Wish me luck - Coolant

[Tigerfish 10]

When I was loosing coolant very slowly, it turned out to be the little water pipe on the oil cooler (pipe is a few inches long and pre-bent - only a few quid). It eventually gave out all together as I couldn't find it when stopped up, only leaked on the move)

[Chuggs1 10]

Hoping its something simple like that - Cheers

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

Hoping its something simple like that - Cheers

 

morning chuggs1

 

lots of good info & help coming on here. hopefully with some reading around, the cooling guide is big but has masses in there, & combined testing you can start to rule things in or out & pin point what the issue is.

 

how was the person you brought the VR off - could it be worth giving them a call to ask if they ever had anything similar?

 

Ooo 1 thought I have just had......check the contact of the connectors on the sensor which send the water temp feed to the dash.

 

reason I say this is as I know that when I first collected my VR from stealth I found that the oil temp readings on the dash were crazy! it scared the hell out of me as it was reporting temps in excess of 130-140.

 

the culprit was found to be a corroded connector which was plugged in to the oil sensor. the corrosion was effecting the voltage on the wire which was then giving spurious readings. it was this issue which lead me to know the 6 degree difference between dash reading & temp at the sensor itself as I asked vince to specifically check it

 

good luck & let us know how you get on

[Chuggs1 10]

Thanks gOldf1ng3r - Oh and I bought the car from a dealer so never met the owners - the only history I have is from the file that came with the car - all invoices, mots and services oh and all the tax discs as well!

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

Thanks gOldf1ng3r - Oh and I bought the car from a dealer so never met the owners - the only history I have is from the file that came with the car - all invoices, mots and services oh and all the tax discs as well!

 

no danger :D

 

ahh I see ok, dealer wouldn't give you any retrospective info I guess lol

 

it is worth going through all the file & check receipts etc for any cooling related work - sensors, thermostat, cooling pipes etc etc BUT with only 54K on it I would imagine there wouldn't be much surrounding that kind of stuff but you never know.

 

however, such low mileage could imply that it stood for long periods without use & unfortunately however good the bodywork may look (if it was stored ok) because of such it can mean that components have become stuck or perished or corroded etc.

 

at times I think it is like the corrados are living things as they more often than not really do not like not being used regularly & then throw up issues & problems if you don't lol

 

I wonder if it was anyones one here or if you got hold of the previous owner info from DVLA. however that would be superficial really as you are already on the way to drilling down to potential causes :)

[Chuggs1 10]

If I remember from the history it was only Sworn twice and has been used every year other than that all be it only couple of thousand each year - but yes could well be he case - looking under the bonnet everything appears in good condition and it seems to have been looked after and loved - but appearances can of course be deceptive and its the hidden things that will bring the surprises! I was told one of the owners did show it for a while but not sure which one and where - if it helps for recognition its M reg and ends in RAX - and its a 95 Blackberry. It had 6 owners before me One was the original Dealer who registered it themselves and 2 were father and son. Cant remember exactly (without the file in front of me) but think the first owner had it from new into 2000 or so.

[Tigerfish 10]

Couldn't find the pic earlier. This was the pipe that caused my problems[ATTACH]80514[/ATTACH]

[Chuggs1 10]

Thanks Tigerfish

[fendervg 32]

Hmm - my C decided to drain it's coolant all over the road outside my in-law's house and had to be towed home yesterday. Luckily no overheating. And had started to read this thread yesterday lol. Fun and games now trying to find the source of the leak. Will be reading with interest.

[Chuggs1 10]

Will certainly will update you all when I know more! thanks all

[Chuggs1 10]

Ok so heres an update.........

 

Was having a new alarm fitted today

 

1. Got to alarm fitters bag forgotten

2. Went home to get it and on the way back oil temp light comes on - Water temp at 115 oil at 112

3. Pull up at alarm place (luckily only 3 or 4 mins from when light cam on) and steam pours out of car engine bay -

4. Open bonnet – no water left - seems to be pouring out from under the expansion tank

 

 

Luckily there is a mechanic next door who will be looking at it tomorrow.

