Club 80-90 Forums

Turbo diesel 1.6. Overheating on journeys over 20 miles, pressure in the coolant (the water bottle has developed a leak), bubbles in the water when engine running. Is there a test I can do to check if its the head gasket (or even cracked head)? Hoping this is not terminal for my van!!

Thanks very much for that reply - you saved me possibly getting into some serious trouble! Cheers

Been offered 15" alloys off a Passat, 7" wide, fitted with 205/60/15 tyres. I have looked through the Wiki and tried to understand about alternative wheels and tyre sizes but brain got a little fried! Just really want to know opinions and whether these wheels are likely to be a useful impr...

Just wondering what detectors/alarms should be installed to protect you from gas leaks. Are there any butane/propane alarms out there? I guess a CO alarm is sensible too.
Is it generally safe to leave a fridge running on gas while you sleep?

I disagree (but also I dont know much and am very grateful for advice) because charging the batt solves the prob, its like brand new again.
Then, after one start but not much running, its dead again. Thats why I think its the batt ???

Will try that, thanks. On the first attempt, it starts like a new battery, or at least it starts like it has always done for the last ten years. Its just if I stop the van after a minute and try to re-start, then theres a problem!!! I think you are right when you say batt is knackered. I just need t...

No, it turns for about 2 seconds and starts fine. Then I turn off the engine. Then I try to start it again and the battery is half dead and can barely turn the engine. The only difference is whether I let the engine run for a minute or 10 minutes. If I let it run for only a minute before turning off...

I dont have a spare battery I'm afraid - it would help my diagnosis really wouldn't it! I may not have explained it very well - what I am suggesting is that when the van is started for the first time, it takes a lot out of the battery and the battery can only recover properly if I run the van for a ...

It happened again! I charged battery and van started. I let it run for a minute and stopped it. Then it wouldn't start, it was sluggish. 3rd attempt and it was just clicking. So I charged it up again over night and started van again but this time I ran it for a few minutes and manoevered the van aro...

Wondering how to check f battery is good. It is showing 12.5v so does that mean it is not flat? It turned engine on first attempt, turned it sluggishly on second attempt, just got clicking on third attempt. But multimeter shows 12.5v across battery terminals when van not running. Is this necessarily...

Trouble is... everything is good now and working as it should. Van started first time today after sitting for a week, starter turned nice and quick. So I now don't have the problem, so borrowing a friend's battery would at this point tell me nothing. I am confused how the problem went away and can o...

I will check all my connections - but I'm still thinking it was/is a battery problem because it was always cured by an overnight charge-up.... and then it would die during the first start or two starts of the engine. Still confused really....!

Yes, battery is on 12.5 volts after numerous starts. The problem has mysteriously disappeared! I am confused! Oh well, I'll drive it about and see what happens and at some point I'll check connections. I assume the starter motor has to be removed in order to get access to the connections due to its ...

Charged up battery and started the van, expecting to get two starts out of it before it died, as described in my original post. But weirdly, the problem seems to have gone away and I was able to start the van more than 10 times easily, leaving it running for only 10 seconds each time for the last 8 ...

Its a T25 turbo diesel, 1.6, about 1986 I can charge the battery with a battery charger, then the van turns over well and starts fine. I drive a short distance and stop the van and it will not start again. Usually I get a very very sluggish turning over, indicating an extremely low battery, then on ...