b16dev 0 Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 i have owned my mk3 vr6 for 3 months now, i topped the coolant up 2 months ago, but after 100 miles the warning light was back on, i inspected the engine bay, and found a rusty water residue on the sump, beneath the water pump... i ordered a new pump, and a friend was meant to fit it.. but hes still not got round to it... so every 100 miles or so, ive had to top up the coolant, but today, i topped up the coolant, and after a 6 mile journey, i was walking away from the car, when i noticed water poring out from the header tank, so i filled it up with water, checked my oil cap, and for the first time, it was a little of white color... so im thinking sh** HEAD GASKET! i nursed the car home, it drives fine, no over heating, but it was still losing water... i spoke to my friend, who's comp int with car repairs etc... and he will sort the car, even if it is the gasket... if anyone can shed a little light on this for me,or any advice, it would be much appreciated, were going to replace the pump first, just to rule that out...the cars done 123,000 full service history, been very well looked after, has only 2 owners from new.. in a1 condition and a box full of receipts.... cheers.. Link to post Share on other sites
cabrioman 6 Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 if hes good with cars get him to do a sniff test that will tell u if u head gasket has gone .... Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 sniff test??? is this a compression test ? Link to post Share on other sites
cabrioman 6 Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 na its a test to see if there is any exhaust gasses in the cooling system ie head gaset Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 when i say hes good with cars, i wouldn't say hes up to the standard of a mechanic, but he knows how to sort head gaskets etc... whats involved on a sniff test? Link to post Share on other sites
cabrioman 6 Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 oh rite well unless he know his way around a vr6 engine then mite not be ur best choice .... there has to be a vw specilest near u some where ....one of these mate http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UNIVERSAL-BLOCK-TESTER-KIT-FOR-GASKETS-CYLINDER-HEADS_W0QQitemZ130318873929QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment?hash=item1e579c3549 Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 yeah there is star performance, but the difference between getting it done for nothing any paying lots of money, i hear what ur saying, but i do have full confidence in him... plus his best mate is a top mechanic, and im sure if he got stuck, he would lend a hand.. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest B.O.B. Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 where bout in fife are you?Best garage i could recommend in Fife would be 'wee ecks'situated just outside kelty on the road to kinross,or jacksons on the dunfermline back road...top work...not so pricey either Link to post Share on other sites
thegoth 5 Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 sounds like you use the car very little. the slight white on the oil cap could just be down to condensation building up over a number of short journeys.a sniff test usually involves using the sensor from an mot emissions test, or else you can by crystals which change colour when added to contaminated coolant. Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 im in glenrothes, if i was to take it to the garage, if it was head gasket.. what kind of price am i looking at? i dont drive the car much, maybe once or twice a week, on a few occasions, if the car has sat for a few days, there seems to be a lack of power, like its missing, but after a few Min's it fine... i had the same problem with my gti.. so never really thought much of it.. Link to post Share on other sites
cabrioman 6 Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 sounds like it just needs a good look over mate sounds like u could also have a cracked coil pack or some thing Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 right, also, if the heaters have been on cold for a while, then i turn them to hot, there is a smell that comes through the vents, for a short period of time... it smell exactly the same, as the rusty coloured water in my header tank... Link to post Share on other sites
VR6_Absy 0 Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 losing water, smell through the heater vents .... are your carpets damp especially behind front seats ? Could be heater matrix leaking :-( Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 no i checked that a month ago, and i cleaned the inside of the at the weekend.. bone dry, the smell is only when the heaters are on hot, and its just for a short period of time... Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 just a little update, i bought a block tester kit, did the test and the blue liquid stays blue, ive reap-ted the test 3 times... just to make sure.. i can let the car tick over all night and it wont overheat, or loose water, but as soon as i take it for a drive, i start loosing water through the header tank on the side where the plastic cover is... i dont know if this is supposed to happen, but the return pipe that comes into the header tank is constantly flowing water into the header tank... im going to change the water pump this weekend, i noticed the coil pack was sparking when damp, and ive took the leads of and cleaned them, some wd40 and it seems to have sorted that problem...any advice would be very helpful cheers... Link to post Share on other sites
thegoth 5 Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 what colour is the header tank cap? Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 black plastic i think Link to post Share on other sites
thegoth 5 Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 that could be your prob. black ones are renowned for failing. get a nice new blue one. Link to post Share on other sites
cabrioman 6 Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 try a new cap mate the seal mite have gone Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 its not actually coming out of the cap, its on the side of the header tank, i have a plastic cover, that i can remove and there seems to be 2 holes on the side of the tank.. Link to post Share on other sites
thegoth 5 Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 it's the cap which controls at what pressure that happens. Link to post Share on other sites
b16dev 0 Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 i see.. the cap is really stiff to get of, some times i need a pair of grips to get it of...well i ordered one of ebay, i hope it is this, as its really starting to hack me of, im still replacing the pump though Link to post Share on other sites
tododavies 1 Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 yeah i sprayed my coil pack with wd40 and it only pro-longed its death, it worked for a couple of months so i ended up getting a new one from GSF for nearly £100 brand new, all good after that. going back to the black + blue cap thing, mines black, is that bad then? are all standard ones blue? Link to post Share on other sites
thegoth 5 Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 apoxy resin can help seal the coilpacks cracks.black are older ones which have been superceeded by the blue. if you have no problems than no worries. Link to post Share on other sites
tododavies 1 Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 cool thank you. Link to post Share on other sites
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