OVERHEATING - What could be the causes guys?

[Danb]

Hi guys,

I need some guidance guys. I feel like

My car has developed a problem today and I don't know what it could be. I have a BEX 1.8T.

It all started yesterday. The engine management light came on yesterday and the car seemed to loose power, so I took note and drove accordingly. The next time I cold started (the same day a few hours later) the cars the fans seemed to kick in straight away which I thought was a little odd as I can't remember noticing it before. But to be honest I have never been on the lookout for this, anyway last night I was driving and the RED COOLANT WARNING came up and I noticed the temperature was 110 degrees, was my reaction so I pulled over straight away. I noticed that the radiator fans weren't working. I put the hot blowers to cool the car off (engine running) on but they soon went cold.
Is it the headgasket?? I'm not sure as the system hasn't lost and coolant and isn't pressureised!!
Could it be the plastic impeller on the waterpump has broken?? I'm really not sure.

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

THANKS IN ADVANCE GUYS

 

[scott b]

first thing i would check would be the thermostat, followed by the water pump, and just pray that with the car over heating it aint ****** the head gasket

 

[B5NUT]

Was the radiator hot, it not I would say pump or faulty thermostat, but if you don't know wwhen they there last changed then get them both done.

 

[Danb]

Thanks for the help so far. I do pray that nothing major has been affected but I did stop as soon as the light came on.

I hope it is something like a thermo and not a head gasket.

Is there a quick and reliable method to check a thermo and a waterpump. Or is it a case of stripping it down.
Is this common on 1.8T's

Cheers

 

[coyote]

Sounds like the Waterpump. Hope this helps, its a copy of a pm I sent last week:

I was loosing coolant for a while but just thought I had a small leak somewhere. Then the coolant light came on in the dash and the temp shot up from 90 degrees to around 110 degrees. I slowly drove home and when cruising the temp sat at 90, when I accelerated the temp went up. I turned the fans on in the car to get some heat out of the engine and they just blew cold. I got home and what coolant was still in the system was boiling. Phoned the RAC to come and take a look and tow me to Audi. Result was a failed waterpump so I got that sorted (aswell as timing belt etc, etc) Cost just under £500 from Audi.

I got the car back and it seemed fine, a week later the coolant was low again, I checked the oil level and it had raised. Car was running perfectly, no overheating, no smoking, no water in the exhaust etc. but I had caught it early before all of the coolant dissapeared. After a fair few hours searching the web and speaking to a VAG specialist it was either my head gasket, or the oil cooler. Hundreds of pounds compared to £60 ish for the part so I prayed and bought the cooler, a oil filter and some new oil. The oil cooler is the part that the oil filter screws into - oil goes through the middle, coolant flows around the outside, they are made of aluminium and are a ***** design. When I took the cooler off and looked into where the coolant pipes go onto it it had dried flakey coolant in it- now for guesswork... maybe when the water pump had failed no coolant was flowing so the cooler dried up overheated and cracked up internally. Then when the pump was replaced coolant found its way into the cooler and into my oil.

My car is a 2003 with 78K on the clock and its running like a dream again :icon_thumright:

Good Luck!

 

[Danb]

I have checked the coolant level but it seems to be the same. I'm thinking a water pump by what coyote said happened to him.

A nice easy job eh....only take two ticks

Thanks for the help everyone

 

[drewbee]

lucky for you Danb - mine resulted in a blown head gasket at 55k miles!!

 

[Danb]

Sorry to hear that Drew. Suppose I am lucky becuase it could have been much worse.

Anyway, just to update those who may want to know, the car has been diagnosed as a thermostat. I decided to have a new coolant temp sensor fitted too as a precaution.

It goes in tomorrow and i'm hoping its the last of these problems.

Thanks to all who helped.

 

[Danb]

Just an update. My waterpump has broken. So I have decided to strip the front end down and change the belt and pump. I try to look at the good side of everything in life and I think it will be a good opportunity to change some hard to reach parts (oil pickup, EGR, engine mount, sensors etc) and do some tidying of the engine bay. I have another car to use (BM* I know I know but it isn't mine) so I will take my time and take some pics.

Cheers