In article <1158684235.097761.194020 (AT) k70g2000cwa (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
Rand-E <randygadient (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:
I had the EXACT same problem with my last VW. I finally fixed it by unplugging
a passage inside the head by pressurizing the system with an air compressor
and banging on the head with a hammer.

A peanut sized piece of rust came out of the fiting where the small hose
from the reservour to the head connects to....

Prior to that It would run for a day or two correctly and then started
climbing and losing coolant. I replaced the water pump and added
water via the top hose several times also without any improvement.

Do this test: engine cold. disconnect the small hose from the head. use and
air pump to pressurize the system. watch ages of crap come out from the head.

The system is self bleeding if that hose is clear. its its plugged an air pocket
WILL develop.



--
Eduardo K. | Some say it's forgive and forget.
http://www.carfun.cl | I say forget about forgiving just accept.
http://e.nn.cl | And get the hell out of town.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. They really got me thinking.

I removed my thermostat to see what would happen. Went on a long trip
today, and the temp ran just past the first mark (and dropped when I
turned the heat on). Guess what? Coolant still leaked out.

Partway through the trip, I pulled over on the side of the highway to
see how my car was doing. The reservoir was leaking out of the steam
vent again (and pretty profusely). At least now I'm sure that it's not
leaking BECAUSE it's hot. I could have easily drank the antifreeze
leaking out - it wasn't even close to boiling (of course, I may have
died of poisoning). While the car was still running, and leaking, I
turned my environment controls to defrost, and the fan started, and the
coolant level in the reservoir instantly dropped. I'm sure there's
some sort of thermo-switch activated valve.

Anyways, I drove the rest of the trip with that fan on to keep the
level as low as I can, and my new paper towel was soaked by the time I
finished driving (approx one hour). BTW: my temp gauge never crossed
the 1/4 mark.

I know a few things now:

1) My water pump definitely works
2) My thermostat worked (before I took it out)
3) My rad is fine.

Before, the car was only getting hot when I was low on coolant. I now
see why I only had the high temperature issue an hour after driving on
the highway. The t-stat worked fine, but when there wasn't enough
coolant left...

I need to find out what is causing the coolant to back up out of the
reservoir. I'll do my best to follow your suggestion Eduardo. Which
hose are you referring to? (The 1/4" hose connecting the top rad hose
to the reservoir, or the 1.5" hose connecting the reservoir to the
engine?)

Thanks again,
Randy

Does it begin to sound like a bad head gasket?
Were the radiator hoses very firm due to pressure in the cooling system?
And you said that you had a new coolant bottle cap right?
Any dark color in the coolant like maybe the oil cooler ruptured?

"Rand-E" <randygadient (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

In article <1159672844.510431.78830 (AT) k70g2000cwa (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
Rand-E <randygadient (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:
The very small one (1/4" seems right) from the top of the reservoir. In
my engine (gas, not tdi) that gets connected to the back of the cilinder head.



--
Eduardo K. | Darwin pone las reglas.
http://www.carfun.cl | Murphy, la oportunidad.
http://e.nn.cl |

Thanks again for the help,

Dave:

I can squeeze the rad hoses when the car is hot or cold - not overly
difficult. I don't have a 'new' cap, but will asap (in fact, I have
taken this one off so many times that it should be replaced anyway if
it's supposed to pressure seal). There is oil in my coolant, but not
an awful lot. I think it's from the oil cooler, because I can't feel
pressure build-up in the reservoir after cold starts (have tried a few
times), and don't see any bubbles indicating a head gasket leak. I
heard the oil cooler rupture problem is quite common.

Eduardo K:

I blew on the 1/4" hose with my own lungs and plugged where it connects
to the reservoir with my finger (just for fun). My cap was still on
(as tight as she wanted to go), and my fluid came gushing out of the
steam vent. I wasn't even blowing as hard as I could. I figure my cap
is no good. I'm sure the pressure relief is supposed to be higher than
I (or any other human) could put out.


