Re: OVERHEATING PROBLEMS

[raf40@oes.amdahl.com (Richard Funnell)]

If the thermostat is bad, you shouldn't see coolant on the radiator and
reservoir, because that coolant isn't what's getting hot.  If the coolant
in the rad is too hot, it sounds as if the rad or some other part of the
cooling system may be partially blocked.  When's the last time you flushed
the cooling system?

>Here's the problem.  My 85 5ks likes to over heat occasionally,
>especially on the highway.  I took the car to a local guy i bought if
>from who seems to be a very competent audi mechanic.  He said that all he
>saw wrong was a bad thermocouple and he replaced it.  He missed something
>though because not too long after that it over heated again.  The heat
>works fine.  There is a definite loss of coolant when it overheats but I
>find traces of it on the reservoir and there are traces along the side of
>the radiator and down by the thermostat.  And the car tends not to over
>heat if the heater is on full
>blast.  With summer coming, this is no longer an option.  I'm guessing
>its the thermostat but i wanted to run it by you guys before i tried
>anything.  What do you think??????
>
>                                -Noel
>                                '85 5ks
>
>PS- Is the thermostat really as hard to get at as it looks?
>    It appears I may have to remove the power steering pump to get to it?

Richard Funnell,
San Jose, California
'83 urQ
'87 560 SL