19, 2013 by Supercharged

[dr_mat 0]

There's two water pumps on the VR - the main one driven by the crank and an electric secondary pump. If you open the expansion tank lid you can usually see circulation coming into it when the engine is running.. but I think you have a screwed thermostat myself. If the radiator doesn't get hot, the fans can't actually do anything.

[daytona600 0]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I have had the car almost 8 years now. The rad was changed about 7 years ago other than that no cooling changes. There is water circulation coming into the tank so I think I will start with the thermostat 1st.

 

Cheers

[Diesel Junior 0]

8 years with a vr6 and no real cooling issues? That's a good run given the problems I had on that score - Well done! Thermostat is odds on favourite here....

[robrado974 1]

Maybe worth changing the temp senders while your at it ?

[st.john smythe 0]

Hi all. I need some advice please.

 

I have a 93 VR6.

 

Last weekend after a 15 mile run to Bury St Edmunds I noticed my fans where on full blast as I parked. The radiator was cold but the temp gauge was reading higher than usual.

 

An hour later I checked the water level before going home & it was fine. During the journey the water level light came on & before I could pull off the A14 the car filled with steam. I stopped immediately. Got recovered by police & RAC.

 

The garage said my heater matrix had gone. A soaking wet carpet confirmed it to me.

 

A new matrix was fitted but the mechanic said the fans were only coming on after the car was switched off. He suspected an air lock and told me to run it with the cap off for a minute after I got home. I did this and then took it out for a drive.

 

A couple of miles up the road it started to overheat again. I pulled over and noticed a crack in the side of the expansion tank as steam was coming out under pressure. Limped home pretty ****ed off.

 

The heating works in the car, all the hoses seem to be getting hot but the radiator is cold.

 

I am wondering if a blockage in the rad has caused the pressure to get so high as to 1st blow the heater matrix & now thats fixed, the expansion tank. Could this be right or could it have been the expansion tank all along or something else?

 

I hope someone can help. Cheers.

 

Hi I live near Stowmarket and was also driving back from Bury in my Vr6 yesterday when I had to pull into a layby after my cooloant temp suddenly shot up over 110 and the light came on. Plenty of coolant, fans working. Trucks passing 2 ft away so didn't fancy fiddling under bonnet for any more clues. Recovered via Rac (90 mins later) and now sat at home waiting for diagnosis. What was the issue with yours in the end? Also which mechanics do you use as the one I use owns a Vr6 himself?