I'll let you know if the new cap fixes the whole thing (I'm hoping and
praying). I think E was right from the start...

Thanks once again everyone,
Randy

lol
CHANGE THAT CAP NOW!!!

AND FIX THAT OIL IN THE COOLANT PROBLEM!!!

A4 hose and radiator clogged with oil so coolant could not flow causing
overheating.
http://vwdoc1.tripod.com/personal/in.../upperhose.jpg

A4 oil cooler that has ruptured (you can see the oil leaking out)
http://vwdoc1.tripod.com/personal/in.../oilcooler.jpg

first flush of coolant
http://vwdoc1.tripod.com/personal/in...firstflush.jpg

ugly isn't it...................did I scare you yet?


--
later,
dave
(One out of many daves)

"Rand-E" <randygadient (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Personally I think everyone should go out and replace their cap, they
are relatively cheap and a real headache if they start causing problems
(hardly anyone ever thinks of it) and since its pressure control item,
they probably should be replaced on a regular basis anyway (how regular
I don't know, but since you can get them new for under $20, every
couple of years wouldn't be unreasonable). Hope that is the problem,
although running with no therostat and still leaking, suggests some
other problem. I ran with no therostat for 2 years and near had it
overflow, and yes thats how long it took before any thought to check
the stupid cap. You might want to remove the rad and have it tested
for flow as well, my mechanic had that done first thing when I brought
the car in (after the 2 years trying to figure it out myself, yes I'm a
subborn bastard). Anyway keep us up to date and I'll keep racking my
brain.

Hi E(veryone)

E, given my recent experience, I think that replacing the cap is the
first thing anyone should do when they encounter a similar problem
(unless it's clear that the head gasket is gone). I am pretty sure the
cap was the problem. I went out two days ago and bought a new cap.
($12 Canadian) The mechanic pointed out that mine didn't even have a
rubber seal in it anymore. He was pretty confident that the new cap
would fix the problem (although I wonder why he didn't think of the cap
when I explained the problem to him...). I haven't seen anything leak
out in the past couple days (although it almost never leaked in the
city), and it now holds pressure. I won't know for certain until my
next long trip (this weekend). I was so excited when I got the new cap
that I almost went for a 4 hour drive just for fun....

Thank you all for your help - it is very much appreciated. I'll post
after this weekend.

I was just wondering... my Jetta revs close to 3000 RPM at 110 km/h (67
mph) in 5th gear. Isn't that a bit high for a diesel tranny?

Extremely relieved,
Randy

(PS: My reservoir probably only overflowed because my bowl is not
original, and only holds about 2 L. "Made in Italy")

That coolant looks like someone mixed it with nonVW Green coolant? Pea Soup?

:-)


One out of many Daves <vwdoc1 AT hotmail DOT com> wrote:
Jeeps and dubs and everything's nice...

hmmmm.....

Well, I did one round trip the weekend before last, and everything was
fine - no sign of any coolant near my reservoir. I went again this
weekend, and stopped for gas about 1.75 hours in (car was off for about
10 mins). As soon as I got going again, the temperature went up to 3/4
within a couple of minutes, and sure enough, coolant had leaked out of
the reservoir by the time I pulled over. After I had pulled over and
checked the reservoir, the temperature seemed to regulate okay the rest
of the way (strange, because I didn't add any coolant or anything)

Then, on my way back home, the car was fine again for the first 1.75
hours. Then I got into the city, and the temperature all of a sudden
went up again (it used to never have problems in the city...). I
pulled over to see what was going on, and after I had confirmed that
the reservoir lost coolant, and got into the car (50 seconds max), the
temperature had dropped from 3/4 to 1/2.

Man.... I wonder if my thermostat IS faulty (and ruined the cap in the
first place). I heard somewhere that about 1/5 of the thermostats sold
have problems. I drilled two small holes in mine today to see if that
makes any difference. Will try the trip again next weekend....

Why would it work one weekend, and not the next? It "seemed" like the
cap had fixed it. I am puzzled.

=S

-Randy