Loosing Coolant heater very hot, smoky on start

Ewan

Ewan

Member
Good Morning
I have my 1.4tdi 2004 75
This week the cabin was only blowing hot air, I tried going max to min to loosen the flaps but it did not work.
Then the coolant warning came on, the water was low ( first time ) I topped it up, after two days it was low again, temperature gauge has been lower than normal for about two weeks also.
Lastly it smokes like mad when starting in morning but after it is fine.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, love the car and would like to keep it going it has covered 151K

Thanks Ewan
 
Any signs off coolant escape around the expansion tank. Could be the cap needs replacing. If that is OK, then you need to have the coolant sytem pressure checked for external and internal leaks e.g hoses, radiator, heater matrix, temp sensor, level sensor, water pump etc. Lastly have a sniff test done to see if the head gasket is leaking.
The smoky start can also be an indicator of head gasket failure or crack in the block or head.
 
Hi thanks for the reply, the cap seems good, I have a bad feeling about the head gasket though! I cannot see any sign of a leak, the cabin heater even on low is blowing really hot air which along with the temperature gauge being lower than normal does not bod well.
 
audifan said:
The smoky start can also be an indicator of head gasket failure or crack in the block or head.
Click to expand...

Or failed or wrong glow plugs. A pressure test as audifan suggested would be my priority.

You should also check for oil in coolant (dirty oily look) or coolant in oil (emulsion under filler cap, I think it comes off easy). If you find either add the oil cooler to you list of possible fail points.

Not getting up to temperature could be the thermostat. Don’t assume the worst. You could have several simple problems giving the impression of a big problem.
 
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Check coolant expansion tank, if there are dark particles inside, it could most likely be head gasket.
 
OR possibly the expansion tank cap, mine had broken off on the inside and was leaking, replaced cap no more coolant loss.
 
I will replace the glow plugs as I feel they are the culprit for the smoky start, it’s been doing that for over a year now

I will endeavour to fix the issues

thanks for all the info guys
 
Hi Ami, was it winter when you changed the glow plugs. In warmer weather I'm surprised they would make a difference to smoke on start-up.
If the smoke is acrid and white-ish, that is a sign of fuel vapourising due to incomplete combustion

Cheers Spike
 
Hi Spike:
Yes it was very cold, the car would produce white smoke for a few minutes, then was ok, as soon as I changed the glow plugs, smoking stopped.
you are correct, the fuel was not getting burnt on start up, when I measured the resistance on the glow plugs, 2 off them were open circuit.
Regards,
Ami
 
Your symptoms seem rather strange as normally I would expect the engine to over heat in order to lose coolant. A sign of head gasket failure is the heater only blows cold/cool air.
I feel a "sniff" test of the cooling system would be the best place to start that way head gasket failure should be determined either way.
Failing that a new thermostat and coolant temp sensor would make sure the basics are correct
 
Ewan said:
Hi thanks for the reply, the cap seems good, I have a bad feeling about the head gasket though! I cannot see any sign of a leak, the cabin heater even on low is blowing really hot air which along with the temperature gauge being lower than normal does not bod well.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a stuck flap. Coolant flows through the matrix constantly so it being hot is good. The flap that stops the heat getting to the cabin isn’t closing.
Check the metal pipe across the front of the engine for a leak. They rust and weep before they go pop. Check under the wiring for damp rust.
 
I have found the top hose from the expansion tank has come loose, I hope that it is one of the issues! I tried to reconnect it but it came out again, my hands are too big to get into small spaces.
Temperature is just getting to 60 instead of 90.
I am going to try to reconnect today
I did not see any blackness in the expansion tank.
Thanks for all the advice
 
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