scirocco overheating

[eggbert2008]

this scirocco is doing my noggin in. it is running really hot. the gauge gets right up to the red and the fan doesn't kick in. i just put a new thermo switch / thermostat' new coolant and new rad cap and flushed out the system wiht rad flush and the bugger is still running hot.yesterday it was running hot and the red light on the gauge was flashing like mad and the fan wouldn't kick in so i had to trick the fan on by joining the 2 wires together . i noticed after this episode that the inside of the glass of the temp gauge beside the ashtray and the inside of the speedo binnicle was all steamed up! which isn't exactly inspiring me with confidence. it has been suggested to me that maybe i should replace the water pump but i would be more inclined to point the finger at the heater matrix[becuase of the steamed up gauges] anyone got any suggestions other than wetting it with petrol and drying it with a match !:aargh4:

[Crasher]

Which engine and year?

[eggbert2008]

Which engine and year?the car is late 81-early 82 with an 1987 golf mk 2 engine. do u remember i was asking u about it a month or so back .i said the code was xrf and u said there was no such code. any way it is rf but i am nearly sure the rad is the original one.like i said in my 1st post i flushed the cooling system, new coolant ,new thermostat, new thermostatic fanswitch and new rad cap but it still runs very hot . i seem to recall the stat had 87 degrees on it and the rad switch had 95 degrees on it. do u think the new switch cud be bogey cos the fan wont cut in? oh yeah when it gets really hot trickles of water escapes from the side of the rad cap but other than that it doesnt appear to use much water. and then there is is the instruments fogging up. i fear the worse!:confused:

[Crasher]

So it cools down if you manually bring in the cooling fan? In that case, I think the new switch is suspect. The gauges may be misting up due to excess system pressure causing a heater matrix leak but these are very easy to change.

[eggbert2008]

So it cools down if you manually bring in the cooling fan? In that case, I think the new switch is suspect. The gauges may be misting up due to excess system pressure causing a heater matrix leak but these are very easy to change.ok crasher i will change the switch and let u know how i get on. thanks crasher.

[eggbert2008]

ok crasher i will change the switch and let u know how i get on. thanks crasher. igot a guy to look at it and he tested the rad switch and he says it's working ok just the spade terminal needed cleaning. i forgot to mention that when i got the car the temp gauge was'nt working so i put a new sender in it. so he thinks that i put the wrong temp sensor in and that it's giving too high a reading on the gauge. in effect it's an 81 car with an 87 golf 2 1.6 engine in it but i put a 81 scirocco temp sender in it when i shud have put a 87 golf 2 sender in it. do you think this wud make the gauge read hot when the car is actually running normal tempeture.he is adamant the car is not overheating and now after watching him test it i'm inclined to agree with him .do u know what the correct part number is for a temp sender for an 87 rf engine golf is,crasher ? oh and by the way where is it suposed to be situated on the golf 2 engine?

[Crasher]

No, the sender should match the gauge, not the engine.

[eggbert2008]

No, the sender should match the gauge, not the engine. ok do u know the correct vw part no as the sender i put was spurios?

[Crasher]

049 919 501 £28 genuine. Did you check the earth from the instruments back to the head?


http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd20/Crasher1964/049919501sensor.jpg

[eggbert2008]

no, i did'nt cos everything else is working fuel gauge, rev counter,speedo and instrument lights so i thought that wud be ok.

[Crasher]

Check the earth at the instrument plug (brown wire, can’t remember which pin it is off the top of my head but the larger of the two plugs and pin 1 I think) to the engine on the cylinder head with a multimeter, there should be virtually zero resistance, i.e. continuity, no more than 0.5Ω. If I remember correctly, the earth on these pre 82 cars was to the upper bolt of the cylinder head side water outlet housing on the end of the head. It is a few years since I worked on one of the early cars and all my paper manuals are at work.

[eggbert2008]

thanks crasher i'll suss that out 2moro.

[eggbert2008]

ok crasher, i didn't get around to checking the earth at the clocks yet but i was sitting in the car today and i had a bit of a brainwave:biglaugh:. i unplugged the wire from the oil temp sender and plugged it on to the water temp sender and sat and watched the oil temp gauge. so the car is idling away for 5/10 mins and the tempeture is climbing, it gets to 90 degrees and keeps going up. it gets to just shy of 100 degrees, i wud say it was 97/98 degrees and the fan kicks in a cools it back down to 90. i sat and watched this for about half a hour and it never varied. so i kept switching the wires from oil sender to water sender in between and when it was on the water sender the needle was at the top of the gauge so i think the guy was right the gauge is buggered. what do you think?

[Crasher]

Not the gauge I would say but a bad earth making it read high.

[eggbert2008]

okey dokey i guess i'll have to rip the clocks out of it and check the earths. thanks crasher.:beerchug: