Hi guys me again XD

 

I havent fixed the starter problem yet but now I have got another problem.

 

So first a little background .. the engine that i have installed in the car is a 1.3 mpi  had been sitting in a combi for 2 years (at least that is what i was told by the guy i bought it from).

 

It started good and had low mileage so thats what made me decide to install it.

 

Now that i have finished the project and started using the car for a while its overheating to about 100 sometimes even 110.

 

I have done the following :

 

* i had fitted a new water pump

* checked the radiator and even cleaned it

* checked for any water loss and it is not loosing water

* noticed that when started from cold and left running stationary it keeps the temperature between 82 - 88 degrees. 

* confirmed that the radiator fan always works

* did not change the thermostat 

 

It overheats when i encounter slow moving traffic.

I also noticed that if the temperature is at say 100 and i turn on the blower to hot, the temperature goes down to about 90.

 

any thoughts of what could be possibly wrong? 

i am using the favorit radiator maybe the felicia one is bigger?

 

Thanks for all your help!

* did not change the thermostat 

Bingo! That is usually the cause. Take it out and check it. If good, your engine might have other major issues (blown head gasket, cracks).

Edited 13 December, 201312 yr by adurer

hmm k thats a job that i will do tomorrow.. the strange thing is that it seems like water is flowing through all the pipes but i cannot verify before i change the thermostat. fingers crossed its that problem! i dont want to pull out the head ...

You can flush the cooling circuit in the process. Back and forth. Check for any obstruction in front of the radiator. Clean the fins.

I will definitely flush the system in the process because 2 days ago i had to change the water reservoir and i noticed a lot of dust probably because it has a lot of dirt in it since it was left empty for quite some time. 

 

the radiator fins are clean for sure as i had thoroughly cleaned it  

Edited 13 December, 201312 yr by warbuli

hi just a little update.

 

I managed to change the thermostat and found that the old one was broken.

 

I tried the engine to check if it overheats but it kept overheating as usual.

 

Then i noticed that there was some dirt in the tank reservoir that i had cleaned 3 days ago.

So we suspected that the radiator or engine block had a lot of dirt and had its water passages blocked.

 

we flushed the system with water and letting the engine run.

 

After flushing i tried the engine again and it overheated again.

 

I then removed the thermostat..

It took longer to heat up but after doing the same test it overheated again.

 

I am now suspecting that it might be either a head gasket or some problem with the head but it is not blowing any air to the reservoir.

I also noticed that the system is not building up any pressure and the upper hose is not filling up with water.

I also checked the engine oil and it does not look like any water is mixing with the oil.

The system is not loosing any water too

 

I am really confused now.

For all the stuff that i did i also noticed that if i turned the blower on the temperature came back to normal. 

 

Next up im going to check the head thats the only thing left i guess :/

Did you bleed all the air from cooling system?

I managed to change the thermostat and found that the old one was broken.

I tried the engine to check if it overheats but it kept overheating as usual.

That's a very bad sign.

 

I am now suspecting that it might be either a head gasket or some problem with the head but it is not blowing any air to the reservoir.

You don't need such a big crack to overheat the engine.

 

I also noticed that the system is not building up any pressure and the upper hose is not filling up with water.

That definitely needs more investigation. Who knows what foreign object might be stuck inside? Even a flush can't move it.

 

I also checked the engine oil and it does not look like any water is mixing with the oil.

That doesn't prove anything. The engine block might have a crack between a cylinder jacket and cooling passage.

 

For all the stuff that i did i also noticed that if i turned the blower on the temperature came back to normal. 

That is normal even for a good car, don't you think? Why you keep mentioning it?

 

Next up im going to check the head thats the only thing left i guess :/

I would question again the previous owner for hints. Did he drop something inside cooling circuit during a repair? A bolt, sponge, chewing gum, retractor, dead mouse?

thanks for the reply.

 

its a challenge and i like it hehe

 

the previous owner is dead so i cannot ask him xD

 

 will definitly have to open the engine and check it now i will keep you updated thanks for the help

Be persistent. Take detail photos when you find proof of malfunction. The better you document it, the more useful for Briskoda community.

 

Have a look at this post too. Assess and explore all possible paths.

  All good advice above, but, you say it overheats when you encounter slow traffic....have you checked that the radiator fan comes on when the temperature rises?

also is the water pump actually pumping anything?

Hi,

Yes I can confirm that the radiator fan turns on. 

It actually turns on at about when the needle is at the middle so I guess its within the 80 - 90 range as required.

 

The water pump is pumping water too because i can see water returning to the reservoir from the thermostat housing.

