[Vwdiesel] head gasket done but temp gauge still creeping up.

[Dave Cook]

Are you saying coolant is boiling out when the car is sitting there running?

That seems normal.  The boiling point increases under pressure, so without the pressure being held in by the cap, it'll boil at the normal point, and bubble out of the reservoir.

What if the cap is off?  On most of my VWs, I'd have to fill the system, drive around until it burped (sometimes took awhile) and pull over and top it off.  After that, no problems.

Dave Cook


--- On Fri, 1/30/09, Will Taygan <william at taygan.com> wrote:

> From: Will Taygan <william at taygan.com>
> Subject: [Vwdiesel] head gasket done but temp gauge still creeping up.
> To: "vwdiesel at vwfans.com" <vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
> Date: Friday, January 30, 2009, 1:58 AM
> 94 Jetta with 1.6TD (originally 8v)
> 
> HISTORY:
> 
> Massive overheat, lost most coolant, air just boiling out
> of overflow,
> pulled head, full head job done at independent VW shop.
> 
> (Obvious crack in gasket from #1 cylinder to coolant
> passage.)
> 
> Cleaned bock with the white 3M rotary bristles and engine
> degreaser/brake cleaner.
> 
> Block had significant pitting near the coolant passages
> where the fiber
> part of the gasket touches, metal contact surfaces looked
> good.
> 
> Dinged head when transporting home, also stupidly had a
> gritty oily zip
> tie sandwiched in-between head and block when starting to
> tighten down.
> 
> Used ARP Cosworth studs torqued to 85, broke and retorqued
> 3x: 40-80-85.
> 
> Timed to 1.01mm, runs great, sounds like marbles when
> cold-start is out,
> almost all the marble sound gone when pushed in.
> 
> I've got a veg-kit with extra coolant lines running to
> the trunk, tried
> to purge these as well as possible.
> 
> Routed head to top of radiator hose UNDER veg lines when
> first started.
> ooops.  The vent to overflow sphere doesn't work when
> it has to flow
> down.  Started to overheat, shut it off, cooled it down,
> routed head to
> radiator hose at ON TOP of system, blew some bubbles out,
> after 5 miles
> things seemed to be perfect.  That overflow hose really
> likes to be up
> high to purge air.
> 
> THE PROBLEM NOW:
> Car is acting like there's bubbles in the system, gets
> to normal
> operating temp, goes up one tick - especially on uphills,
> goes back down
> on downhill coasts.
> 
> When overheating (I'm running with the coolant cap off
> - thinking there
> is air in the system - I've tried with cap on, and
> it's similar) the
> coolant bubbles up out of the reservoir.  While driving
> this isn't so
> much of a problem, but fiddling with the system when parked
> I can do it
> every time.  Is this standard on getting hot?  I'm
> thinking it's a sign
> of air in the system.
> 
> There's not really significant air coming from the
> overflow hose,
> occasional foam (I took the restrictor out to see if that
> make it purge
> better), it seems to be pushing quite a bit of fluid.
> 
> The OEM water pump, aftermarket radiator and OEM thermostat
> are a year
> old.  It always got hot on hills, but not on flats or while
> idling.
> 
> I'm thinking of running a compression test (check the
> head gasket) and
> swapping out the thermostat - could overheating have
> damaged the
> thermostat?
> 
> I'm fearing that my gasket job, while making the car
> drivable, may have
> to be repeated (and I'm doing this in the neighbors
> garage.....eeeek!)
> 
> Will in Alaska.
> 
> 
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