Overheating mystery

[Czechboy]

radweld? thats the problem, everyone that uses it has the same problem mate, its meant to block up the hole in the radiator but blocks up other things too.

I know Its stopped my leaking heater matrix but it managed to clog up the already not so good radiator. Hopefully if I flush out the rad it will help. Is there maybe something I could pour into the actual radiator (when disconnected) to help get rid of any deposits while I'm flushing it out (but would also not destroy the radiator internals)?? Like limescale removal kinda thing?? or Hi my name is Barry Scott Cilit Bang

 

[OllieL]

I wouldnt touch it with Cilit Bang, It dissolved my bath

 

[Czechboy]

OK, a little update on my troubles. On Wednesday I drained all of the coolant, and spent about 20 minutes flushing the system. Then I went about changing the thermostat for a new one. When I took the old one out, there was a silver pin jammed in the thermostat housing/cover (the part you clip your hose onto) I pulled the pin out but because it seemed like a perfect hole, I thought it was there on purpose for the pin to slide into. So fitted the new thermostat, put all the hoses back on and refilled the whole system with VW's fluorescent red coolant. I did all this with the heater in the HOT position to prevent an airlock. Anyways, drove the car and obviously the problem still exists.

I know I need a new thermostat cover as later that day I found out from Kermitcupra that there isn't meant to be a hole in the cover, and that its only there because the old thermostat must have punched it through. But apart from that I'm not sure what to do as my overheating it very weird. For example if I go at 80leptons, the car will start overheating and the water gauge will get to 110degrees, if I put the heaters on FULL blast the temperature no longer drops down. And when it was at 110deg, I slowed down to 45mph, heater full blast and drove like that for 5 mins and the temperature still didn't drop. THEN I had to stop for one red traffic light and as I'm pulling away I notice that my temperature is all of a sudden at just below half way on the gauge (85deg I think). WTF???? Kept driving and after 4 mins at 80 leptons it once again rose to 110degrees

Any more ideas??

p.s. sorry about the essay long question

 

[m0rk]

what's the radiator feel like? warm/cold/roasting?

 

[Czechboy]

what's the radiator feel like? warm/cold/roasting?

Not sure actually. I need to make a 50mile journey in it later on today so I will check upon arrival and report back. I know the top radiator hose is really hot but whether that is due to the hot liquid on the inside of it or due to the hot engine on the outside warming it up I don't know.

Mig

 

[Czechboy]

Well I just got back from my journey and basically the top hose is boiling hot, bottom hose is freezing cold. and the fins at the top of the radiator are warm ish and the fins in the lower section are quite cold.

I'm starting to think it must be because of the stupid plastic thermostat housing that has the hole in it that's not meant to be there.

Mig

 

[m0rk]

that or the rad is blocked & the only cooling that's being done is through the heat exchanger in the cabin

 

[Czechboy]

that or the rad is blocked & the only cooling that's being done is through the heat exchanger in the cabin

Any way of telling the rad is blocked? When I flushed out the system I put the garden hose where the top rad hose goes, and when I switched the water on, whatever water went in at the top of the rad came out of the bottom (with a slight delay of about 3 seconds)

 

[Czechboy]

One more update. I bought the new thermostat cover, so I went out and drained the coolant and took off the old cover. What I noticed was that there was this wax like white gunk around the cover. And my new thermostat that I installed a week ago was ruined becasue the pin popped out of it due to the hole in the old thermostat cover. That meant my week old thermostat was useless becasue the pin was somewhere in the readiator and that wax like gunk I guessed was the liquid that was meant to be inside the thermostat (expanding and contracting). In the end I replace the cover for a new one. Chucked the themostat all together and now my car doesn't overheat

Problem is that like you said, now it take AGES to warm up, and even on the motorway if you start slowing down, the car is cooled down even more. Its almost of the scale just how cold it is. But MUCH better then having to have the heaters on full blast on the motorway while its raining.

Eventually I guess I'm going to have to fit another thermostat in there its just that I've had the jacked up and drained the fluid like 3 times in the past 3 weeks already. And taking off those hoses and hose clips is the biggest pain in the ass ever, nearly as bad as having to drive my car onto pieces of wood so that I can fit the hydraulic jack under the sills.

