Not Cool.

[Ski_Extra]

Three months ago when I drove my Surf from the UK to Switzerland it over heated a few times towards the end of the journey. I could get 2 hours driving then the car heater would start blowing cold, 2 mins later the things over heating. Left it for half an hour and stuck some more water in, repeat, and limped the last 500kms home. Took it to the local mechanic who said that a hose had blown off somewhere in the cooling system, he 'fixed' it.

I've driven it around for the past 3 months without any trouble but never more than 100km at a time. Last night I picked my sister and 18 month niece up from the airport (160kms). I was boasting that the car was fixed now and pointed out the last layby that I spent an hour in just 15 minutes from home, when... same damn thing... heating stopped working, gauge went mental and the coolant reservoir started bubbling like a Turk on pay day.

I thought the car was running good so I bought 2 mega batteries for it £250 What's going on? Don't really want to pay the mechanic to fix it again... help... please!!!

[The Lovely Boyo]

Have you done the usual coolant system service?

New thermostat, rad cap, good flush through, maybe even pull the radiator out to clean the fins and hose it out, make sure all pipes are sound (not corroded etc).

Get a garage to do a combustion gas test on the coolant, exhaust gases present = cracked head also get them to do a pressure test.

Oh, I find that praying sometimes helps (not that I'm religious lol).

[BUSHWHACKER]

You may have an air lock in the cooling system caused by a pin-hole leak in the radiator or a hose is leaking/letting in air.
Also, your radiator cap may be knackered and letting the pressurised coolant into the expansion tank too soon and the coolant is spewing out the overflow.
When topping up the coolant, have the engine running so that it circulates.

[Ski_Extra]

How hard is it to drain the radiator down? When I first got the Surf I looked into doing it but from what I could work out it looked like a massive job even to access the drain plug. Any pointers?

I'm thinking it has all of those problems and needs a new radiator cap, hoses etc...

Should keep me out of trouble for a while...

[BUSHWHACKER]

The radiator drain tap is at the bottom of the rad (obviously!) passenger side facing the engine.

[TonyN]

Sounds like its got a cracked head, test the cooling system checked for combustion gases, if it comes up posistive the top needs to come off.



Any other advise is just wishful thinking....

[MattF]

Sounds like its got a cracked head, test the cooling system checked for combustion gases, if it comes up posistive the top needs to come off.



Any other advise is just wishful thinking....

Much as I hate to admit it, (advice, BTW), I'd agree with Tony this time. Might have started with your 'stat or rad cap, but if you've let it top out that many times, you'll be damned lucky if the head is still intact.

[Ski_Extra]

The Mrs is back in the Uk for a week, she spoke to Rough Trax this am. They said the same thing.

[Ski_Extra]

UPDATE.

So, we had the head tested and it came back all clear.

Every week I have to fill up the radiator reservoir, and even after short journeys you can hear air bubbling through it. With the system topped up we have managed some long journeys with no issue.

The garage here are nice but my French sucks and they're pretty expensive and seem to take an age to order any parts.

We need to drive the Surf back to the UK in around a months time and I'd like to have a smooth journey. I plan to order a load of parts from the UK and then have the garage sort it out... So I'm thinking minimum new rad cap & thermostat...

Any other top tips that I can get the garage to sort out?

Thanks.

[hawkwind]

UPDATE.

So, we had the head tested and it came back all clear.

Every week I have to fill up the radiator reservoir, and even after short journeys you can hear air bubbling through it. With the system topped up we have managed some long journeys with no issue.

I note that you say you are topping up the resevoir.

You actually top up via the radiator cap, hopefully this may solve the problem with no expense.

Just make sure that you have the heaters on full when you top up, then run the engine until warm.
Let it cool and repeat until it does not need topping up again.

The resevoir is an overflow that collects water when the engine heats and the water is sucked back as the engine cools (I think)

[MattF]

The resevoir is an overflow that collects water when the engine heats and the water is sucked back as the engine cools (I think)

Yup.

[sv1000spilot]

Mine kept loosing coolant and needed regular top ups. Having done all the usual, including having head done as it was cracked discovered that one of the pipes going through the bulkhead to the heater matrix was leaking. Small amounts of coolant dripping from short pipe in bulkhead, was enough though!

[Ski_Extra]

I was both filling the reservoir & directly in the radiator, but obviously it must be leaking somewhere... so until I can get the car home and back in the tool shed what's the best thing to do? After I filled the radiator via the cap does the reservoir need to be kept high?

After a short journey of 10 minutes or so there is air bubbling through the reservoir, is this normal? What could be the causes?

[Tallyman]

Despite what the check done for cumbustion gases came back with, it does sound like you have a cracked head. Rather that look around for a garage when back in London, why not book it in with TonyN in Basingstoke, as then you are sure to get it sorted properly?

[Ski_Extra]

Despite what the check done for cumbustion gases came back with, it does sound like you have a cracked head. Rather that look around for a garage when back in London, why not book it in with TonyN in Basingstoke, as then you are sure to get it sorted properly?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, hope not. Sounds like a good idea though. TonyN isn't too far from my parents...