Overheating MK2 16v Golf
Discussion
Hi Guys,
I really need some help from you knowledgable dub people.
Here is the short story of my valver:
Heater matix blew up while sitting in traffic one day. (I think in hindsight the fan was faulty causing an over heat but not sure)
Heater matrix was bypassed at bulk head while I continued to drive the car and source parts to fix
A split appeared in the top rad hose which (stupidly I know
) I tried to bodge to make a short journey. The top hose then completely blew in the hot weather and engine got hot before I pulled into a garage and called RAC.
RAC man put temporary hose on but tells me I have classic head gasket failure.
I take car to garage (one I have used for years and trust to do me right) for the head gasket to be done. He takes look at in and cannot find an problem with head gasket but after discussions with me, we agree to do water pump, top hose, fan, thermostat and all belts while he is there. I get the car back and mechanic is 99% head gasket is fine.
Well the car runs great but I have seen oil temps up to 130 deg c and the temp guage permanantly between half and three quaters whilst driving, especially in traffic. Last night when I got home it took over half and hour of the fan running full speed to get the oil temp back to 116 before the fan switched off. (temp gauge sits at half way, I am sure it used to sit at a quater.) I can't remember what oil temp used be but I am sure I had not seen over 110 - 112 deg c before ever....
What is wrong? Is it a small HG failure that does not show classic symptoms but is pressurising / heating coolant or something else?? (No mayo in oil, clean coolant, no exhaust emmissions, engine pulls strongly)
I have already spent a lot of money on this old car that I love, but don't want to throw more at it guessing, but I want it right again! :beathead:
Any advice very welcome.
P.S. Last night it had a full service, new oil, filters, coolant flush, plugs etc too....
Sorry for very long post but I am completely at a loss...
Cheers,
Steve.
I really need some help from you knowledgable dub people.
Here is the short story of my valver:
Heater matix blew up while sitting in traffic one day. (I think in hindsight the fan was faulty causing an over heat but not sure)
Heater matrix was bypassed at bulk head while I continued to drive the car and source parts to fix
A split appeared in the top rad hose which (stupidly I know
) I tried to bodge to make a short journey. The top hose then completely blew in the hot weather and engine got hot before I pulled into a garage and called RAC. RAC man put temporary hose on but tells me I have classic head gasket failure.
I take car to garage (one I have used for years and trust to do me right) for the head gasket to be done. He takes look at in and cannot find an problem with head gasket but after discussions with me, we agree to do water pump, top hose, fan, thermostat and all belts while he is there. I get the car back and mechanic is 99% head gasket is fine.
Well the car runs great but I have seen oil temps up to 130 deg c and the temp guage permanantly between half and three quaters whilst driving, especially in traffic. Last night when I got home it took over half and hour of the fan running full speed to get the oil temp back to 116 before the fan switched off. (temp gauge sits at half way, I am sure it used to sit at a quater.) I can't remember what oil temp used be but I am sure I had not seen over 110 - 112 deg c before ever....
What is wrong? Is it a small HG failure that does not show classic symptoms but is pressurising / heating coolant or something else?? (No mayo in oil, clean coolant, no exhaust emmissions, engine pulls strongly)
I have already spent a lot of money on this old car that I love, but don't want to throw more at it guessing, but I want it right again! :beathead:
Any advice very welcome.
P.S. Last night it had a full service, new oil, filters, coolant flush, plugs etc too....
Sorry for very long post but I am completely at a loss...
Cheers,
Steve.
MrJelly said:
Steve,
When you originally fixed (bodged) the rad top hose what did you use to fix it?
I am thinking maybe you have a blockage in the cooling system somewhere, possibly caused by something getting dislodged from your hose fix and getting stuck whilst circulating in the system.
Jelly
When you originally fixed (bodged) the rad top hose what did you use to fix it?
I am thinking maybe you have a blockage in the cooling system somewhere, possibly caused by something getting dislodged from your hose fix and getting stuck whilst circulating in the system.
Jelly
Insulating tape with a jubilee clip over it.
I don't THINK there is anything in there. The coolant is hot everywhere and I have no reason to believe there are any blockages. I will bear it in mind though...
Thanks,
Steve.
Yes, did a complete coolant flush. (Wynns. You drain coolant, add with plain water, run up to temp, drain, add clean water, run then flush and then add new coolant...)
