Overheating i have jusy brought a 1993 vw golf cl and its drivable. as long as the car is in motion ie air going through the radiator its fine but sitting in traffic for more than 5 minutes and it will overheat whats causes this problem

more likely a head gasket problem
have a compression test done

Check Radiator for full coolant, check for blockages of air through radiator , check for cool spots on the fins of radiator if you do you need ether a radiator or a flush or what is called a rod out (Radiator shop work) but VW's are known for there head gaskets going out if they get over hot

Has to be the fan clutch,if it runs cool moving ,the air isn't being moved at low speed. Get a fan clutch,36 mm nut ,LEFT hand threaded

Are you bleeding the air out of the cooling system, you must do that or it will get air pockets and overheat.

a car of that year should have an ecu controlling fuel air mix etc. this normally controls the timing.
To reset the ecu on my '95 VW Golf disconnect the battery (negative / black terminal) for 15-30 minutes depending on who you ask. So I do 30 minutes.
If it has central locking make sure you don't leave the keys in the car when reconnect it. swich on the ignition without starting the engine so the dash lights up with the oil light etc. for 30 seconds then off for 10 seconds. then start your car. It will relearn so it will run a bit rough for a while but should settle down. take it for a spin on different types of road ie. slow and fast.

Your most probable cause for this is because your water valve needs replacement or repairing. Not all cars have a water valve that brings the heated coolant into the heater core unit.

Essentially, the heated coolant is brought from the engine block directly, into a mini radiator that has a fan to blow heated air into your vehicles cabin.

If that valve were clogged, or the switch itself to open up the water valve that blocks the coolant from going into the heater core unit, then you wont be able to get heat from the vents.

ALSO, another reason why your car might also be overheating as well, is you need to check your coolant levels as well to make sure it is fully filled up, if it is, then your thermostat might also need replacement.

good luck with your problem.

hi is the water flowing through the engine ie radiator blocked, water pump. regards

they sold em both ways with or without! just look donw the front of the motor see if theres a power steering pump on it

check all your ground connections to the engine

Glow plugs are a lot like spark plugs and change much the same way.There not cheap so just make sure that is your problems as the controller can also fail. especially if the all went down at once.