Coollant temp

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

At 80F ambient going 70 mph with small hills, the temp gauge needle hlovers between the 3/4 to full mark. Is that normal for the Eco Diesel? Not knowing the gauge calibration, I put a thrmocouple on the coolant hose coming of the 4 port plastic flange and it was around 200F doing 70 mph.  I feel that's a bit on the warn siide. What I'm afraid of is when the ambient is at 90 F or higher the engine will overheat.

I am loosing coolant out of the 4 port flange. Looks like its coming from one of the flange bolt. When I open the expansion cap as slow as I can (in an attempt to release the pressure), it pops and sprays coolant all over. Is that abnormal?
Engine also has a rough idle and feel like it misses  on one cyl in all driving condition. Compression is  450, 475, 400, 450. IP is leaking from the area of the distributor head. Could a leaky pump cause the miss? I also see some wetness which looks like oil but could be fuel at the head gasket between cyl 2&3.

[79rabbit4dr]

don't take my word for fact but I think a leaky IP introduces air into the system and that CAN cause the "missing" you're describing.

I have no idea about the coolant issues, i'm working on fixing my own problems in that regard.

wetness between #2 & 3, again just from what i've read on here, could be the coolant inlet juts above that, apparently it drips when warm and under load then dries up from the heat but leaves that nice puddle on the gasket right there between #2 & 3.

good luck, more knowledgeable people will chime in i'm sure.

[maxfax]

WHat temp rating thermostat do you have? My N/A Rabbit with a 195 deg F thermostat generally runs about 200 deg according to the aftermarket gauge taking a reading from the upper radiator hose....   On a very hot day up a mountain it may spike to 205 - 210 but will never go any higher and drop immediatly when I go down the other side of the mountain..  The factory gauge in the dash will be at about halfway to a tad above at 210F..Several thermostats, new water pump, and a radiator and it still is the same.. You could alwas opt for a cooler (180 def F) thermostat... 

AS far as your coolant leak, I would start with replacing the gasket (o-ring I think) on the coolant flange...   A little RTV to help it seal never hurts...


As far as your miss, get the fuel leak fixed first and foremost.. Like 79rabbit4dr mentioned, it could be introducing air into the system..  There is an oil return port between cyls 2 & 3.. It is possible the head gasket could be seeping some oil there although I would thorougly inspect your injector return lines first..  Something else that coudl cause a miss is a bad injector..  How many miles do you have, and have they ever been rebuilt/replaced???

[Golf/Jetta]

oil cooler

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

oil cooler

Huh?  Please explain.

I replaced the coolant flange that's between #3 & 4 glow plugs this evening. The old flange had a hairline crack in the bolt holes. Now that the flange is not leaking anymore, the dampness that I saw previously on head gasket between cyl 2 & 3 has now turned into a 2 drops per sec. leak I can see dripping on the ground. I'm getting really sick of how many things are wrong with this car! I have spent so much time and money already and I'm not even close to being done. What is this car worth anyway in good mechanical shape? I think I paid too much for it. 

ps, besides having a lot of electrical problems which I've fixed most of them. I also have:

1. leaky injector pump ($250 to reseal, $600 to rebuild)
2. Power steering in-op, probably need a new pump? $140
3. Turbo is leaking oil. How much is this to fix?

What's the chance the head is bad? Should I get it pressure tested when it's out or just inspect by eye, check flatness and put on a new head gasket?

Anyway, how big a job is the head gasket in terms of # of hours and parts cost? Should I try to re-torque the head or is that a waste of time or can it make the leak worse? Could a leaky head gasket be the cause  of the miss?