For a 1995 Cabrio. What's the best procedure to diagnose overheating.
Asked by Pauld22 Jan 12, 2013 at 01:23 PM about the 1995 Volkswagen Cabrio 2 Dr STD Convertible
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Smoke was blowing in through interior vents. A mechanic bypassed the heater and said it could be the thermostat,
the water pump or a blown head gasket . Any comments or suggestions would help
5 Answers
I can't add anything to what the mechanic said..he's right. He was also right to bypass the heater core ...steam coming in from vents indicates a leaky core. Are there any puddles of fluid under the car? But a blown head gasket will be diagnosed by coolant getting in to the crankcase, turning the oil a brown color and overfull, or the other way around, oil getting in to the cooling system, among other ways but those two are the most likely indicators
Hopefully it's the thermostat, that's the least expensive fix
In addition, a bad head gasket will sometimes show bubbles rising in the coolant reservoir.
Thank you! I appreciate the comments. I'll keep them in mind as I'm getting the mechanics diagnosis. Always best to be as informed as we can. Thanks again. The hard part always is finding a competent and trustworthy mechanic.
did you ever find out what was wrong with it? I'm in the same situation, my thermostat, water pump are new and it's still overheating, i honestly don't think mines a blown head gasket cause i can drive up to 10miles before it overheat's. My heater core was bypassed as well so i'm at a lost
