1.4 golf

tankbarry

Fixed fan belt last week and also fitted a new thermostat to the car. Last few days it has been losing water and the fan is not kicking in the heat will only come on sometimes in the car. My friend says my headgasket is not gone ( he checked for the usual) found nothing wrong with it but thinks there is a leak in the radiator that could be causing it. there is red dried coolant on the radiator so makes me think he is right. Would this radiator leak cause the problems I am having


timing belt was done 1 year ago
fan belt last week
thermostat last week


thanks

tankbarry

anybody got opinions on this

kilianmanning

Did you bleed the cooling system after changing the thermostat?

tankbarry

ye that was done. just checked the fan and it works if I manually turn it on it just wont turn on itself

Interslice

tankbarry wrote: »

ye that was done. just checked the fan and it works if I manually turn it on it just wont turn on itself

A red salty residue is a sure sign of a leak. If you clean up the area, run the engine up to temp and have a look with a torch you might be able to pin point the leak. Could be a crack in the rad or dripping/running from one of the hose ends going into it.

dooroy

Heater only working sometimes often indicates air in the system ;
if coolant level drops enough (top of pipe in expansion tank becomes uncovered )before topping up air could find its way in .
no output from heater can also indicate coolant level has dropped - does yours have a warning light for low coolant level ;
Rad fan not coming on could be caused by (a) engine not being hot enough or (b) rad switch has failed .
Why did you decide to change the thermostat - was there already a problem before it was changed ?

tankbarry

the thermostat blew.

jordo76

dose the temp gauge rise on the dash ??? have you checked the system is pressurized ??? i would think that there is a slight leak in the system or there is an air lock,

try running the car to operating temp and open the expansion tank with a cloth over it making sure not to get burned by the escaping steam, if you get pressure release from there i would say its an air lock or just a bad thermostat and i know it might sound mad but is the thermostat the right way around ??

dooroy

When you say the thermostat 'blew' do you mean it failed to open and caused engine to overheat ?
If this was the case the head gasket could have suffered depending on how hot the engine got .
If head gasket is leaking slightly it will cause the system to be pressurised more than normal and eventually something will 'give ' - burst hose , leak from a weak spot in the rad , leak from a joint etc.
The cap on the expansion tank should allow the pressure to escape if it rises too much - but caps don't always do their job .
A 'trick' I found worked on some cars with a similar problem in the past was :
1) with cap tightened fully bring engine up to normal temp ;
2) then loosen cap very slowly until you hear a faint hiss -( pressure
escaping ) ; leave cap in this position ;
3) then continue as normal - pressure will be released as it builds up
and ,hopefully, before it causes problems .

tankbarry

wouldn't say blew but broke. The engine didn't overheat after it went I only drove it for 400 meters after it went.

brought it to mechanic and he said the over heating after the fan belt was fixed was due to the thermostat being faulty he said it wouldn't open causing the car too overheat.

dooroy

The engine didn't overheat after it went I only drove it for 400 meters after it went.

How were you so sure of exactly when the thermostat failed - do you mean you only drove about 400 m after fan belt broke ?
Was the car losing coolant before the fan belt broke and thermostat was replaced ?

tankbarry

Ye only drove 400 metres after fan belt broke. The thermostat broke before 2 weeks before the fan belt just never got it replaced. It was losing coolant but not much I put in the radiator leak stuff and that stopped the leak.

Jack0106

Hey guys, hope i found the right place to put this but i have a question. I have a 2001 mk4 golf (1.4) but it seems to be lacking a bit of power when it goes past 2500 rpm. I dont really mind when driving around my area, but when on the motorway it seems like some of those horses have turned to ponies. I know the car has only 75 bhp but come on.
Is there anything i can do besides buying performance parts? or is there any problems that could be there?

Any advice will be appreciated - Thanks