VW Golf Mk 4 GT TDI 2002 - VW Golf Coolant loss Issue

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Mon 7 Sep 2015 15:16
VW Golf Mk 4 GT TDI 2002 - VW Golf Coolant loss Issue - jimmy2015

Any advise/ thoughts welcome...

My golf loses all coolant on long motorway trips every approx 100 miles. This does not happen on short journeys around home and only on longer trips when the engine has fully warmed up to usual 90 degree temperature for an hour or so... I have been topping it up every time but a permanent solution would be good.

I have had a look at the coolant tank and it looks like the coolant is coming out of the overflow.

What could be causing this?

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Tue 8 Sep 2015 00:10
VW Golf Mk 4 GT TDI 2002 - VW Golf Coolant loss Issue - Peter.N.

If there are no obvious leaks the coolant is probably being blown out of the overflow by excessive pressure due to a failed head gasket.

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Tue 8 Sep 2015 15:08
VW Golf Mk 4 GT TDI 2002 - VW Golf Coolant loss Issue - chris.o
Agree head gasket could be a cause.
Have you tried another bottle cap? An easy try.
Golfs can suffer from water pump failure, they can be fitted with a plastic impeller on the pump which can become disconnected from its drive. This usually results in a engine overheat rather than excessive coolant pressure.
Thermostat faulty, again I would expect overheat rather than over pressure.
I have seen some of these engines suffer from cylinder head corrosion around the water ways in the head (unfortunately can't be seen till the heads off). This would give you the symptoms you describe.
These engines are relatively expensive to remove/replace cylinder head. VW use stretch bolts in many locations on/around the head. They should be replaced if disturbed. So it's a additional cost.
Do you add antifreeze when you top up? Is the coolant a nice bright colour?

Chris.
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