About to set this darn van on fire!

[Jimmy Oldskool]

Right....I'm almost at my wit's end with my van and was wondering if anyone had any ideas before I turn it into tinsel!!!!!!!  

The van in question is a MK2 fitted with a GTD (SB) engine and box. The engine has had the boost pin mod, Guvnor mod, has 1.9 TDI injectors and is running just over 1bar of boost.

When driving it normally, the temperature gauge sits bang in the middle, the heater's nice and hot and everything's rosy.......then I put my foot down and feed in some boost and the temperature gauge starts climbing quickly, the heater goes cold and the water pressure goes through the roof!!!! It's blown 3 pipes so far!!!!! But when I pull over and release the pressure through the cap, everything goes back to normal!!!!

It had a new waterpump and thermostat when I put the engine in about 3 months ago and all seemed fine until it blew the first hose and since then it hasn't been right! It's been a tw@t to bleed, so much so that I fitted a new radiator last week as that was in fairly poor condition, but everytime I try to bleed it, the bottom rad hose stays cold as if it's airlocked??

I finally decided to do a block test today, as I had come to the final conclusion that the extra boost had blown the Head Gasket, but that came back fine!!!!! So I am absolutely lost now!?!?!?!?!?!?

I know it's a bit long winded, but does anyone have any ideas pleeeeeeeeeeease??

Cheers

Jimmy


(profanity deleted by mod... no one is fooled by one *)

[burn_your_money]

Ha. I also wanted to set my car on fire today

It sounds like you have a bad rad cap. That would cause excessive cooling system pressure. It's strange that it only does it when you have your foot into it.

Try disconnecting your exhaust pre-cat if you have one. If not, then before any mufflers. Do you have an EGT gauge fitted? Presumably you are running the K14 that is watercooled?

It's impossible to run TDI injectors in a IDI engine. Do you mean AAZ injectors perchance? Regardless get them pop tested.

[rabbitman]

Sure sounds like your head gasket's gone south.

Almost makes me think it's leaking so much combustion gasses into the heater circuit that the heater core gets filled with air, thus killing the heater until it bleeds out.

Then causing overheating in the process.

[LoneWolf]

got a CO tester or a garage with one? get them to check for CO in the cooling system, if they find any then get a headgaskett set and the multi layered steel headgaskett from the 1.9TD in the mk3, that should be able to cope with the extra boost.

 i had the same problem with my previous engine in the Golf, steel gasketts for the MFW!

 please doesnt sets her alight

[LoneWolf]

Are you Jimmy B by any chance?

[burn_your_money]

I've found that the metal headgaskets are less forgiving of slight warpage of the head. If yours is warped at or slightly above max spec I would go with a fiber gasket.

[Jimmy Oldskool]

Are you Jimmy B by any chance?

No......I'm Jimmy O! 

[Jimmy Oldskool]

I know what you guys are saying about the HG, but the test showed it was fine, I used a Snap-On tester that has the 2 compartments that you put blue fluid into, put it into the neck of the expansion tank and if the HG's gone the fluid goes green.....It stayed blue

As for the cap, i'm gonna stick one on tomorrow, cheers for that!  I can't believe I missed that!!!! 

[veedubcanuck]

Sure sounds like your head gasket's gone south.

Almost makes me think it's leaking so much combustion gasses into the heater circuit that the heater core gets filled with air, thus killing the heater until it bleeds out.

Then causing overheating in the process.

X2 on that!

[LoneWolf]

Are you Jimmy B by any chance?

No......I'm Jimmy O! 

that a yes then lol?