My coooling system is buggered on my GT Tdi MK4 golf. I'ved had the heater matrix, water pump(and cambelt) all changed and it still bloody leaks. The water seems to be coming from one of the 2 expansion tank overflows as it's flooding the tray under the tank. It will loose all the water on my way to work which is a 52mile drive on the A12 nd A130. The garage looked at it last week and thought it might be a dodgy lid so swapped that over, but it's still drinking like an elephant, so any common problems I should know about? Any help much apreciated.
you know where its leaking? if you've identified where the waters leaving, you need to find out why its being forced out.
the garage said something about if the pressure isn't right at a certain temperature it will just dump the water. I'll take it to the garage again on wednesday as i finish work early. see what else they come up with.
Yep, I saw the old one, plus a good mate works ta the garage I use so I trust them entirely, they have a very good rep. They weren't so sure the water pump was replaced last year though as it was on one of the invoices that came with the car. To be honest I'm half thinking of selling and buying same again but younger as this is coming up with a few problems now.
tis a 1.9 GT Tdi the garage swapped the caps, not that. I dont know for sure exactly, it's coming from around the tank as the metal tray under the tank is constantly wet and then it runs on the bottom engine tray. Tonight I noticed the dial moved very slightly passed the dead centre where it normally sits at 90 C. Naturally once i got home (20 mile trip) water was slow but engine management hadn't flashed on (just filling up for trip to work in morning. When the cars just running on the spot there is no leaks.
tricky one, sounds like a 'high pressure' only fault check all the hoses too...v.small holes are not unknown
What engine code is it?? You say the garage did the water pump - presumably when changing the cambelt... suprised they havn't found / diagnosed the leak - a mk4 is hardly an old car?? Current thoughts are incorrect coolant mix, faulty tank, jammed thermostat or knackered oil cooler... if it's the AJM engine then add head gasket to that list...
you're joking of course theres also no more reason to fault the AJM than there is the other engines - they all use the same parts and are all the same in essence.
Just an idea, my mk4, petrol engine, has a steel cooland pipe that goes from the front of the block and wraps around the back of the block nearly to the heater. If yours has that i would check the joint with the block after a run. Mine has been weeping in the past, but you never see a leak as the temp of the block makes it evaporate quicker than normal. I'm sure the quantity you are quoting would be V. vissible tho.
I sent it into the garage to have the heater matrix changed, they changed it, were giving it test runs and found out the water pump was leaking too, so obviously with water pump linked to the cambelt, that was changed too (yay :s) All was fine for 3 days (350 miles) after they repaired everything then suddenly i'm having to top up again. I'm just putting fresh water in as per garages instructions, would cost a fortune in coolant the ammount its using. My bro and dad reakon it's something to do with the valve in the tank so, think I'll suggest to the garage to change that, when i pop in seeing as it will be 10 min job, (best let them do it for coverage of gurantee etc). Waters deffinately (mainly) leaking from around the tank as the engine bay tray under it is soaking wet and drips of water on the engine cover.
anyone else seeing something fundamentally wrong in the above scenario!? why are you paying a garage and then having to tell them what to do! they should be making the diagnosis, and seems to me, off the back end of the last bill you paid.... it starts leaking 3days after they finish working on it...too much of coincidence imo dont let your family to guess...get the garage to finish the job they started!
As you said it's a tricky one so garage have been elimenating the cheaper options so far, they swapped the cap over for nothing, they just had me car again and reakon it's the thermostat so there having it again tomorrow afternoon to change that. Your making me doubt the garages work now but I know there a top notch garage. I'd rather my family didn't guess but my dads always got to put is pi55ing nose in my business, then my brother was around at the time so nodded and agreed with dad to keep him happy. I think the case is the cooling system was fooked when i bought the car and probable had something like rad weld chucked in to hide the problems. No as each problem is found and fixed it regains pressure in the system and then finds another fault to leak out of!
It's not the head gasket pressurising the water system? Is it worth checking for hydrocarbons in your water/coolant?