The strange (well not that strange actually) thing is in the slightly lower temps of the last couple of days have meant the car has been better. I have seen up to 120 Deg C of oil temp but generally about 108 - 112 which doesn't seem outrageous for a valver. The temp does not seem to "run away" at the moment, so perhaps, it is just the really really hot days that it does not like...
Any more thoughts?
Cheers,
Steve
The strange (well not that strange actually) thing is in the slightly lower temps of the last couple of days have meant the car has been better. I have seen up to 120 Deg C of oil temp but generally about 108 - 112 which doesn't seem outrageous for a valver. The temp does not seem to "run away" at the moment, so perhaps, it is just the really really hot days that it does not like...
Any more thoughts?
Cheers,
Steve
Valvers don't like heat very much - largely owing to the crappy and inefficient oil/water cooler. When the oil gets hotter it makes the water get hotters which makes the... You get the picture.
~£130 on a decent oil cooler is money well spent (stashing cash for mine currently).
The condition of the radiator is also critical - does yours lose any water? Is it the original rad?
If you're in ANY doubt as to the condition of your head gasket get a proper leakdown test done.
~£130 on a decent oil cooler is money well spent (stashing cash for mine currently).
The condition of the radiator is also critical - does yours lose any water? Is it the original rad?
If you're in ANY doubt as to the condition of your head gasket get a proper leakdown test done.
Cheers Alex,
You are definitely right about the oil heating the water up etc, it does feel as though it runs away in really hot weather. As I said the last couple of days it has been fine, due tot he lower ambient temperatures. The weather has been unusually hot.
The car is on its original radiator, but has had new fan, thermostat, waterpump, fan switch, and all belts including the coolant flush.
I guess what I want to understand is, do I have an underlying problem or is it just a standard 16v problem of not being able to adequately cool the oil / engine in really hot weather. I am happy if it is the latter as I can work on a solution, or just cruise in the really hot weather. My mechanic was condfident the head gasket is okay and I am inclined to believe that based on its performance over the last few days.
If it is still running okay and i can get through August, I will probably leave it through the winter and see what next summer brings...
Cheers,
Steve.
You are definitely right about the oil heating the water up etc, it does feel as though it runs away in really hot weather. As I said the last couple of days it has been fine, due tot he lower ambient temperatures. The weather has been unusually hot.
The car is on its original radiator, but has had new fan, thermostat, waterpump, fan switch, and all belts including the coolant flush.
I guess what I want to understand is, do I have an underlying problem or is it just a standard 16v problem of not being able to adequately cool the oil / engine in really hot weather. I am happy if it is the latter as I can work on a solution, or just cruise in the really hot weather. My mechanic was condfident the head gasket is okay and I am inclined to believe that based on its performance over the last few days.
If it is still running okay and i can get through August, I will probably leave it through the winter and see what next summer brings...
Cheers,
Steve.
A bit of both I think - when the cooling system is in tip-top condition it's just about ok in the heat.
If the radiator is at all worn the already stressed system gets overwhelmed.
Anyone tracking a valver is well advised to fit an oil cooler as this too can overwhelm the brontosaurus cooling system.
Mine got up to 2/3 last week in London but would cool down when moving for more than a few seconds, I don't really drive in heavy traffic anymore but it got a bit on the warm side when I was last year.
If the radiator is at all worn the already stressed system gets overwhelmed.
Anyone tracking a valver is well advised to fit an oil cooler as this too can overwhelm the brontosaurus cooling system.
Mine got up to 2/3 last week in London but would cool down when moving for more than a few seconds, I don't really drive in heavy traffic anymore but it got a bit on the warm side when I was last year.
Hi Alex,
I have also discovered that is is possible for the MFA to overread oil temp, so I am changing the sender to ensure that I am actually seeing the temperatures I am seeing...
Apparently the VW manual for this car states that back off or shut down temperature for the oil is 145 deg C!! I have not got there yet
Cheers,
Steve.
I have also discovered that is is possible for the MFA to overread oil temp, so I am changing the sender to ensure that I am actually seeing the temperatures I am seeing...
Apparently the VW manual for this car states that back off or shut down temperature for the oil is 145 deg C!! I have not got there yet
Cheers,
Steve.
Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff