possible internal damage.!!!!

[harrisvr6 0]

my vr6 was traveling down the moterway when my ribbed belt snapped and the power steering and brakes went, i had to continue a bit [off m-way] and by then the heat had risen considerably, inevitebly the heater matrix popped and hot water scalded my foot.

anyway i got it to vw to fix the belt and aparrantly my water pump was broke so they did that too. they bypassed the heater so the car heater doesn't work [will have to make do with the heated leathers]but it starts. the mechanic said tit sounded a bit rough, i cant tell too much difference, but maybe a little. the bloke at vw said that there may be damage internaly, as he did the ''block test'' which showed this [it went blueish, if that helps]. what does this mean? the mechanic recons it may be head gasket or a cracked engine block or cylinder head. it it all over for the vr6????? what would the options be towards getting it fixed? how much would this possibly cost?

has this happened to anyone before?

cheers leighton

[Jim Bowen 1]

does the water level stay the same now, or is it using/loosing water?

 

maybe worth a 2nd opinon, unless you can deffo see something is wrong

[Critical_Mass 10]

Not saying VW are lying, but in my opinion and from experience VW like to 'bend' the truth a tad in the hope you'll get them to do the work. A local garage would have been a safer bet.

 

Sorry no help there.

[pete_griff 0]

it's worth taking it to another garage to get them to do some confirmatory tests - they should test the coolant (as your man at VW did) to see if any carbons/contaminants are getting into it and they should also do a compression test on the cylinders. this should tell you exactly where you stand.

 

if it did get that hot, then chances are you may have done some damage... i would be surprised if the block has cracked (although it is entirely possible) unless you properly cooked it for a prolonged period. i would say that it would be more likely to be the head gasket on the way out...

 

this is certainly not the end for your car as the head gasket (if it is that) is pretty straight forward to change (i did mine by myself over the period of my christmas holiday!) and you shouldn't get cained too much on the price.

 

depending on the mileage of the car and whether you are planning on keeping it or not, it may well be worth having the chains/tensioners/clutch all done at the same time. it will obviously be more expensive, but it will give you peace of mind then for the rest of the time you own the car, and it shouldn't let you down ever again (touch wood!) as generally speaking the vr6 engine is fairly bombproof

[harrisvr6 0]

cheers people!

 

i think the water sits around the same sort of level. im pretty sure the vw matey said it leaks ever so slightly around the bypass of the heater matrix. but its so slight i cant notice. its not been ruinning though im too scared to brake it some more.

 

that pressure test or cylinder test is that straight forward or do they need to take the engine apart?

 

yep it was that water test that detects carbons, it came out a bluish. do you think its possible that it could be fine and that the carbons are there from a previous brakedown still in the pipes like?

 

the thing was i had to go like half a mile before i could actually stop, with the belt snapped, so it was heating up quite a lot, [well, fast] the heater matrix popped at around 110'' and t hat was the themometer in the dash, im guessing that where the water wasnt circulating it probably did just get too hot, and broke somethinng inside.

im a bit paranoid to drive it now, i dont want to hurt it anymore!!! matey at vw said dont drive it, so i havn't , i did drive it back though slowly. do you think it will be ok to drive it to garages or just pay out and get it towed.

i miss her!!!

[jamminvr6storm 0]

Hi there...

 

The compression test will not require the engine to be dismantled they will just remove the plugs as they test each cylinder. This should give a definitive 'extent of the damage' report...

 

From what you have said i would just drive the car to you local garage of choice, slowly of course :lol:

 

Good luck :)

[harrisvr6 0]

cheers again!

[gogsboy 0]

My VR is losing water again, pain in the arse it is, had the thermo housing and all that carry on done, it was ok for a while and losing water again!

 

Do things start to blow left right and centre if the HG is on the way out.

 

What kinda kit do you need to do this pressure test, the car doesn't seem to be losing power, is that a good sign...or no sign at all lol

[jamminvr6storm 0]

My VR is losing water again, pain in the arse it is, had the thermo housing and all that carry on done, it was ok for a while and losing water again!

 

Do things start to blow left right and centre if the HG is on the way out.

 

What kinda kit do you need to do this pressure test, the car doesn't seem to be losing power, is that a good sign...or no sign at all lol

 

How much water are you loosing and have you had the heater matrix done?

 

If your loosing water then it must be going somewhere (unless its evaporating which would lead to excessive white smoke) so have you checked your oil for mayo? I have also seen VR's that leak a small amount of water from the side of the headgaskit (you can see this if you stand by the drivers wheel and look where the head meets the block...)

 

All reputable garages will have compression test equipment and shouldn't charge too much to do this for you although with your symptoms i would have a sniffer test done also (thats the one with the liquid that changes colour if it detects exhaust gasses in your water)

[pete_griff 0]

you can also have the pressure test done on the cooling system as well as the compression test on the cylinders.

 

they just stick was is basically a small hand pump type thing onto where the coolant filler cap goes and use the pump to pressurise the system. this should show you where the water is leaking from. if you can't see it on the outside of the car, then chances are it's the heater matrix...

[gogsboy 0]

How much water are you loosing and have you had the heater matrix done?

 

If your loosing water then it must be going somewhere (unless its evaporating which would lead to excessive white smoke) so have you checked your oil for mayo? I have also seen VR's that leak a small amount of water from the side of the headgaskit (you can see this if you stand by the drivers wheel and look where the head meets the block...)

 

All reputable garages will have compression test equipment and shouldn't charge too much to do this for you although with your symptoms i would have a sniffer test done also (thats the one with the liquid that changes colour if it detects exhaust gasses in your water)

 

Well with the water it's like it was before getting the housing and gubbings done, ie sometimes it loses a little sometimes more, doesn't seem to follow a pattern, although I think it seems to be more consistent in losing than before. I have not had the matrix done, think I read the passenger well would be wet if it was the matrix?

 

 

Not getting the excessive smoke and checked the oil for mayo after run it last time and there was some on the cap but very little, wouldn't describe it was mush, again I read that this can be seen on cars that are not ran regular which is often the way with mine.

 

When it leaks now it seems to be more from the middle of maybe left of middle when facing front of car and it's not so easy to tell where it's actually coming from, seems to be two marks left on the deck after being left overnight.

 

I went to a couple of garages and none had the sniff tester, considered buying a kit I seen on ebay, any good or rank? Snap on used to do one but it was about £60 and cant seem to be it anymore.