BLOCKED RAD????

[jamjam1979]

In desperate need of help!!!!

I have a 2001 golf gt tdi 130 and am having all sorts of cooling problems.
Whenever I push the car the temp guage rockets up. I have just changed the water pump, tensioner, cambelt and thermostat. All has had no effect on the cooling, if anything it has made it slightly worse. I have noticed the top hose from the rad it hot but the hose coming from the thermostat is staying cold with it only getting slightly warm by the thermostat housing. All of this after a good run.

I am open to any ideas as I feel like driving the car off a cliff!!!!

[adamss24]

Blown head gasket ? The symptoms leads that way...!

[Eshrules]

Blown head gasket ? The symptoms leads that way...!

wouldnt this cause some smoking/burning of oil though? i remember when my brothers mk2 head gasket went, omg ive never seen so much smoke in my life :aargh4:

[SanderCH]

have u changed or topped up the coolent recently ?????

[jamjam1979]

I've had the head gasket tested with that device thing that changes colour!! but it came back negative I have heard that it can come back negative and still be blown? is there a better way to test it before I start spending more money on the car.

I've only had the car 2 weeks and feel like selling it already which is a shame as it is a really nice motor.

[Welton]

Sounds like the rad is blocked, don't try to clean it out, just get a new one.

We had this at work on a Nissan Primera Diesel. Basically, a hose had gone at some point in the past and the system was refilled with fresh water, no antifreeze!! maybe someone had drained your Golf's coolant sometime and not used enough (or any) antifreeze.

Corrosion starts quickly in a cast iron block and the rad is the first place to suffer.

I would change the rad, flush out the engine block, use a longlife antifreeze and put in a water system conditioner aswell (like the forte stuff).

[VR5_Lee]

Maybe a little irresponsible; but to check I had a blockage before I've removed the thermostat (or just run the engine for a while to open it), remove the pipe from the exit of the radiator and run a garden hose on full through the whole system - it told me I had a blockage somewhere.

...Pushing my luck I connected the pipe - filled it up with water again - drove to the nearest garage and used the jet wash instead of garden hose! worked a treat! lumps of rusty water came free and all over the forecourt...

Not once did I think what I would do if I blew a hole in the heater matrix!

I'd recommend the garden hose approach and don't open the thermostat (risking the heater matrix).

[jamjam1979]

Thanks for all the advice I have flushed the rad through and found that it wasn't blocked!! the engine block was also clear so I am thinking it can only really be the head gasket now? as I have changed most of the simple things!!

[neileg]

Are you sure it's overheating? It's not just the gauge playing up, is it?