Club 80-90 Forums

On a drive earlier my temp gauge reached pretty near max after about 4 miles,no hot air coming through vents.
Approx 4 miles later,oil light started flashing ten to the dozen and the whole cab filled with vapour,like steam with an oil tinge.
Pulled over,steam/vapour cleared once doors were opened,engine panel off.
No evidence of any singe marks,all wires I could see were intact,is this simply an over heating problem due to a knackered water pump??

what engine?

are you sure it was the oil light flashing and not the water temp light flashing? is the coolant bottle full or empty?

if you drove it four miles with the temp guage at near max they you may well have killed the engine but you can get airlocks in the cooling system if work has just been done which cause false temp reading.

You description is a little confusing....on your drive the temp went to max after 4 miles..?
You drove it 4 more miles (on your drive?) and then steam filled the cab but disapeared with doors open & engine lid off....

If I had to guess I'd say your heater matrix just burst and the resultant loss of coolant just bought on the coolant level warning flasher....

But like I say...you say it overheated and the oil light came on so it could be even more serious....I wonder why VW fitted warning lights and gauges?

Martin

on a drive not on my drive

Doh! senior moment lol.

Still begs the question....why you would carry on driving a further 4 miles after noticing the temp was on max.

What does the engine sound like? has the coolant in the main reservoir dropped?

Martin

The description was vague and erratic,the engine was fine once it cooled down and the reservoir of coolant has dropped,seems like the water pump,thanks anyway

IF water pump has gone, the system (oil and water) would still be 'sealed'. You really need to investigate where the steam/oil came from to make sure it really is fine

Seems? like the water pump...in what way?

Coolant loss = Coolant system integrity has failed in some way..the fact that the cab filled with steam means the leak was upfront, in the cab area and the percentage guess would be the heater matrix.

But.....still there are many unanswered questions.
Why did it overheat?
Did it overheat?
Just exactly which of the lights flashed....did the oil light flash?


Martin

California Dreamin wrote:Seems? like the water pump...in what way?

Agreed, sounds like the heater matrix to me.

Thanks for the opinions/replies.
I'll get it sorted by someone who has the knowledge,which I clearly don't.