overheating

[Dean.m]

hey guys my vr has recently started overheating last night it started getting really hot because iwas wating for my mate outside his house so ipulled over and waited for abit then drove home and well i pulled in the driveway the temp was off the scale is no mans land should i flush the radiator witht the hose and do u rekon i have done any damage

[zelby11]

The thermostat might be stuffed,check all the hoses for any leaks,how old are the hoses you might need to replace them

[zelby11]

How old is the radiator it might need replacing if the core is damaged,how long have you had the car,the vr & vs usually dont take long to over heat if the car is running while its standing still,my vs does this

[BerlinaBoy]

With the engine cold, check the coolant level. If its low you have a leak and need to start looking at hoses etc. If its good, check the radiator cap and make sure its got a good tight seal. If the cooling system can't pressurise properly the fluid may boil and the engine overheat.

Check if you have any evidence of oil in the coolant when you have the cap off to ensure you have blown a gasket from the heat. Start the engine and let it warm up and check that no gases are bubbling through the coolant - another sign of gasket issues.

If you're still scratching your head, think about how old the radiator, how long since its been flushed, and if you've been using a 50% ethylene glycol mix in it. Alot of premix coolants are only 30% which is probably not enough and some corrosion may occur. Try flushing the radiator if you want, making sure you have the heater on. Some good threads on here as to what to do. Beware that flushing a cooling system in not-so-prime condition may result in leaks. I used some Nulon radiator flush last week and it seemed great stuff, but pretty wicked stuff, so flush well with clean water after.

Still got problems? Throw a new thermostat in, its quick cheap and easy.

And then still got problems? Check out a new radiator. I went through all this recently and ending up buying a very cheap (less than $100 with auto transmission cooler) radiator of eBay and wish I had done it a few years ago - so far its been terrific! Only put it on a week or two ago, but the weather had been pretty hot recently and the old girl runs under 1/4 on the gaugemost of the time and no more than 1/3 when stopped in traffic. Haven't seen it like that since I bought it with 90 000 km on the clock.

[mickcainique]

pull in to a radiator shop and get them to pressure test for leaks especially if your losing water that would be a cheaper option if no leaks sure check the thermostat

[BerlinaBoy]

And don't forget your serpentine belt and water pump, although if it overheated whilst idling perhaps they are less likely suspects. Did the fan come on? Is the fan working?

[Zarconia]

Did you have your aircon going at all?

[patskies]

If I was in your shoes I would replace the waterpump and the thermostat as they are cheap.. give the engine and the radiator a good reverse flush. then add new coolant and make sure u bleed the system of all air. dont forget to have your heater on when doing this.

Your radiator fan should go on once your temp gauge reaches around the 3/4 mark. If this is not the case then check your fuses and wiring/connections. you could run a piece of wire from the battery to the fan plug to see if the actual fan is working.

[whitevrboi]

Hey mate, try a high flow thermostat if ur gonna replace it anyways. Its only like 20bucks from supercheap or repco and it cools ur system quicker. Also maybe try wiring in a switch to turn ur engine fan on and off manually...wont fix the problem but helps keep it cool if ur stuck in traffic on a hot day or towing anything...fairly easy to do but i would still try all the things mentioned above

[Dean.m]

hey guys the nrma came and had a look the car doesnt even start now and he presure tested it and said it had a leak and he said none of the hoses are leaking so he said its probably the head gasket , so looks like its a home job headgasket replacement for me