Club 80-90 Forums

hi guys, on sat i took the family to southampton from essex. did about 50 mils when we hit heavy traffic. temp shot right up and i mean off the guage, light started flashing and loud buzz noise from engine bay.

so after bout an hr n half an aa man comes out, never seen a van engine before. but cracking guy. spent bout 45 mins on it. couldnt find anything really wrong, said one of the pipes was a bit soft, put lots of water in the system and said he was getting loads of air throught he system

anyway we were satisfied it was ok

set of again and now the temp guage sits bout half way, used to be bout 2/3 so really pleased

after about another 50 mils the light started to flash again, stoped the van checked all the levels, everything as shud be.

returned yesterday after a lovely bbq and a 2 yr olds b day party

after about 20 miles the light started flashing again, levels all ok.

also last year after a re con was fitted i had a flashing light issue which was solved when i changed the sensor

QQQQQQ

what does the flashing mean, is it just for low water
shut the top water tank be full
why does my top up tank keep filling up
suggestions for flashing light

cheers, hope you can help

ps havnt used van since van west as i bought me a t4 daily driver if this matters

Well you have pre-empted one of my thoughts, I would have said could it be your temp sensor. They are quite inexpensive. If there is any doubt I would change it anyway.
The AA man said you have a soft hose, the rubber in the hoses often degenerates from the inside, this can cause allsorts of problems including the inside collapsing and restricting flow. May be worth replacing the hose anyway if it is suspect, the next thing that will happen to it is it will blow.

Andy

Buying a T4 has obviously Pssst your van off

Which engine do you have????

The flashing light is a warning of either over temp OR low water.
The buzzer is a warning of low oil pressure ( possibly due to very hot engine, very thin oil)

There are two coolant tanks on the petrol engine models, The one behind the number plate is the top up tank and should be between the two marks.

The other tank (towards the left hand side) is the expansion tank, it must be full.

The pressure caps on the expansion tank can fail, allowing water (steam) to escape, either to air or to the top up tank. you say your top up tank keeps filling up??? replace the cap.
Do a search on here, some people say GSF caps are crap.

T

"put lots of water in the system and said he was getting loads of air throught he system"

head gasket has gone.

What engine is this? Petrol ? Diesel?

Go on give us a clue.

its a 1.9 dg, had a recon put in by elite vw in essex last sept, all seems ok now part from the flashing light

belle in progress wrote:its a 1.9 dg, had a recon put in by elite vw in essex last sept, all seems ok now part from the flashing light

Look I'm Knackered, so rather than rant about the total lack of info in that last post, I'll just ask sweetly.......
What does OK mean? Have you driven it again? How far? any loss of coolant? does light flash from start up or just after a few miles?
Have you bled the coolant system?

Give us a clue

T

Remember that blue cap i bought off brickwerks at Vanwest - i'd try changing that.

I'd also change your thermostat with a geniune VW one (flush out the system while your at it). And since it has over heated, change the oil.

Ringo

and put a manual switch on your electric fan as it sounds to me as tho the original problem was the fan failing to cut in. its a classic problem and can completely knacker an otherwise good engine for the sake of a poxy switch to turn it on in traffic in warm weather.

ok lots to do there. will let you knoe how i get on, when i get the time to get on that is

If the top up tank is filling the syste is ether not holding pressure (pressure cap on tank fubard) or being pressurised by an engine problem (head gasket/cracked head.)
As suggested, fit a new cap... then bleed the system properly as any air trapped in there will cause all sorts of issues (correct procedure should be found in the "wiki")

Driving it with no/little coolant WILL break the engine.....