[Vwdiesel] What happened to our group, it is to hot and sticky to type, YES

[Bryan Belman]

Hoping for some comforting words, wondering if I caused my head gasket to blow or not.
on my 1.9NA.I have been running this motor for almost 10 years now.guessing 60-70K in total miles, I don't get to use it near as much as I would like, work and life get in the way but my boy is off to college in the fall, so that frees up some of my time.
Anyway.  I have been messing with the fuel screw on and off over the past few trips.I had been getting excessive black smoke under fuel load trying to keep my speed up while going up big hills on highways, but only then, and to be expected, but this was a BIG amount of smoke.Not black, not white smoke, I would say gray in color.I had backed off on the fuel screw, counter clockwise and this only decreased power on hills it seemed, but was thinking too much fuel was my smoke issue under load.
I have never seen oil in the coolant and I have never blown a hose off from too much pressure in the system.
Then I turned it back in 1/8 and after talking to a pump rebuilder he said try going in another 1/8.I was not hard up against the governing collar.
So, I left on Tuesday for NC, and the van was running great.  Power was back, it was like I was driving a TD.Hot day for sure, but all my temps were great, water and oil temp gauges.  After 2 hours of driving I came to the first big hill I would say on the PA Turnpike and I kept the peddle down to keep my speed and I was watching my smoke output.  It was blacker then what I had seen before and not excessive any longer, power was still there.
Then, toward the top of the hill I look back to my temp gauge and see it approaching red line, light blinking, I never even got to look at oil temp.I should have shut it down right away but I kept it running to crest the hill and coast down the other side to find a wider shoulder spot to pull off as the shoulder was thin and many trucks.So, I left it running a bit long and then my oil light came on, I shut it down right away.
Tow back to my Dad's house that happened to be 25 miles away.Next day I see the large coolant hose fix (using marine exhaust coolant hose) I had done years ago to replace rusted main steel coolant lines had blown off and I lost all of my coolant FAST.
The head got so hot it melted my poly-etholyn return hose snub off the pump to the stock black fuel line returning to tank.So, I had coolant and diesel all over.I replaced the line, fixed the coolant pipe but saw that over the years the hose had shrunk and I did not have enough metal pipe in the replacement coolant hose.

So, Can turning the fuel screw up and running it hard blow a head gasket?ORDid I just have bad luck and my large coolant hose fix finally popped off and the excessive head on the head blew the head gasket?
The motor runs fine but I have pressure in my coolant tank in 1 minute of running and when it get up to temp after a mile or 2, it blows the coolant line again at the weakest point?
Time to FINALLY install my 1.9TD that has been waiting for 3  years now.


Bryan Belman, Pt. Pleasant, NJ 04 Jetta Wagon TDI PD BEW, 100hp, 5sp -- running :<)04 Golf TDI PD BEW, 100hp, 5sp Tiptronic Auto -- running  :<)82 Diesel Westy 1.9NA 1Y -- NOT running :<(70 Type 1 Beetle -- Running :-)