Car Stuck! Engine Coolant boiling over

[Brett Dikeman]

At 6:53 PM -0400 5/23/04, SJ wrote:

>I just came back from checking out the car. The water that was added has not
>leaked out, so I can eliminate any big leakers.
>Started up the car and let it idle. Temp came up normally. After about 10
>minutes or so, temp guage read 1/3.
>No leaks noted . .both hoses were hot.
>After another few minutes, the expansion tank boiled over(I had the cap on
>loose). About 2 quarts and lots of steam came out.
>The radiator fan never came on.
>
>My hunch is a stuck thermostat.

Does the fan come on when you turn the air conditioning on, if it's 
over 38 degrees F?  If not, check the fuseable link on the side of 
the engine compartment by the radiator, in a little black box(often 
the cover breaks off).  The fuseable link is at least 50A rated; part 
number's in the archive(search for "fuseable link" or somesuch) and 
costs about a buck or two.

They corrode, snap, etc. all the time, and this is where I'll place 
my bet.  If that is OK, check the fan thermoswitches, followed by the 
resistor pack(big blue thing attached to the frame of the car, 
accessible by removing the top plastic radiator duct cover) and the 
relays.

The car is fine to drive in moderate weather in a pinch as long as 
you don't spend much time at all in stop+go traffic.  If you 
anticipate needing to stop, crank the heater to max.

Oh, and replace the expansion tank cap after everything's fixed- 
they're good for one overheat, and then they're pretty much toast, 
never sealing quite right after that.  Under $10 at any VW dealer.

Brett
-- 
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Ben Franklin
http://www.users.cloud9.net/~brett/