 

So there (possibly)is my coolant leak that I was going to get looked at on Monday – it must have been a crack in a pipe and its just given way

 

Did not drive for long on that so hopefully no major damage done – I will know tomorrow

 

 

Any thoughts from you guys?!

 

Thanks

[seanl82 23]

There is an outlet on the turret side of the tank for pressure relief, sounds like the system is over pressurising. If you have a blue cap, most other problems that cause this are not good I'm afraid.

[Chuggs1 10]

I have a black cap!

[Hairyarse 10]

Black caps on MK1 Golfs are problematic, not sure if it's the same on these. Maybe it's worth swapping for a blue one as it would be a cheap fix if it's the problem

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

Black caps on MK1 Golfs are problematic, not sure if it's the same on these. Maybe it's worth swapping for a blue one as it would be a cheap fix if it's the problem

 

agree in principle but if the system is over pressurising the black cap would show coolant seepage before the expansion tank is relieving the pressure from the underside outlet

 

I recall stealth doing a 'leak down' test & pressure test on my VR when it was having troubles after they did the head rebuild etc

 

check this link out for the 2 tests for coolant systems

 

http://www.benplace.com/pressure_test.htm

[Hairyarse 10]

Fair point - I was just stabbing in the dark to be honest! lol

[Chuggs1 10]

So whats the best and worse case scenarios?

[Chuggs1 10]

I am guessing the worse case is new engine if its head gasket and damage has ben done - would be complete engine or just top section - can you still get from VAG and what sort of money? - this may well hurt!

 

As its such a low mileage car I would want (if I can afford it) to put in new or decent re-conditioned

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

Fair point - I was just stabbing in the dark to be honest! lol

 

sorry andy, I didn't mean my comment to be harsh on yours. it was definitely still a valid point :)

[Chuggs1 10]

There is an outlet on the turret side of the tank for pressure relief, sounds like the system is over pressurising. If you have a blue cap, most other problems that cause this are not good I'm afraid.

 

 

Sean - are you saying if blue cap the other options are bad - so if black cap it may be OK or other way round?!

[Chuggs1 10]

Oh and if it helps - when the mechanic had a quick look and most of the coolant had exited - the various pipes were still firm and under pressure??

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

I am guessing the worse case is new engine if its head gasket and damage has ben done - would be complete engine or just top section - can you still get from VAG and what sort of money? - this may well hurt!

 

As its such a low mileage car I would want (if I can afford it) to put in new or decent re-conditioned

 

it is still difficult to say best or worst case without running the aforementioned test to confirm what is the problem.

 

I know it must be disheartening to have such an issue with such a low mileage motor BUT IT IS a very low mileage lump and surely has to be more valuable for resale if the problem is fixed rather than putting in a recon etc lump

 

yes a recon may be a cheaper option but when I had the work done on my VR, at around 150K, the bottom end was in fairly good condition & all 6 of the bores still showed the factory honing marks. OK so cylinder 1, IIRC, was more smoothed than the other but it should imply that your 54K lump will be almost like new (kind of lol)

 

rather than speculating & worrying, personally, I would get it diagnosed & then go from there :)

[Jim Bowen 1]

You won't need to replace the engine. If it is head gasket you should just be able to have the head skimmed and fit a new gasket.

 

Could just be a pipe split, or somewhere letting air into the system which is building up and due to the black cap it might not be reliving itself (oor eer)

[Chuggs1 10]

Thanks - must admit it is a worry - but youre right - I need to wait until tomorrow for a diagnosis!

 

Fingers and toes crossed

 

So the problem a head gasket can cause to an engine is this something that can be repaired on that engine - is this a very expensive option?

 

If it is that - are there any other jobs I should consider at he same time?

[Chuggs1 10]

You won't need to replace the engine. If it is head gasket you should just be able to have the head skimmed and fit a new gasket.

 

Could just be a pipe split, or somewhere letting air into the system which is building up and due to the black cap it might not be reliving itself (oor eer)

 

Lol thanks Jim - I need that light heartedness haha!

 

OK that's sound OK and not too horrendous - once its sorted I will get myself a "blue" cap!!!

 

Cheers all - its good to talk!