Mig

 

[KERMITCUPRA]

my new thermostat that I installed a week ago was ruined becasue the pin popped out of it due to the hole in the old thermostat cover.

Chucked the themostat all together and now my car doesn't overheat

Told you....

 

[davenlucy]

when mine was over heating it burst 3 expansion tanks and it turned out to be the water pump buggered.

 

[Czechboy]

when mine was over heating it burst 3 expansion tanks and it turned out to be the water pump buggered.

I was pretty sure it wasn't the water pump because the previous owner changed the water pump when doing the cambelt a year ago

 

[Wilson]

This sounds so familiar!!

My car has been running with no thermostat for months because the first one died (or so I thought). I have bought 2 new ones since, both didn't work just like the original.

Last weekend I put the ibiza to my local garage for an MOT and they had a look at the thermostat and couldn't get it working, just like I couldn't. They also put in some green coolant instead of red. idiots!! They thought it was the head gasket, but I dont think so. I reckon I might have the same problem with the hole in the thermostat housing. Is this hole in the little plastic bit in the middle of the hose going to the thermostat housing?

Anyway, no thermostat is not a good idea. My car is now running pretty crap for the first 5 mins or so after start up. Heats up only in heavy traffic where Im not moving much but is cold all the rest of the time!

 

[Czechboy]

Is this hole in the little plastic bit in the middle of the hose going to the thermostat housing?

Anyway, no thermostat is not a good idea. My car is now running pretty crap for the first 5 mins or so after start up. Heats up only in heavy traffic where Im not moving much but is cold all the rest of the time!

Yeah, the hole is where the metal pin presses against, which is in the middle of the thermostat cover.

I'm going to buy another one as at the end of the day they are only £6, its just such a pain draining it all out again.

Does anyone know if I can just unscrew the cover from the thermostat while all the other hoses are still connected, then just replace the thermostat and just top up the expansion tank with the coolant it lost?? Saving me the hassle of jacking my car up and undoing the bottom rad hose and clips?? Or would that method create and airlock??

Mig

 

[davenlucy]

i had to run my car for a while coz it was over heating without a thermosat but wen i bought a replacement and put it in thats wen it started overheating badly.ive heard that new water pumps are poorly made although the one i got had a metal propelor insted of a gash plastic one.i just unscrewed the 2 small screwbolts that hold the thermo housing on and replaced the stat then bolted it up n toped the coolant up.i didnt get any airlocks but i might of just been lucky.

 

[Wilson]

i just unscrewed the 2 small screwbolts that hold the thermo housing on and replaced the stat then bolted it up n toped the coolant up.i didnt get any airlocks but i might of just been lucky.

Same as me. Ive done this a few times and its been fine. Once you've topped up the coolant, squeeze all the coolant hoses a few times and the air should be pumped out.

 

[Wilson]

Sorry to bump this thread up, but I just want to say that having replaced the thermostat housing cover thing, my ibiza is working perfectly WITH a thermostat. NO overheating and NO staying cold!!

I still cant beleive it took me all this time to fix it though. I went through 3 thermostats and about 15 litres of coolant just to find out that all you need to do is replace a small plastic thing!

 

[Czechboy]

Sorry to bump this thread up, but I just want to say that having replaced the thermostat housing cover thing, my ibiza is working perfectly WITH a thermostat. NO overheating and NO staying cold!!

I still cant beleive it took me all this time to fix it though. I went through 3 thermostats and about 15 litres of coolant just to find out that all you need to do is replace a small plastic thing!

Like me then. The car is now on its 3rd thermostat and I drained the coolant 4 times in the past month just to get everything as it should be. But now its not overheating nor is it overcooling

 

[coop@01]

i have the same problem overheating how do i remove thermostat 1999 ibiza 1.4s

 

[red chilli]

hi coop where abouts are you .. do you have a pic of engine bay ,, theres two types of engine for your car , could be multi injection or single point injection makes a difference to thermostat type ,