the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

as the thread says i was giving my wrx sti 51 reg a good run around on the dual carrige way near mine and the temperature gauge has gone in to the red zone and above but the car is driving ok and theres no steam or smoke coming from the engine does anyone know what could be wrong with the car as i've only had the car for under a week all help will be great on this

overlord

has it got plenty of coolant in there?

the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

i've just looked and theres sod all in there what can i do as i have got it booked in for a service in 2 weeks time as thats the only time the dealers could fit me in. also have i just caused major damage to my engine now?

maydew

iTrader: (9)

does it do this when your on boost ??

the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

i only noticed it when i got home and parked up as it's quite dark out there tonight.

overlord

just fill it up with water and see if it still gets to hot there is a guide on here somewhere on how to bleed the coolant system .
It is possible you may have cooked it so keep your fingers crossed and check there is no mayonnaise scum on the oil filler cap and no scum in the water

maydew

iTrader: (9)

make sure rads full,expansion tank,and header tank are full take it out hold it on boost for a while and watch the gauge.
1st check for leaks i.e rad top/bottom all pipes
2nd check to see if you are loosing water through the expansion tank on boost

maydew

iTrader: (9)

just take the pipe off the header tank that leads to the turbo and fill from there works every time. usual when head gaskets fail on these cars you loose coolant out the top of the expansion tank on boost

the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

can you tell me where the oil filler cap is i'm not dumb but i've just came froma seat mk 4 tdi. also what are these expansion tank,and header tank?

maydew

iTrader: (9)

looking at the car locate the battery and there is a big yellow cap with a oil can on it, i believe theses cars very rarely give the mayo on the oil cap or scum in the water,just throws it out the expansion tank on boost

the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

ok i know where the oil is as i've een that what about the expansion tank can i see that under the bonnet?

maydew

iTrader: (9)

again by the battery attached to the radiator the is a clear/whiteish bottle,when cold water should be about half way down

maydew

iTrader: (9)

best thing to do mate so u can sleep 2nite ,fill it up if need be and take it for a 15min drive if the head gasket has gone it will over heat more or less when u come on boost

bighead

iTrader: (1)

sounds like head gaskets to me

the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

so i can just feel it up with water and thats ok? if the head gasket has gone how much am i looking at to get it fixed

maydew

iTrader: (9)

if the water has just dropped a little take of the rad cap and fill check the header tank and expansion bottle and fill if need be, think its about 250-300 to have h/g fixed

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

be prepared to pay more than that.
Engine out is 4 hours, cost of gaskets, engine back in is 4 hours.
unless you do it yourself, but asking for the oil filler cap and expansion tank suggest you might be better to take it somewhere

BigBez

if theres sod all coolent in as you put it, then it will over heat !

fill the radiator with water for now and quick check for any leaks ! then take for a spin for 10 mins and see if it still over heats,

if everythings ok tho dont forget to add some anti freeze in radiator....winter will soon be here LOL

the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

hi all i filled the coolent up this morning and within driving for about 8 mins the temp gauge was off the chart and it seems like it is leaking as the coolent was even more empty then when i filled it up plus is seems the rad has some kind of leak in it to as the water is coming from the middle of it and theres lots of water at the bottom of the bumper so any ideas on what the full problem is?

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

you have a leak in the rad, probably from the middle, its losing coolant.
HTH

the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

yeah i thought that might be the problem but it seems like that it's leaking from underneath the coolent bottle aswell.

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

check that the pipes where its leaking have got jubilees or some kind of spring clip keeping them in place, its not unheard of to have these not be done up after working on the car.

the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

ok i will check this in the morning do you know where the pipes are all conected so i can pin point them quick.

maydew

iTrader: (9)

bottom of the rad to the thermostat check both ends,under the rad and both corners, and top hose from rad to engine,if its loosing this much water get the car up to temp with engine running take a look you should see something

BigBez

surely it would be smoking a little if theres water there

i remember mine going the actually element of the rad was fine it was just a small crack in the plastic surround, so it was a new rad from an automatic LOL

dont know if anyones mentioned this but check the rad fans are kicking in too ??

the bear1986

iTrader: (8)

hi all i took it back from where i bought the car and the rad had a crack in it so they are going to replace it free of charge get in. the question i have now is would i rally lose coolent through the rads crack also what happens if they dont use and ome rad but a uni fit will that be ok or shall i tell them to use a ome rad?

overlord

i bought one of ebay for about £50 lol it seams to work though

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

yes, think of it as a broken bridge, you can get so far but you just cant complete the journey,

OEM is probably best as its meant to fit. However if they give a warranty/guarantee the replacement rad then it should be okay (personally though I would go for OEM even though they arent the best)

I just hope you havent damaged the head gaskets as when the temp gauge is in the red I think I have read that it is 120 degrees