Need some help with my mums Polo

J.B

J.B

J.B

Soldato
Joined
16 Aug 2006
Posts
5,924
Hi guys, hoping some mechanically minded person can help me with my mums radiator in her Mk3 Polo.

Basically, she was stuck in a traffic jam on the M40 last night and then her car overheated. Managed to get to her and her coolant reservoir was completely empty :eek: Anyway, topped her up and get her home. This was about 10pm last night. We managed to get it home and the temperature was still very high (think 110 on the gauge). The radiator fan wasnt spinnger.

She says that when she was stationary she looked under the bonnet because she thought she saw steam and the cooling fan was spinning then. She took the car for a drive this morning and it didnt heat up more than normal but she says the cooling fan hasn’t started spinning again. Im guessing we need to leave it sitting for a few minutes to see if the fan kicks in but assuming it isnt spinning is it likely to be:

A fuse?
The fan/motor?
The thermostat?
Something else?

Thanks for any thoughts and advice on the matter! I’m no mechanic but I have a rough knowledge of car maintenance so Im hoping its something I might be able to fix for her to save some money.
 
First thing I would do is start from the beginning.

Open the bonnet and check the coolant level is correct - Start the car from cold and leave it running..... See if the rad fan kicks in.

If it does - Then you should be ok. (However, you still need to look into why you lost all that coolant)

If the rad fan doesn't kick in:

1st simple test would be to unplug the fan switch (usually located on one side of the rad) and short out the plug (bridge a piece of wire across)

....If the fan runs - Then you can pretty much be sure it's the fan switch at fault.


This is the nice and easy version I have tried to explain... Someone who knows Mk3 Polo's in detail - Might be able to tell you a bit more... i.e. - There could be a fan control module, as is found in Golf Mk4's etc...

The other concern is... what happened to the coolant..? Could be a leaky rad or worse case, could be headgasket failure
 
Last edited:
I would be looking for leaks.

As Virdi says, best thing is to get it parked up and up to temperature, and watch what happens.
 
Cheers guys, will try disconnecting the fan switch and see if I can short it out. Shes got to go out today so will see what happens with it then.

I got her to check this morning and she said that it was at the same level it was last night so Im not sure if theres a leak or not. I did try to check but it was p-ing down with rain and dark! Looks like this is going to be a Saturday morning job!
 
J.B said:
Cheers guys, will try disconnecting the fan switch and see if I can short it out. Shes got to go out today so will see what happens with it then.

I got her to check this morning and she said that it was at the same level it was last night so Im not sure if theres a leak or not. I did try to check but it was p-ing down with rain and dark! Looks like this is going to be a Saturday morning job!
Click to expand...
A leak wont happen until there is pressure in the system.
 
There are also tools available to pressurise the system ...and then you can see where the leak is coming from.

...But if it gets to that stage - you might want to let a garage have a look at it.
 
sigma said:
When was the coolant level last checked prior to the incident?
Click to expand...

God knows, I generally leave my mum to her own devices.

I did ask her and she gave me a very sketchy 'maybe 3 months ago' but shes just been topping it up with water and not putting any coolant in there :rolleyes:

I think once I've worked out whats going on with the fan I'll flush the rad through.
 
Bug One said:
Coolant is water. :confused:
Click to expand...

water is coolant surely, otherway round like?

for what its worth theres no way to check the level in the rad in a polo, the expansion tank is at the tp of the system so by filling this it will flow south to where its needed, minus a few air bubbles in there.

fill it up and keep checking it :)
 
coolant also has a higher boiling point when its under pressue.

think its g40++ (plus plus) you'll need for it.

As said, bridge the fan switch.

And you will not need to top the radiator up either. It will take what it needs from the expansion tank when the water pump is running.
 
R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
No issue at all except metal rusts........
Click to expand...
Context?

She's topping it up with water. Not replacing the whole system.

My point was - it wont require flushing the water out to replace it with 'coolant'. Just add some anti freeze.

Also, metal doesn't rust. :p
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom