help please.. overheating car, no heating.. driving me nuts

[fletch101]

it could be a crack in some part of the water galleries aswell. as metal heats up it will expabd and cracks will open just enough

[StrokeB]

Long time since I had a head gasket fail, think it was an old Midget, anyway to see if gasses were getting into the coolant you would remove the filler cap on the radiator then fill a milk bottle with water and turn it upside down into the open filler, then start the car and watvh the bubbles come up the water in the milk bottle. It is old school and I am not sure if it will work on a header tank, can't think why it shouldn't though. Good luck. A head gasket change is not the end of the world and from what I have read so far it does look likely.

[KenONeill]

the reason I'm hoping/ praying its not the hg is that I've not had any other signs of it ie no oil in water, no steam from exhaust, not using any extra oil and no coolant loss.

I'm really at a loss now as i changed the water pump yesterday, didn't look like it was broken, although the strange thing was that there was no k seal on it at all??hmm.. needless to say i prayed it was that, but no, when i drove it, it was going between 100° then went to red, then dropped a little again.

It seems to me that its not getting round the system or the thermostats not opening but i replaced that too the other day.

Waiting for the garage to reply to see when they can fit me in for a block test.

 

 Kudos on doing all the basic observation tests. I only re-listed them because there was no previous mention.

Headgasket failure doesn't always display oil and coolant mixing. From reading through, I'm suspecting the head gasket is letting exhaust gases into the coolant system, over pressurising and causing air locks which then cause the over heating. Had the exact same symptoms on one of my Rovers in the past. Take the cap off the coolant bottle and have a sniff, if it smells like an exhaust pipe in there, then that's the problem.

 Hence my suggestion of the coolant gas analysis. That will show either way whether there is exhaust gas in the water or not even if there's not enough for your nose test to work.

[Emsy]

Sorry i haven't replied, been super busy with having to use public transport!

Anyhoo, garage took my car yesterday for testing and in his words... 'it's f@$*ed'.

Its an indy vag specialist and they said they'd never seen one pressurise up so quickly, but couldn't say whether it was a cracked head or block without taking it apart. Does this seem right to you guys? He advised that the best and cheaper option was to just get a new engine.

Well I've seen an pd130 asz from a bora, will this fit mine? Oh this engines a asz now i think?!

[hutchysrs50]

Cheaper to replace the full engine rather than change the head gasket?!

[fabdavrav]

Either the impellor has come of the spindle & or the pump is not pumping the coolant around or you still defo have an air lock.....................I suggest you get more VAG coolant......................Then do a full drain down (turn the hot/cold dial for heating full cold to full max several times to free it then leave it full hot).................then loosen the top rad hose joint to let air in. Slowly fill the system up with ne coolant all the time squeezing various hoses. Once it is full start the engine & (This bit is dangerous) again squeeze the hoses......also again turn the heating dial from full cold to full max several times. Air locks are a bugger on these engines, also is the car on level ground when you do this?

 

When squeezing the hoses there is a technique.............you need to quickly & firmly squeeze as you are trying to create a sort of suction/pull.........like when using a plunger to unblock a sink..................

 

 

I now have to go & do something..............  ..........trying to write the above in a clean way to a young lady is just too much.......................

[Breezy_Pete]

Coolant flows through the heater matrix full-time, irrespective of control settings, doesn't it? There's no bypass valve on a(ny) Fabia is there?

[Emsy]

That's what i thought too, but I've seen a bora engine for just over £300. I think he's thinking its a crack in either the head or block, so just easier to swap it all.

It's doing my head in, so if it's going to fit... at least my car will be back on the road. It's been over a week now, i'm missing her, sad i know

[Emsy]

Oh my fabdavrav! Too much detail haha.

The mech today thought it was pressuring way too quick to b just an airlock and the coolant bubbling constantly back in from the outlet pipe, but I'll try it tomorrow before buying a new to me one.

Yeah i heard that the blower settings didn't affect it.

[sepulchrave]

Coolant flows through the heater matrix full-time, irrespective of control settings, doesn't it? There's no bypass valve on a(ny) Fabia is there?

 

Confirming that this is correct.

 

That's what i thought too, but I've seen a bora engine for just over £300. I think he's thinking its a crack in either the head or block, so just easier to swap it all.

It's doing my head in, so if it's going to fit... at least my car will be back on the road. It's been over a week now, i'm missing her, sad i know

 

I'd be extremely surprised if there was any cracking since you haven't cooked the engine up too badly yet.

 

Is it OK for me to say it's still the head gasket, or will I get shot at again?

[Emsy]

Haha, you're safe!! I don't think i totally cooked it because i stopped driving when it started hitting the red. Part of me is just thinking that to replace the engine is just easier than investigating further

[KenONeill]

Am I missing something or has someone else come to the conclusion that it's pressurising without bothering to do a coolant gas test first? I agree that this is probable, but £15 to rule out a blocked radiator really doesn't seem too much to me.

[sepulchrave]

Am I missing something or has someone else come to the conclusion that it's pressurising without bothering to do a coolant gas test first? I agree that this is probable, but £15 to rule out a blocked radiator really doesn't seem too much to me.

 

I'm sorry Ken but in my experience modern radiators simply don't just 'block' unless someone has poured something stupid into the cooling system like cement!

 

Modern radiators last about 10 years before they corrode and split, the last blocked rad I saw was on a 1957 series 2 Landrover, that was caused by scale and rust because the rad was all brass and therefore totally original.

[KenONeill]

I'm sorry Ken but in my experience modern radiators simply don't just 'block' unless someone has poured something stupid into the cooling system like cement!

 

Modern radiators last about 10 years before they corrode and split, the last blocked rad I saw was on a 1957 series 2 Landrover, that was caused by scale and rust because the rad was all brass and therefore totally original.

I agree that a blocked radiator is rare (and always was). That said, if some clown put a litre of Glycol into the OAT, then a blockage could happen.

[Emsy]

I wish it was just a blocked rad, much cheaper, but its had rad flush put through it and its been back flushed so odds are that its something more sinister. Is there any other way to test the radiator?

I tried to get another garage to head test it today, but they just said there is no point testing it as the first garage is a vag specialist. Which has annoyed me alot!! You would think they would want the money!!

Does anyone know whether the pd130 asz engine from a 2005 bora will fit the vrs, i don't think it will as it doesn't say so, i'm thinking engine mounts will be different, but its over 100 quid cheaper with less miles on it.

[KenONeill]

I wish it was just a blocked rad, much cheaper, but its had rad flush put through it and its been back flushed so odds are that its something more sinister. Is there any other way to test the radiator?

I tried to get another garage to head test it today, but they just said there is no point testing it as the first garage is a vag specialist. Which has annoyed me alot!! You would think they would want the money!!

Does anyone know whether the pd130 asz engine from a 2005 bora will fit the vrs, i don't think it will as it doesn't say so, i'm thinking engine mounts will be different, but its over 100 quid cheaper with less miles on it.

Thanks; that's a convincing reason (which I'd not seen previously) for saying it's not a blocked radiator.

 

I'm afraid it probably is a cracked head or block then (no reflection on you; a bad casting sometimes "just goes").

 

The ASZ from the Bora might have different mounts, but I think the pickups on the block rather than the brackets themselves, will be the same, so your Furbie's mounts will just bolt up to the new engine.