300 TDi Auto Overheating

Hi All,

Just acquired a 300 Tdi Auto Jap Spec which i am currently trying to get back on the road. I am not the best at all this mechanical stuff and require a bit of help.

Coolant has just been changed at a garage but i think he may have bollox'ed it up. Engine is now over heating and the heater is freezing.

I removed the expansion tank cap with the enginerunning and heaters on full to remove some pressure and hopefully lower the temp which it has done and now the temp level stays at half way, heter still freezing so i presume there is air in the system??

Wht should i do now to get heaters working? Does the system need bleeding completely, if so how would i do this.

Sorry for asking the most basic of questions but i am just learning!

Sounds like it's been filled up too quick and air locked.

Take it back to the garage and give em a rollicking.
You can bleed it your self, but to be honest I'd let the garage know how p***d I was.

and hint that any consequencial loss will be down to them as well .

To be fair to them i cannot really do that.

I work there and it was just a freeby and its 30 miles away to work so i might as well just sort myself, i have got to learn sometime #

I have searched the forum but no threads specific to my problem.

reet - so you work there and now you realise that they do shoddy crap work and leave you at risk of HGF and you think thats acceptable?
If they do that to you, Lord help the customers!
Any garage that is half decent will have a vacuum fill facility - ask em, if not then park it nose up, filler cap off, run the injun and keep topping it up - not as good, but it might work

DRAPER COOLANT VACUUM REFILL KIT on eBay (end time 09-Mar-11 15:50:54 GMT)

Dave Herron said:

To be fair to them i cannot really do that.

I work there and it was just a freeby and its 30 miles away to work so i might as well just sort myself, i have got to learn sometime #

I have searched the forum but no threads specific to my problem.

Click to expand...

In that case have a look in your manual for the location of the top hose and or bleed screw.

Make sure you have a couple of litres mixed up antifreeze.

undo your bleed screw taking note how many rotations you make for it to either start bubbling or fluid to come out.

I suspect it will hiss and bubble first. systematically and gently starting from the top hose squeeze the pipes.

Make sure your coolant expantion tank does not empty. but dont fill over max mark

Once all the air has stopped coming out and fluid only is coming from the bleed screw, do it back up same number of turns as you undid it.

NB it is important not to overtighten the bleed screw, hence noting how many turns to open it up enought to let air out

Then run the engine to let it warm, and only warm not get hot.

Carefully open the bleed screw again, if no air comes out you've sorted it. If air still escapes run through the bleeding operation again.

The Mad Hat Man said:

reet - so you work there and now you realise that they do shoddy crap work and leave you at risk of HGF and you think thats acceptable?
If they do that to you, Lord help the customers!
Any garage that is half decent will have a vacuum fill facility - ask em, if not then park it nose up, filler cap off, run the injun and keep topping it up - not as good, but it might work

Click to expand...

Good point

One of the reasons why I don't trust any garage unless they cean prove they know more than I do..........................................

On reflection thats not much though

Dave Herron said:

To be fair to them i cannot really do that.

I work there and it was just a freeby and its 30 miles away to work so i might as well just sort myself, i have got to learn sometime #

I have searched the forum but no threads specific to my problem.

Click to expand...

Dare I ask what you do there?

Thanks B D

Finance Manager mate,

2nd year Trainee did me a favour but to be fair to him he is a very good and competant technician infact he change the head on another 300 tdi last month with no problems. It was a rushed job on his 15 minute break, nothing has broke, car not busted just one of them things. Lesson learnt is you cannot do a rush job and when you have finished, check work and check again.

Dave Herron said:

Finance Manager mate,



2nd year Trainee did me a favour but to be fair to him he is a very good and competant technician infact he change the head on another 300 tdi last month with no problems. It was a rushed job on his 15 minute break, nothing has broke, car not busted just one of them things. Lesson learnt is you cannot do a rush job and when you have finished, check work and check again.

Click to expand...

Good and competant ..................... He needs to learn you cant rush a job too.

Would you file a report on management accounts in a 15 minute break without having checked it.
Cos if you would I venture to suggest you wont be a finance manager for long.

be wary - if you have those plastic bleed plugs - they are prone to breaking - best to replace them with brass ones.

The Mad Hat Man said:

be wary - if you have those plastic bleed plugs - they are prone to breaking - best to replace them with brass ones.

Click to expand...

Still gotta be carefull not to strip the thread out of the ole tho

Bromsgrove Defender said:

Still gotta be carefull not to strip the thread out of the ole tho

Click to expand...

Use coppaslip .

The Mad Hat Man said:

Use coppaslip .

Click to expand...

Good call