Silica bag in coolant reservoir

[silverden]

This is a good price for a new one  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324919301238?epid=2308936671&hash=item4ba6b31476:g:G1EAAOSwrthhqc0W

[Boatman1]

Update to this topic, took my vehicle to Skoda dealer in Inverness payed £140 for 1hr diagnosis was told there was no oil in the coolant nor external leaks. They said the discolouration of the fluid was due to rust from the engine block and suggested the coolant loss was due to a problem with the intercooler not working properly (the car has never overheated). They quoted me £2,000 to do an engine flush and said they would need the car for three days as it is a complicated process and takes many hours to do it properly (I was speaking with their senior engineer). They quoted me £900 to investigate the intercooler problem. They also told me my model of car did not come with a silica bag despite the fact I had removed it from the reservoir. They said the engine configuration was extremely complicated and Skoda no longer build these types of engines. I shook my head and left.

[Gaz]

10 hours ago, Boatman1 said:

I shook my head and left.

 

I'd have done exactly the same, and with the advice you've been given, I probably wouldn't go back either 🙄

 

Gaz

 

[3rdoctavia]

What your heating like,  do the vents blow heat or are they cold ?

I had my heater matrix and tank replaced under warranty a few years back and although the coolant has once again taken on a rusty colour is seems this is more staining of the new tank ( with no silica bag) than anything else.

I'm still getting heat through the vents so I'm not worried but I'm not loosing coolant like you are.

[Boatman1]

On 08/07/2022 at 17:48, 3rdoctavia said:

What your heating like,  do the vents blow heat or are they cold ?

I had my heater matrix and tank replaced under warranty a few years back and although the coolant has once again taken on a rusty colour is seems this is more staining of the new tank ( with no silica bag) than anything else.

I'm still getting heat through the vents so I'm not worried but I'm not loosing coolant like you are.

Have no heat, the matrix is blocked for the third time, managed to clear the original matrix so will reinstall after flushing the system. Still losing coolant sporadically which the dealer says is due to evaporation due to overheating (inter cooler not working properly) but the gauge says engine temperature is normal. Coolant badly discoloured and producing a rust coloured gunge around the reservoir.

[Boatman1]

On 19/10/2021 at 16:46, NikTheGeek said:

 

Isn't the other cause of a blocked matrix sand left over from the casting process? That might explain the colour of the coolant too....

That is a very good suggestion, my blacksmith tells me there is such a thing as a leaky cast where sand remains in the cast.

[Boatman1]

UPDATE Advice needed

Got a local garage to flush the engine 3 times (coolant was manky)  and replace the blocked heater matrix at considerably less cost than the ludicrous price quoted by Skoda (£2,000). They also cleaned out the reservoir.

Got the car home checked the fluid reservoir and it was empty which was not the main problem as I reckon there was probably an air lock in the system or one of the electronic gates in the engine wasn't open when they refilled it.

The problem was I got no low coolant warning light also my cruise control and auto stop start function no longer works. Does anyone know whether you have to reset the electronic system after removing the low coolant sensor plug? Could it just be a blown fuse? Is the cruise control electronics anywhere near the coolant bottle? Any technical advice would be much appreciated.

[PetrolDave]

I presume the local garage disconnected the battery, when this happens some systems (e.g. ABS) need to have some basic settings redone.

 

I think you need a fault code scan, with e.g. VCDS or OCP, to see why you have problems with cruise and stop/start.

 

BTW there are no cruise control electronics, it's just software in the engine ECU.

[johnkitchen]

Thanks for making me aware of the Silca bag issue. 

I've just removed mine, a bit fiddly but not difficult.

 

Will change coolant at next service.