Cause of Beetle overheating?

The temp light came on in my 2001 Beetle 1.8T after only driving for about 10 minutes. I had the air on and it stopped blowing cold when this happened. When I stopped to check it, the overflow bulb didn't appear to be boiling or venting. After my car sat for about 2 hours, the air was working fine but then the temp light came on again and lost the air again. When I got home I noticed the colent level was a little low so I added some thinking this was the whole problem. But then the temp light came on again after only 5 minutes of driving. When I got home, the overflow bulb WAS boiling over with coolent dripping out from under car. What could be causing this? A broken belt?

Reply to
Mike Wolf
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I suspect the A/C may be cutting out because the car is sensing overheating.

You say you noticed the coolant level was low. How did you determine this. Were you looking at the overflow tank. The real potential problem is if it is low in the radiator. That you can't see easily. You car should have two electric fans on the radiator. One turns on when the temperatures of the water in the radiator gets above a set temperature and the other turns on anytime you have the A/C on. Do you know if one of those fans are running when the car is hot and the A/C off? Does a fan come on when you turn on the A/C?

I am sorry but there is a whole list of possible problems. Here are a few off the top of my head:

Head gasket failure Cooling fan failure A/C fan failure Thermostat failure Clogged radiator Defective radiator hose(s) Low coolant. Engine or other mechanical problems causing the engine to work too hard. Blocked air flow to the radiator

Most of these don't take long to check, but the problem is there are so many of them. Any good mechanic can eliminate most of them in just a couple of minutes. I suggest you take it to a local INDEPENDENT mechanic. It is not easy to provide the kind of help you likely will need on-line. You also could try buying a repair manual for your car and it should have some testing procedures listed for the easier stuff.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

I noticed that the fan that sometimes keeps running after the car is shut off when it is hot, was not running when my car was shut off even though it was overheating. Until lastnight's overflow of my coolant, I have never noticed any leaking. There has not been any drips in my garage. I'll be bringing it in to either the dealer or a mechanic today, just wanted a heads up as to possible causes.

Reply to
Mike Wolf

That does sound like the temperature sensor that turns on the fan is malfunctioning.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

if the fuses are ok on top of the battery, especially the green 30amp ones, then replace the waterpump.

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Lost In Space/Woodchuck

Reply to
none2u

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