Problem on the continent...

[Shaundon]

On holiday and although the van has been running well for the last 1000 miles or so, as soon as we got off the ferry and pulled onto the motorway at calais , the tempreture went all the way to max!

Pulled over immediatley and waited a few mins to cool down , then pulled off motorway and checked the water level. water level was fine and it didnt seem that hot to the touch now so we gingerly set off again. Done another 150 miles since then and all ok! Tempreture sits at the correct level.

What could cause the temperature to shoot up like that ? And should i be worried about it?

Is the water pump or thermostat on the the way out?

Anyone know where u can get spares in france?

S.

[Ian Hulley]

Perhaps a wire that's shorting onto the metal ? To go instantly straight to the top would imply a wiring/sender issue to me.

Monitor the coolant level in the header tank NOT the one behind the number plate.

Ian.

[Fritz]

Shaun, you never know it might just be the shock of the van running in continental ambient temperatures, unlike here in Blighty where we are guaranteed to be running around 10 degrees colder than Europe at any time of the year,,,,,,.

Keep your eye on things it may just have been a blip or due to a simple hold up along the way.....If in any doubt the simplest thing to change at this time is the pressure cap on the tank inside the engine conpartment,,,,,,,,,Not the one behind the No plate flap......



Regards


Fritz,,,,

PS, I was a bit vauge regarding the pressure caps coz they are different for the Petrol and Diesel engines.....
PPS, BTW Any good continental VW dealer should be able to get parts to you at the drop of a hat......

[Shaundon]

Well both tanks seem fine on the coolant levels. Went another 200 miles qnd everything was fine until stopped to swap drivers. Temperature Was fine, turned off engine, swapped drivers and started up again instantly. Temperature just rose straight to max without reving from restart in a few secs. Waited five mins restarted again and pulled off and everything was fine for a further 50 miles. Then started happening again. Would say it happens more when idling but not always. If a short could it be intermitent like this? Seems to fix it by switching ignition off and on!.

What voltage should i be able to measure across the temp sensor when hot and cold?

S.
PS excuse qny typos , french keyboqrds qre weird....

[kevtherev]

If it were overheating the fan would engage on warp speed at that temp so I would just replace the sender... they are not very expensive, and it would eliminate it