'99 BEETLE WON'T CRANK

Asked by 99BTL Aug 30, 2012 at 01:09 PM about the 1999 Volkswagen Beetle 2 Dr GLS 1.8T Turbo Hatchback

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I OWN A 99 BEETLE WITH 1.8 TURBO. IT'S AN AUTOMATIC. ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO TWO HOSES BUSTED
CAUSING COOLANT TO GO EVERYWHERE...NOW THE CAR WON'T CRANK AT ALL. THE BATTERY HAD A
BAD CELL SO I JUST BOUGHT A NEW ONE. NOW THE INTERIOR LIGHTS WILL COME ON AND THE RADIO
READS "1000". HOWEVER, THE CAR STILL WON'T TURN OVER. AFTER I PUT COOLANT IN IT I CHECK THE
RESERVOIR A MINUTE LATER AND THE CLEAN COOLANT WAS GONE AND DARK LIQUID WAS THERE
INSTEAD. I CLOSED THE CAP AND CHECKED IT AGAIN AND NOW THE TANK IS BONE DRY. IS THIS THE
SIGN OF A BAD WATER PUMP? WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST HAPPENED, THE RED OIL LIGHT CAME ON...THE
TEMP SIGN WENT FROM BLUE TO RED...AND THE RED GENERATOR LIGHT IS STILL ON. THE TEMP LIGHT
FLASHES RED WITH A CHIME.

3 Answers

21,415

Did you see coolant on the ground anywhere when looking for the leak? Have you checked the oil for coolant?

Michael, the oil level on the stick is way over the max. Also, I described my problem to local mechanic and he suggested checking the oil too...said the motor is probably blow/dead.

21,415

That was my fear.. The 1.8t is not a very reliable engine.. My brother and I just got done swapping the one out in my sisters beetle because the oil pump stopped working and killed it. Only 78k on the engine.

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