[Vwdiesel] "overheating" problem solved

[dieseltdi at verizon.net]

As you all know, I have been having some overheating problems in my 82 jetta.  Well yesterday morning I really got a scare.  After driving less than 5 miles, I glanced down at the VDO temperature gauge and saw that it was fluctuation rapidly between 120 and 140 degrees C.  Needless to say, I nearly freaked out and immediately pulled to the side of the road and threw open the hood expecting a cloud of steam and either a ruptured hose or a slit overflow tank.  Imagine my surprise when I saw neither and touching various hoses indicated a normal temperature - hot but not too hot to hold on to the top radiator hose. So satisfied that I wasn’t really overheating, I continued on to work.  As I drove home in the afternoon the gauge read about 110C while the dash idiot gauge was right in the middle over the light.  After letting everything cool for a few hours, I pulled the car into the garage closed the door and turned on the milk house heater and went to work.  I first remove the sender for the gauge and the T fitting I had used to mount the original gauge and glow plug temperature senders and put everything back to original (I will try to find another way to mount the temperature sender and get another gauge since it is obvious that the one I have is not working properly).  I then pulled the valve cover to do something I have meant to do for some time and that was to do a retorque the ARP head nuts (nothing to do with the “overheating” just something I wanted to do).  I then drained all the coolant and pulled the new thermostat to test it.  On the stove it tested perfectly beginning to open about 85C and fully open before 100C just as it should.  I made one slight modification, I did drill a small (1/16”) bypass hole as here in Texas I like having that as a degree of safety to prevent overheating in the summer if the thermostat ever sticks.  I reassembled everything and refilled with 50/50 antifreeze, making sure to fill the radiator and the block before finishing at the overflow bottle.  I also had to replace that stupid China Reproduction Auto Part heater valve that lasted less than a month to fix a leak there. BTW I discovered to my dismay that Meyle ones I bought are also made in China but hopefully a better quality.  Anyway, on the drive to work this morning, the temperature built a bit slower but eventually reached normal operating temp and I noticed that even the oil temperature came down a bit.  It seems that everything in now in good working order but I really won’t know until it warms a bit tomorrow.  It is expected to get into the 50’s after more ice and snow.  I don’t know which one of the things I did solved the problem but at this point I do not really care.  Hayden

“There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.” 
“I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run."
“I cannot help fearing that men may reach a point where they look on every new theory as a danger, every innovation as a toilsome trouble, every social advance as a first step toward revolution, and that they may absolutely refuse to move at all.”  Alexis de Tocqueville

Proud owner of:
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel
1968 Beetle, Still in progress
1982 VW Jetta Coupe GTD "FrankenJetta"
And many, many, many VWs; from a 1947 Beetle (13 Beetles total), to Vans (5 - 3 splitties  2 bay window (both were campers), 1 Vanagon Westy, Rabbits (3), Karmen Ghia (1), Jettas (11), Passats (2), Dasher (1), New Beetle (1), Rabbit Convertible (1) and Rabbit Pickups (3) most now gone but not forgotten.