VS Berlina overheating

[sixtiesrule]

Hi everyone,
A few weeks ago hubby bought a 97 Berlina...it was going cheap & we had to urgently replace our own VS which some nasty people decideed to steal & burnout.

Anyway, today it started overheating really badly. As in, getting to the level of the beeper coming on in about 3 or 4 kms. We would stop & let it cool down 15-20 minutes, but again it would overheat within less than a kilometre.
It wasn't running roughly though.

We have removed the oil cap & it looks clean, plus the oil on the dipstick looks clean. There don't appear to be any water leaks.

A friend (a mechanic) thinks it might be a blown head gasket.
When hubby released the radiator cap, the water started gurgling back into the coolant reservoir.

Any ideas on what you think it might be, or some suggestions for (cheap) steps to take to try to identify the problem?

(by the way, when he first brought it home, it overheated, but just slightly, so he put a new thermostat in, & has been fine up until now. It has just started happening all of a sudden.
I drove it this morning & it was fine...but this afternoon it has been terrible.)

[bandit10]

are the cooling fans working? also a common cheap to fix problem can be a stuffed radiator cap, try replacing it with a new cnc one.

[dono12]

when you take the cap off does it smell like exhaust fumes?

[Brett_jjj]

Get the engine compression tested, and get the cooling system pressure tested while your at it.These tests are cheap to get done at most decent mechanics shops,and will show up any blown gaskets or any leaking cooling system components.It also could be just the thermostat stuck shut.The thermostat is meant to block the coolant circulation when the engine is cold to aid warm up and regulate engine running temperature,it is meant to open up gradually as the engine heats up so the coolant can flow through it to cool the engine.When they get old they can stick shut.This is especially so if proper coolant hasnt been used in the cooling system.A thermostat costs about $15-$20 plus a new thermostat housing cover gasket.Also, as mentioned above,replace the radiator cap firstly,Its only cheap,that way if it doesnt fix the problem,it can then be ruled out of being the cause of the trouble.

[bandit10]

Get the engine compression tested, and get the cooling system pressure tested while your at it.These tests are cheap to get done at most decent mechanics shops,and will show up any blown gaskets or any leaking cooling system components.It also could be just the thermostat stuck shut.The thermostat is meant to block the coolant circulation when the engine is cold to aid warm up and regulate engine running temperature,it is meant to open up gradually as the engine heats up so the coolant can flow through it to cool the engine.When they get old they can stick shut.This is especially so if proper coolant hasnt been used in the cooling system.A thermostat costs about $15-$20 plus a new thermostat housing cover gasket.Also, as mentioned above,replace the radiator cap firstly,Its only cheap,that way if it doesnt fix the problem,it can then be ruled out of being the cause of the trouble.

so he put a new thermostat in, & has been fine up until now.

[rosscos stateo]

Yep thermostat. Had the same drama with one of our work cars.

[bandit10]

is no one reading the 1st post....?? a new thermostat has already been fitted!!!

so its either, cooling fans not working, stuffed radiator cap, blown head or valley gasket!

[rosscos stateo]

hehe good point. Ok so if the thermostat was replaced did ya make sure you bled all the air out of the system. You can get an air lock in the block which makes hot spots. Take the thermostat out See how long it takes to overheat if it does at all.
Another possiblity is a blocked radiator or buggered water pump. Can you see any turbulance in the top of the radiator with the lid off. This is a good way to see if you have circulation. If it overflows you could have a blockage. If there are bubbles then it could be a head gasket.

[zskinner]

maybe the coolant isnt concentrated enough ??? could do with new coolant at the correct ratio mix ???

[Brett_jjj]

so he put a new thermostat in, & has been fine up until now.

Why would you bother worrying about my suggestion to replace the thermostat, just because I didnt quite read the post carefully enough, big deal.Obviously the guy can just ignore the suggestion to replace the thermostat,Im sure this guy doesnt need you to point this out to him.

[bandit10]

Why would you bother worrying about my suggestion to replace the thermostat, just because I didnt quite read the post carefully enough, big deal.Obviously the guy can just ignore the suggestion to replace the thermostat,Im sure this guy doesnt need you to point this out to him.

but clearly you do brett