Idi need thermostat

Technical questions and answers concerning all models of VW diesel vehicles.

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Bpcaddy
Glow Plug
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:13 am

Idi need thermostat

Post by Bpcaddy »

1.6 eco turbo

My engine temperature gauge gets hot. All the waay.


And i loose coolant. But i think it. Evaporates out.


My question is can i take thermostat out and leave it out?

Should i use head gasket in a bottle?
sgnimj96
Turbo Charger
Posts: 259
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 2:08 pm

Re: Idi need thermostat

Post by sgnimj96 »

no one will recommend head gasket in a bottle.

Your thermostat my be sticking closed, but you'll have to replace it - not good to run without a themostat because it blocks the bypass, so without it you won't get good flow to the radiator.

Is the radiator cooling fan coming on at the right temperature?


There are some tests to tell if the head gasket is leaking... search
81' Scirocco 1.6D (conversion)
86 Golf 1.6D
85' 300TD
TylerDurden
Turbo Charger
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Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:01 pm
Location: Michigami, USA

Re: Idi need thermostat

Post by TylerDurden »

I will occasionally recommend Bar's Leaks fancy Head Gasket Repair (~$30/bottle).

But not for a car I like, or a car I plan to keep.

I put a head gasket on my 1.6 Eco-Turbo when it was overheating... it was worth the effort.
Have a nice day.


'91 Jetta ECOdiesel TD - clean & complete (less motor/tranny) for sale

'82 Westy Vanagon 1.9 N/A - 23.5mpg
'86 Jetta TD - 45-50mpg
'81 Dasher Wagon 1.6 N/A - 52mpg
'84 Wasserboxer - DOA, parts donor
'94 Passat wagon VR6
'03 Jetta TDI wagon 230K, 52.3mpg
'89 Jetta N/A - 51mpg
'82 Caddy 1.6 N/A - Sold
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
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Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Re: Idi need thermostat

Post by Fatmobile »

How's the coolant flow into the resevoir?
Steady?
Blocked?
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
greg lousy
Turbo Charger
Posts: 230
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:22 am
Location: Rhode Island

Re: Idi need thermostat

Post by greg lousy »

Bentley test is to pull t stat and put it in hot water with a candy thermometer and see if it expands at least 7mm at running temp

Shouldnt overheat even without fan except for prolonged idling or very hot weather or a big hill or something.
Will loan head gasket leak tester, just pay shipping. PM if interested. May need to buy fluid for it. Dont know if i have any. They have it at napa
Various vehicles in various states
vwtyp133
Turbo Charger
Posts: 532
Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2002 9:03 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: Idi need thermostat

Post by vwtyp133 »

Sounds picky, I know, but... I'd advise buying/installing a good German-brand thermostat. Wahl is a good brand & there are others usually available, likely from the owner of this website. (Out of experience as a former distributor/wholesaler, I would seriously advise against buying the domestic brand S***T or its private-labelled clones; have tested & found way too many total failures in their NEW-right-out-of-the-box units! :x ) As mentioned above, test ANY (new or used) thermostat before installing.

Also, chemically flush/clean flush/neutralize your entire cooling system, including the heater core. A previous owner/technician may not have cleaned it thoroughly in the course of replacing a head gasket. Oil deposits or other contaminants on engine or radiator metal negatively impact the transfer of heat away from the engine, into the radiator's metal & into the cooling airstream.

Don't use a higher percentage of ethylene glycol 'anti-freeze' than you require for your climate's driving conditions. Ethylene glycol has only about half the heat transfer ability of pure water. A Redline product called "Water Wetter" also seems to increase the heat transfer process; it also has anti-corrosive properties.
J.R.
SoCal
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