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DannyBoyGolf
19-01-2019, 11:56 AM
Hi all,

Seem to be having a nightmare with my BKC 1.9tdi now.

Had been losing coolant every other day from the temp sensor housing due to a crack in it. Have now replaced this & yet I still seem to be losing coolant.
I top it up regularly as I don't have loads of money to get it in to a garage, but the other day my temp gauge went in to the red while i was on the motorway so I stopped straight away & let it cool, topped it up and then when I got home, ran it to temp for about 20 mins with the lid off & topped up as needed.

While it was running there was a fair amount of white froth in the coolant resevoir, can anyone tell me is this the sign of a head gasket failure? Car is stressing me out lately :(
bill.wj.wilson
19-01-2019, 02:04 PM
Get someone to do a sniff test, the chemical shows if exhaust gas is in the system via colour change, that'll tell you if its the head gasket.

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j_mack
19-01-2019, 02:21 PM
Don’t like to be the bearer of bad news but there’s a good chance it is, get it tested as I consider it highly unlikely it’s making you a latte


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DannyBoyGolf
20-01-2019, 06:25 PM
Thanks both, I've arranged to get the sniff test done this week. Will let you know my findings.

If it is the head gasket, any ideas on average repair costs?
j_mack
20-01-2019, 06:56 PM
Never had one done since I blew the head on my 106gti years back and to have it properly skimmed, shimmed up with a thicker gasket etc was close on 600


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bill.wj.wilson
20-01-2019, 06:59 PM
Expensive as you'll need the head skimmed and unless its new, a cambelt kit, around a thousand pounds. Maybe more. If your handy around a spanner you could save a few quid on the labour but parts will still be about 3-4 hundred at a guess.

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DannyBoyGolf
20-01-2019, 07:03 PM
Got a feeling I'm gonna end up scrapping her :(

Already got MIL on for EGR valve, tensioner pulley bouncing & the exhaust is blowing near the CAT
j_mack
20-01-2019, 07:04 PM
Ouch that’s not good, if the shell is decent may be worth fixing


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DannyBoyGolf
20-01-2019, 07:10 PM
Ha, they're just the mechanical issues i posted...
j_mack
20-01-2019, 07:12 PM
I’ve just had my Gti resprayed thanks to mk5 rust lol you don’t need to tell me how bad they can be


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DannyBoyGolf
26-01-2019, 04:14 PM
So I've had the sniff test done and even a coolant system pressure test and it passed with flying colours...

So... Now thinking maybe just be a replacement for the header tank and cap...
DannyBoyGolf
05-02-2019, 09:36 AM
As per above tests & replacement headertank & cap & I'm still losing coolant - the only place I can see any fluid is directly behind the right side headlight - splashed up the front of the fuel filter housing.
Really starting to lose my mind with this now. It's too high to be coming from the radiator but the path from the header tank overflow seems dry. :zx11:
KevTrem
06-02-2019, 08:10 AM
Get it hot, then open bonnet and have a look yourself. Be ideal on a very cold day as you'd see steam if an external leak. Could be a passing clip, a pinhole in a pipe, leaking o'ring or even the water pump. Are your carpets dry within the car and do you heaters work fine?
DannyBoyGolf
06-02-2019, 07:20 PM
Cheers Kev,

I've been looking under the bonnet almost every day. Its baffling. Carpets are dry though & as long as there's a decent amount of coolant in it, the heaters are fine too.

Must be a hole somewhere on the drivers side as it always seems to have splashed up the fuel filter. Pain in the ****
DannyBoyGolf
07-02-2019, 06:34 PM
Get it hot, then open bonnet and have a look yourself. Be ideal on a very cold day as you'd see steam if an external leak. Could be a passing clip, a pinhole in a pipe, leaking o'ring or even the water pump. Are your carpets dry within the car and do you heaters work fine?

Had my head under the bonnet again today, neighbour passing by said what's up with it and he echoed your thoughts that it could be the water pump.

Last had it changed between 110-120k and it's just approaching 170km.

Time for a new belt and pump, fingers crossed if I get it done, that's the end of it!
DannyBoyGolf
09-02-2019, 02:00 PM
So had another look again today.

Ran it at 2500rpm and the level in the header tank didn't budge an inch.
Took it for a 5 mile drive and when back, it had lost a load of water.

Absolute nightmare.
bill.wj.wilson
09-02-2019, 10:57 PM
Mate put some food dye in the water so's you have a chance to trace the issue.

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DannyBoyGolf
12-02-2019, 10:16 PM
Mate put some food dye in the water so's you have a chance to trace the issue.

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Cheers Bill, think it may well be the egr cooler now
DannyBoyGolf
13-02-2019, 11:04 PM
Sorry to be sound sporadic with my suggestions, but i've changed my driving style the past 3 days, so going through the gears easy and as a result the turbo doesn't have to kick in / egr doesn't move & I've not lost any water. So just to make sure I wasn't imagining it, I gave it some welly a few miles from home and lo & behold, it ****** itself and lost water.

Any fresh ideas folks?

Thanks for reading my ongoing post btw, I appreciate all your suggestions & if I do get it sorted I'll be sure to tell you how & pass it on if I ever see a similar thread.