gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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I made a post a few days ago about my car losing water and me suspecting it been the head gasket. However today when my car was up on the ramps at the local garage having the exhaust fitted i noticed that the rad was leaking.
Dosent look to major and appears to be coming from where the fan swtich goes in. I replaced this the other week so could i have fitted it incorrectly or have i damaged the rad 
what are my options? can they be repaired if i have damaged it?
Its a x16 engined gsi btw
thanks Gavin 
Drives supercharged Tec with torque  
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Superlite Ltd.
Member
Registered: 9th Jan 07
User status: Offline
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They dont cost that much for a new one but it might be worth trying some 'rad stop leak' addative first.
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
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yer may be worth a try. I may get a price of a new one though as its looking a bit tired.
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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thegsi
Member
Registered: 3rd Feb 07
Location: Kidderminster Drives: Evo (you can't afford one)
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i had this problem. there is rad weld u can wack in the bottle but this can sometimes lead to more problems. are the front rad fins damp? if they're it'll be a air lock, run the engine for 10 mins without the lid on the bottle.
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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shouldnt be an airlock as ive been using the car for a week since the system was drained.
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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thegsi
Member
Registered: 3rd Feb 07
Location: Kidderminster Drives: Evo (you can't afford one)
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it doesnt matter if its drained. they can still stay there. have you bled it?
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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Erm no, i drained it changed the fan swtich and re filled it.
How do i go about bleeding it?
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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thegsi
Member
Registered: 3rd Feb 07
Location: Kidderminster Drives: Evo (you can't afford one)
User status: Offline
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yeh if theres an air lock, draining wont do anything. as u look into ur engine bay, to the left of the rad there should be a little 8mm hose with a flat head valve. turn that and you should get like a brown liquid out. its hard to explain. ill try and take a pic 2moro for ya mate.
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
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ah right, just there was no mention of this in haynes. They just said its a self clearing system
yer pics would be great if you could
where goes this 8mm hose go to and from?
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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thegsi
Member
Registered: 3rd Feb 07
Location: Kidderminster Drives: Evo (you can't afford one)
User status: Offline
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hmm odd. it goes from the main rad rods and into engine coolant pods. thats why wen ur head gasket goes, u get white shit in the bottle.
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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ah the one that comes from the thermostat
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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thegsi
Member
Registered: 3rd Feb 07
Location: Kidderminster Drives: Evo (you can't afford one)
User status: Offline
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yeh thats it
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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cheers for your help hopefully il get it sorted tomoro
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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Couldnt see a bleed valve or anything on the thermostat Have i got the wrong end of the stick? The haynes manuel says it should be on the top of the thermostat where that hole is in mine.
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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Fad
Member
Registered: 1st Feb 01
Location: Dartford Kent Drives: 330cd
User status: Offline
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They changed the thermostat design over the years. On my old 1.4 16v it had a bleed screw but o the new one it didnt.
I'd change the rad as mine o the XE had a slight leek then one day it dumped the lot on the A2 and almost totaled the engine!!!!
Be prepared to have to renew lots of odds and sods like snsors etc as it is now an old car so it can be quite spontaneous and will test your patience at times 
[Edited on 23-03-2007 by Fad]
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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lots of niggles ive found already think thats why it was so cheap, seemed to good to be true
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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So to bleed the system i just re fill it and run it til its at operating temp with the coolent cap off. Then await the bubbles to appear?
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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Right i fitted new o rings and clips so hopefully that cured the leak. Refilled the sysstem and ran it until it was warm and bubbling with the cap off.
Only i think the system still has has air in as the large hose coming from the thermostat pictured above still feels like it has no water in and just air. because if you squeeze it it dosent feel like there is any pressure in it.
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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Superlite Ltd.
Member
Registered: 9th Jan 07
User status: Offline
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that pipe wont have any coolant in it mate. Not until the thermostat opens up anyway 
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gavin18787
Premium Member
Registered: 22nd Feb 05
Location: Basildon, Essex
User status: Offline
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yer i let it warm right up so it was open
still not alot in it
Drives supercharged Tec with torque
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