Club 80-90 Forums

Right this could be a really dumb question but you dont know if you dont ask. My 1.6 diesel is running the temp gauge at about 3/4, however the engine doesn't smell overly hot. I checked WIKI about bleeding the system and am not sure about the expansion tank thing, never had one on a car. Should this have water in it, if so how much, and what about the main tank. Iv'e just had a look at the ex tank, this is empty, and the rubber seal is missing, so the cap doesn't seal properly. " HAVE i JUST ANSWERED MY OWN QUESTION"
Any advice greatly appreciated.

first things first...........

the top up tank is behind the numberplate hatch, the header tank is in the engine bay out of reach unless the lids off.....


the top up tank should be up to the fill hole at cold, the header tank should be full to the brim at all times....


and lastly, according to the VW spec, "normal" is anywhere from the lower white box on the guage to the higher mark, ie from 1/4 to 3/4, although most run at 1/2 way, or 12 oclock as it is known...........


Does switching the heater off make any difference? it could be a blocked rad........

Cheers Mocki
No, no diference, with heating on or off, however header tank is only half full and top up tank is empty, so i shall get the levels right and give it a run, mind you with no seal on the top up tank cap it will probably soon drop again i should think?

if its drawing water from the top up then there is a leak and you prob have air in the system.. a good bleed is needed and a inspection of the pipes everywere for leaks..

Do you have bubbles or water churning in the expansion tank when you rev it up?
Could be allsorts of things
1) cracked head losing water (worse)
2) leak of pipes/joints
3) block rad and leaks
4) never been topped up for years

bleeding is easy on a diesel, but they should run at half way unless in hot climate or high mountains etc.
How old is the engine?, how many miles has it done?

Thanks everyone, ill be checking out all your suggestions next week. Its a very clean engine with no leaks, its a replacement and has done 60,000,looks and sounds good, so hopefully nothing too serious.