92 Corrado SLC cooling problem

Boy do I have the answer for you guys..... Here it is!!! I went through all of the head gasket steps it wasn't blown. I check all of my coolent lines no leaks.. So it is one more thing that no one has checked, it was a twenty dollar part...Guess...... Coolant over flow cap!!! it cost me 21.50 the system just wasn't hold any pressure and as I was driving the coolant would flow out on to the street slowly and I would have to add coolant once or twice a week not anymore cheap fix for a sleepless problem.. The inside of the cap there is a pressure valve with a O ring it should move freely and not stick in place if so replace....

check the footwell for damp. vw corrado's main problem is the heater matrix. you can buy one on ebay for about £15 ($30). dash has to come out but not a big job. undo all bolts you can see plus two in the engine bay under the wipers. one minute will change the matrix and put it all together again

Take a look at your oil filler cap! Pull the cap off and if you see
white or brownish white froth on the cap, more than likely its a blown
head gasket. If you don't see the white froth then you have to look
elsewhere. Just to make sure you have no leaks, I suggest you let your
car idle for 15 minutes and during that time see if any coolant is on
the ground. If not turn the car off and wait a few minutes then check
for any leaks again.

Nick Oettinger Rules!!

First check to see if there is a puddle under your car! Perhaps you've
got a bad hose connection someplace and iti's leaking out. Sometimes you
need to run the engine for quite a while so that the system heats up and
pressurizes before the leak will appear. My VR6 Corrado leaks at the
three temp sensor connection on the driver side front corner of the
engine (these 3 sensors are located under a plastic cover to prevent hot
air from the rad from affecting the coolant temp readings when the rad
fan comes on). The sensors have little rubber o-rings and metal clips
that hold them in place...I'll be replacing them soon. This leak is
tricky, starting and stopping randomly. It's not as severe as the one
you have...never drains the coolant completely out of the tank.

BTW, it you do have to take it in, try a reputable independant shop
(ideally a VW specialty place) rather than the dealer (unless this is a
warranty thing). You will get a much better diagnosis and a lower bill!
Most coolant leaks are minor repairs (ie. tightening hoses/replacing
hoses or clamps). A leaking head gasket will result in coolant in the
oil (check dipstick and filler cap for a milk-chocolate coloured oil).
Have the system pressure checked with a flourescent dye added to find
the leak point.

Mike.
*** Disclaimer: These are the opinions of the poster not Amgen Inc

Before FREAKING OUT and assuming the worst, start looking for the
obvious: Bad water pump (dripping under it) or a bad seal at the water
pump housing, radiator picked up a rock?, coolant hose not sealing at an
end or cracked right in the middle. Also, better to not wait until the
light comes on before refilling your coolant, as too much of this and you
*will* need a new engine...

Andy






>

Whether it's VWs, "The Far Side", Macintoshes or Howard Stern, there are
many things you either get or don't get. You did said your wife "really
liked the Golf". Maybe she gets it - it IS after all, her car, n'est ce
pas? Besides, you still have 2 Japanese cars to drive, so let her have
her fun.

You now have one more thing to whine about.

VW cars are for DRIVING, all others are just objects to commute!!

ODL.

Turns out my Electrical Water Pump had went bad and was leaking...Dealer
replaced it under warranty and the Corrado runs as cool as a cucumber now.

Later
Michael
1992 VW Corrado SLC (VR6)

Have you tried leaving the cap off and starting the car then turn the
defroster on heat and the highest setting. This should remove all the
air pockets in the system as it circulates the water through the heater
core.

-- Alden

'90 Pearl Green Metallic| C:\ONGRTLNS.W95 | VWs owned:
Corrado G60 w/black | Windows '95 = Mac '84 | '90 Corrado G60
leather, ABS, P-Chip and| Pentium or PowerPC? | '84 Quantum GL5
Autotech exst;CCA Member| DO THE MATH! I don't expect you to understand,
http://www.hooked.net/~acates/mycar/myca... it's a Volkswagen thing!

Are there any drips under the car? This is a classic water pump seal
failure symptom- coolant loss. If you have a blown head, there will be
very significant bubbling, and when you start the car on a cold morning,
you will make a fog bank. I am not talking a little fog out of the tail
pipe- I am talking big billows of white fog. Also, this car is now at
least five years old- might not be a bad time to simply replace ALL the
coolant hoses (never replace them piecemeal).

Good luck!

-Chris