 

Does anyone know the temperature range that the engine should run at? because now im thinking that maybe im just overreacting but 100 and almost reaching 110 is too hot in my opinion.

 

For now i am going to use the car as is and work on it when i have time but i will be checking it from time to time. 

I mixed a solvent with the radiator water that is supposed to fill any cracks (if any) in the cylinder head. if it gets better then i know what the problem is.

 

Thanks a lot guys for the support!

Does anyone know the temperature range that the engine should run at? because now im thinking that maybe im just overreacting but 100 and almost reaching 110 is too hot in my opinion.

Yes, it is, especially if the radiator fan stays on forever. 90 degrees is best.

 

I mixed a solvent with the radiator water that is supposed to fill any cracks (if any) in the cylinder head. if it gets better then i know what the problem is.

I am not a fan of any of the so called 'magic additives' for coolant, oil or fuel. Best case scenario is a waste of money but things can get uglier too.

You flushed the engine block, but what about hoses? Upper rad hose not circulating (enough) water is a clear sign of foreign objects inside (i.e. parts of an old, corroded thermostat). Having new pump and new thermostat should be enough to fill all hoses with water. Also you didn't tell us how you bled the circuit. Only if all those were checked and done properly you can go for head gasket, cracks, bad lubrication/excessive friction of moving parts.

Edited 14 December, 201312 yr by adurer

All the parts of the broken thermostat were recovered so there should be no foreign objects.

 

May i add that the thermostat is the plastic version.

 

To bleed the circuit i just poured the water in the reservoir.

 

I then started the engine with reservoir open to let the air escape.

i waited for the system to fill up and gave it some more water and waited for the thermostat to open.

 

After opening i let it bleed all the air out and closed the reservoir tank.

 

I even drove it a little in a bumpy road to maybe release any airlocks and let the excess air out again ( dont know if this helps but anyways) 

Edited 14 December, 201312 yr by warbuli

It is definitely overheating is it? Is it worth trying another temperature sender? I put a cheap one in my diesel as the original had stopped registering but that just kept climbing as the car warmed.  I replaced it with a genuine Skoda one after going through a load of other checks and finding nothing. It now sits in the middle of the guage once it's warmed up whatever the speed or load.

It is definitely overheating is it? Is it worth trying another temperature sender? I put a cheap one in my diesel as the original had stopped registering but that just kept climbing as the car warmed.  I replaced it with a genuine Skoda one after going through a load of other checks and finding nothing. It now sits in the middle of the guage once it's warmed up whatever the speed or load.

I dont think that the temperature sender is broken because when i turn on the blower the temperature gauge descends  and the fan turns on at the right temperature position so that is why im not pointing at the temperature sender  at the moment.

Hi,

 

Quick update..

 

checked the engine today and found that there was a loose cylinder head bolt.

 

Tightened the bolts using a torque wrench and it took much longer to overheat so i know what the problem is now.

 

Next up i will find time to open the engine and check that everything ok.

 

moral of the story: check the engine when you buy it from someone xd

Hi guys,

 

well it is finally time to get to the bottom of the problem....

 

I have got a question.

 

Are there any differences from the normal carb cylinder head compared to the mpi one?

 

I heard that the mpi cylinder heads have bigger ports but i am not sure and would like to confirm.

I am thinking of buying a new cylinder head (carb version) for my mpi engine since mpi engines in malta are quite rare so its difficult to find any parts for it.

Sorry I don't know, I'm not an expert on the skoda engines, daverapid will know, he's been tuning up skoda's since before the horse and cart existed.

Sorry I don't know, I'm not an expert on the skoda engines, daverapid will know, he's been tuning up skoda's since before the horse and cart existed.

hmm thanks i will try to send him a pm.

Are there any differences from the normal carb cylinder head compared to the mpi one?

well, they are sold as different parts with different part numbers.

they run on engines with different compression ratios.

I think that's enough for a no swap.

unless you don't mind less performance.

if i recall, the difference in the compression ratio is from the shape of the pistons, i might be wrong though, dave will know

Well turns out it was not the cylinder head.l last monday the radiator fan stopped working and today i checked what was wrong well turns out it burnt out. Then i noticed that the fan was pushing instead of pulling air through the rad. Long story short i had a spare fan but managed to source a better one that fit without many modifications needed. And its now running perfect and not overheating. I will post some pics of the new fan

last monday the radiator fan stopped working and today i checked what was wrong well turns out it burnt out. Then i noticed that the fan was pushing instead of pulling air through the rad.

so you observed the fan airflow direction is wrong after it stopped working?

I am already dazzled by the logic but let us know why was it working backwards...