Harlequin

Hi folks, The question I'm looking for an answer on is, is it safe to run my 2009 Octavia VRS Diesel without the EGR cooler having coolant running through it for a few days? So further to my previous post it would seem that the problem with my cars blowing rough start, initial smoke blowing and coolant loss is the EGR cooler. On getting it up on the ramp my mechanic could see water coming from between the turbo and DPF. He took the oulet and inlet pipes off the EGR cooler and joined them and it seems to be better now, though apparently the dial temp drops from 90 to 70 sometimes, though that might be another issue, the heating apparently works now as well. So he has asked if I can drive it for a bit to see if excluding the EGR means the car loses no more coolant and always starts up, in which case we know the culprit and can change the EGR. He just doesnt want to change the EGR without ensuring that it is the offending beastie because its so damn expensive. Cheers folks!

Hi folks, My car has been pretty reluctant to start and has had a coolant loss for a wee while, my mechanic has said he can't see anything obvious and to keep an eye on it, but I'm getting a little concerned. The symptoms are as follows: 2009 Diesel VRS 2.0 TDI CR, 68,000 miles, original cambelt and water pump. 1. Car often won't turn over, battery has been checked and is apparently 85% efficient. Sometime it will go after a few attempts but will then stall again unless revved. Sometimes the lights will flicker. 2. Light grey smoke will then proceed to emit from the exhaust when the engine is revved for a period of time. Time depends on how much acceleration is used to "clear it", lots of accel = big cloud but quicker dissapation. Smells like exhaust rather than a "sweet" smell. 3. Coolant: Car is now to the point that a 20 mile drive will cause the coolant to go from max fill level in the expansion bottle to warning light coming on. No obvious "wet patches" but a little difficult to spot with our current lovely weather. 4. Car heater is very variable and often will not produce any heat into the cabin at all. 5. On occasion when shutting off the engine a high pitched whistle can be heard from the engine area. Things I have spotted: 1. Engine temp sits at its usual position (90ish degrees???) when warm and doesnt fluctuate. 2. No loss of power at all. 3. Oil looks normal. 4. Not noticing any "exhaust" smell when opening the expansion bottle, but then I havent really stuck my nose in it. 5. Once running and cleared its throat all is fine and no different from usual until the water coolant light comes on. Ive done the usual googling of possibles and got the usual scale of possibilities, from leak in a host to daemonic posession..... With varying degrees of wallet denting. Anyone experienced the same and have a disagnosis? Any help greatly appreciated! Cheers folks!