POLO over heating - what is the problem?

bittihuduga

Hi
I have a polo 97 classic 1.4 - 88kmiles
the heating meter generally did not go above the middle level.
yesterday night at 1am on N4, the heating meter went high and the blinker started blinking.
i stopped the car and checked the coolant and it was above the minimum level
we stopped there on N4 for 30mnts and then drove again.
after a couple of miles, i got the same warning but i was near the new motorway junction on n4 and i had no place to stop and hence drove till texaco on n4-lucan exit.
i stopped and saw - the coolant had gone and smoke was coming out from the coolant.
i got the car towed home.
today morning, the garage guy near my home had a quick sunday look and said - it was due to no coolant
but i say there was coolant in there
it dried up the second time when i drove on overheating.

can someone suggest what could be the problem?
can i put some coolant and drive again to test the heating?

advice please guys

peasant

bittihuduga wrote: »

Hi
can i put some coolant and drive again to test the heating?

advice please guys

Don't do that.

You've either got a leak in your coolant system and are loosing coolant or you've got a head gasket on its way out that is blowing exhaust gases into the coolant circuit, displacing the coolant.

Either way you've now got air in your coolant system that won't disappear by just filling it up ..the system has to be bled.

Also, either way, you've got something seriously wrong with your car. Any further overheating (and be it just ever so briefly) could potentially do lethal damage to your engine.

Let a mechanic have a more thorough look on Monday, don't drive it till then and make sure to tell the whole story to the mechanic.

DublinDilbert

bittihuduga wrote: »

Hi
I have a polo 97 classic 1.4 - 88kmiles
the heating meter generally did not go above the middle level.
yesterday night at 1am on N4, the heating meter went high and the blinker started blinking.
i stopped the car and checked the coolant and it was above the minimum level
we stopped there on N4 for 30mnts and then drove again.
after a couple of miles, i got the same warning but i was near the new motorway junction on n4 and i had no place to stop and hence drove till texaco on n4-lucan exit.
i stopped and saw - the coolant had gone and smoke was coming out from the coolant.
i got the car towed home.
today morning, the garage guy near my home had a quick sunday look and said - it was due to no coolant
but i say there was coolant in there
it dried up the second time when i drove on overheating.

can someone suggest what could be the problem?
can i put some coolant and drive again to test the heating?

advice please guys

To be honest when you saw it over heating the second time you should of stopped anywhere you could... you had to get a tow truck either way anyway....

Could be a simple leak, water pump or thermostat, hard to know without knowing more...

The problem is by driving on it you may well have damaged the head gasket which will cost much more to replace...

Any time your car starts to over heat you should turn the internal heater up full. If the internal heater doesn't work you have a serious problem as there's no water circulating.

Henry Ford III

Head gasket going is one thing. It just happens sometimes. Continued driving can warp the cylinder head though, which is much more serious.

bittihuduga

got my car fixed yesterday.
the thermostat was replaced.
engine is making some new noise
probably, i drove bit too much with the red sign ON

drunkmonkey

time to call the buy and sell, sounds like the head gasket is gone.....are there bubbles coming up through the water? is it loosing water?

JimmyCrackCorn!

Could be:

• Stuck/sticking thermostat
• Head gasket
• Water pump

Get it checked out if you run it above temperature chance are youll do more damage.

bittihuduga

drunkmonkey wrote: »

time to call the buy and sell, sounds like the head gasket is gone.....are there bubbles coming up through the water? is it loosing water?

just started driving today morning
didn't find any bubbles or water losing
hope - head gasket is fine

bittihuduga

JimmyCrackCorn! wrote: »

Could be:

• Stuck/sticking thermostat
• Head gasket
• Water pump

Get it checked out if you run it above temperature chance are youll do more damage.

the mechanic had a look and said no problem with the pump.

is there any symptoms for this?
can i check if all the above is ok?

drunkmonkey

What kind of noise is the engine making..... it is a gurgling sound, like water running inside the car? Is it a tapping or knocking noise, Is it a screech? Is it a clicking noise?

bittihuduga

sorry i couldnt guess the noise there.
but i drove for 15kms at a stretch on a country rode and heating meter went till 110deg
i stopped the car for a while.
the water was boiling in the coolant box

i dont know what to do

is it a gasket problem?
if so - is it worth to replace it?
its 97 polo with 88k mls on it.

any suggestion

Ceb

after driving on a dry hot engine there is a chance the head will be warped, there are places that do this for about fifty euro, the gasket kit itself is about 50 too you can get that from halfords and if you have a buddy that can do the job for you then youre set, itd be worth doing it cos if you try and sell her with the unresolved issue you wont get much for it