marty16610

could be a slipping drive belt , tensioner pulley, water pump bearing etc. hard to tell without hearing it, sorry. Regards Marty

Mine were like that when i got my gal (hated driving it in the rain). I adjusted them on the splines so the drivers one is on top. Much better now. Regards Marty

bigdaddy. I think you were right, now i have refitted the rear lights they sit closer to the bodywork and flush with the tailgate edge. kimbo. Spot on m8. The water was running down the offside and through the grooves under the seat mountings. Thanks to everyone for their help, have to see what happens next time it rains. Regards Marty :)

Hi m8. Its definately rain water i would know if its screen wash fluid (strong mix in my car) Both rear light units showed signs of water leakage (offside worse). Thanks for reply.

Hi m8. Has the thermostat been refitted after the water pump was replaced? Its not unusual for it to be left out or incorrectly fitted.

Hi all, back after a spell of trouble free motoring. While cleaning out the car today i found the centre carpet soaking wet by the offside rear door. After checking all the obvious things :- door seal,window seals,door closure etc i traced it back to the rear light area. Ive removed both rear lights and resealed them with silicone sealer and dried out as much as possible. Has anyone come across this and is there anywhere else the water can be getting in from?. It looked like water had been getting past the light sealing gaskets and dripping into the areas behind the access panels in the boot then running under the carpet to the middle of the car. Regards Marty

Hi m8. Its held in by a metal spring clip and just pulls out but it might be tight. Gently wiggle and twist until it releases. Be careful as the housing is plastic and easily cracked if you are too rough. The first time i changed mine i didnt drain any water out and if you are quick you only loose a little otherwise drain off a couple of litres till just below the sensor. Regards Marty

As stated above, get a stat from the dealer. I had loads of grief with 3rd party stats, their not worth saving a few

Mine is exactly the same 99/T reg,ABS. New pads and discs all round, fluid changed and pedal still sinks to the floor. When engine off the pedal feels firm and doesnt sink down. Flew through the MOT brake test yesterday so im not worried now. :unsure:

Well after all the aggro i have been through it seems it was a duff stat to blame. Since fitting the genuine VW stat i have had no probs at all, the temp gauge sits between "N & O", bottom hose and rad feel warm when they should be and heater works great. MANY THANKS to all for the brill advice. My advise--- AVOID 3rd PARTY THERMOSTATS "Jobs a good un" Regards Marty :huh: <_<

Hi. After having my gearbox stripped to remove a selector bolt (see "No Gears") i have discovered there is oil leaking from around the casing joint. I have spoken to the owner of the garage that did the work (not dealer) and he said it is a dry joint. Ive looked on my TIS and ELSAWIN discs and both show sealer being applied to the joint before it is reassembled. Obviously they have made a mistake but how can i get them to sort it. They charged me

Steveenduro--- Hi m8. Its easier to get at if you disconnect the breather pipe that runs from the rocker cover to engine block. On mine there is a plastic valve in the pipe near the sensor, if you disconnect the bottom of the valve/pipe joint u can move it out of the way to get at the sensor. Drain a bit of water out to below sensor level, remove securing clip and gently pull/twist the sensor out. Be careful as the outlet connection is plastic. Hope this helps, good luck. Regards Marty

Seen em on eBay for about

HI FOLKS I'm back. As you know I've had a lot of probs with the stat and cold bottom hose. I took the stat out a few weeks ago and been running without it with no trouble (apart from the family freezing with no heater). Well i refitted it today, chose the coldest day to do it mind, bought one from local VW dealer coz it is half the price of a ford one-same part i expect, fitted it and new coolant temp sensor as well. Went for a test drive but got stuck in all the post xmas sales traffic so ended up crawling around for miles till i got the hump and went home. No sign of overheating and the heater works great. Hopefully it is sorted now i will let you know how it goes. HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL :D Regards, Marty

I did this for a neighbour a little while ago. His cable snapped at the release handle end. I managed to remove the two bolts that hold the lock on, one from underneath (reach up behind the rad with a spanner) the other through a small hole i made in the grill (socket and extension bar). The bolts go in from opposite sides and the inside one is a bit fiddly to get to but possible

Just for reference. I'm running without a stat fitted at the moment and temp gauge barely gets out of the first white section. The only time the gauge goes higher is when the booster heater is running. After a good run the rad does feel warm NOT hot. The maximum gauge reading i get is 1/4 over even then the heaters blow cold.Hope this useless info is of help to someone-maybe ;)

Hi m8 sounds like your thermostat is stuck open. Ive just had to take mine out because it wouldn't open and since removing it i have no heaters at all. Before i took it out the heaters were blowing lovely and hot, now not even lukewarm

My seat was folded down at the time. It could be because the seat frame is twisted where one side isn't locked in. Glad to help.

I had this prob, try relieving the pressure on the hinge that is not locked in and pulling red strap other hinge should release.

seatkid---The stat will only fit one way round (long end first) if you put it in the other way the cover wont fit. Ford stat-

soptom--- I have only taken the stat out as a short term measure, when i refit another one it will be a genuine dealer one ONLY no more messing around with 3rd party ones. Not worth the aggro for saving a few

Right. Ive taken the stat out and been for a short run. It takes ages for the gauge to move, but i was expecting that. The bottom hose and rad are both warm so water is circulating OK. I'm going to test the stat when missus has finished with the cooker and will let you know if its naffed or not. Cheers. :unsure:

Hi It hasnt actually overheated but it does run very hot,temp gauge on the red side of "M" with the heater switched off. With them on it sits a bit lower. My worry is that running at that temp for a long time will do the head gasket or something else or it will keep getting hotter and hotter.

Question for you all. If you check "cold hose & update" you will see how much aggro I've had lately. I'm going on a long run in 2 weeks time and i want to know-- "Will i do any harm by taking the thermostat out and running without one in for a while?".

Thanks seatkid- I didnt think of the glowplugs, it starts first time and runs fine from the off but it will be worth checking them for piece of mind.