[urq] Cooling System question

[Patrick Carlier]

Keith ,

You ought to get some of these test rods
for hydrocarbons in the coolant . Its cheap and it
will tell you if the head/ headgasket is leaking or not .

A crude test to the headgasket is to warm up the engine with the coolant
tank cap cap removed .
A leaking headgasket will cause "air" bubbles in the coolant wich can
be observed in the tank .
They usually occur if you revv the engine to say 3000 rpm just before
the radiator fan kicks in .

You do have the right coolant , with raised boiling point I hope .
Plain water or ordinary anti freeze coolant will not do on an urq .

I also advice you to check the sensor that operates the fan .
It's located on the bottom of the radiator .
They're known to fail , and if the fan doesn't kick in , pressure will rise
eventuallly .

Good luck

Pat






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Keith" <spotatashleys at hotmail.com>
To: <urq at audifans.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2012 10:26 PM
Subject: [urq] Cooling System question


> Evening All,
> I have some curious goings-on with my quattros cooling system. On occasion 
> but not always there are one or two drops of coolant on the garage floor. 
> The system does indeed lose a little, but so little as to be unable to 
> trace the source. The running temperature is absolutely normal but the 
> cooling system remains pressurised even when the engine has cooled right 
> down. The engine runs fine.  I have searched on line for possible causes 
> of the system remaining pressurised, some suggest a leaking head gasket. 
> Obviously I do not want to remove this just to look and there are no other 
> signs that I am aware of to suggest HG failure. I will be surprised and 
> not a little disappointed if the HG is failing because the block was Wills 
> ringed when I built it (10yrs ago though) to ensure a good seal around 
> each cylinder and I don;t thrash it (in fact my friend ridicule my 
> mechanical sympathy for my car!)
> I guess the question is: should I be concerned? Are there any tests I 
> could do to confirm/deny HG failure given the current minimal outward 
> symptoms? The amount of residual pressure in the system when cold is what 
> concerns me the most though.
> Any ideas/suggestions gratefully received (as always).
> Regards
> Keith
>
> ‘87 WR
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