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Sun Jan 27, 2008 2:54 pm

Hm. 1981 pickup with an '85 jetta(?) diesel engine installed years ago.. In the middle of a cross country slog I am stranded in Summit County Colorado with tons of pressure blowing out through my coolant line. When it runs, coolant steams and "boils" directly out the overflow tank cap, which is screwed on tightly. This is just like what it was doing before I got the head machined and a new head gasket 1500 miles ago in PA as a result of having blown out an old coolant hose on the highway. The mechanic who did that job seemed very confidant and it ran well for a few very long days all the way until it got up into the mountains west of Denver. at first it had no power and was bucking when accelerating as if the timing was off. 4th gear become virtually useless except for on the downhill. (the mechanics here are quick to blame the altitude but am I right that diesels are not so prone to altitude issues because of the fuel/air intake? Anyway, replaced the fuel filter and put in some diesel 911, it seemed to run OK although i think there is likely more to it than that, injectors maybe? I am eager to find someone who can make the right fixes so i don't get stranded again, know of anyone in the Summit County/Vail Pass/Breckenridge area, in Dillon or Silverthorne?) The following day it is not starting so my friends give me a push to roll start it, which was unsuccessful. So I got a jump and she's idling well while we get ready to get back on the highway and there appears a huge puddle of coolant on the driveway, the overflow tank nearly empty, steaming out of the cap. Is a blown head/gasket the only thing which causes this to happen? Could it be blamed on roll starting in the cold? Is it hard to blame the mechanic in PA when it drove perfectly all the way to the rockies? Should I expect him to honor any guarantee on the work when I've come this far on it?
In PA I was reassured that it was the old blown coolant line that was the cause and not something more primary which caused the coolant hose to blow up, but now I wonder if they were wrong and that is why this has happened again or is there a chance its my fault for trying to pop the clutch?
I don't want to deal with this problem again, and i'm interested in having more power in this truck anyway, mpg's have been piss poor too around only 26-30. should I look for a rebuilt engine or should I forfeit the money I've put into it and just try to buy a newer vehicle? I'm sure this truck is still pretty much worthless despite a lot of time and effort to get it this far. how can I cut my losses at this point? any ideas are a huge help, many thanks.

Sun Jan 27, 2008 3:54 pm

Sounds like a head gasket or maybe a cracked head?? Can you tell where the coolant is coming from?
A Rabbit PU is definitely not worthless with a bad engine, they do sell for a good bit of $$$ if the body is decent.
Hope you can find someone out there who can help you out.

Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:12 am

iread the title too quick, thought it said daddy is dying. i was thinking Bummer.....

Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:19 pm

You might want to go over to The VWVortex or TDIclub forum especially. If it broke in a VW diesel, someone over there knows what to look for and you can probably find a fellow oil burner in the area to lend a hand. The Deisel guys hang even tighter than the air cooled crowd.

Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:00 pm

Does this only happen when its hot or always when its running, hot or cold. If it only happens when its hot the thermostat has probably failed in the closed position, not letting the coolant flow to the rad. Also, does the cooling fan work? Fuse?

Just suggestions... 8) :)

Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:41 pm

hey, thanks for the feedback here guys..
heres the situation update:
I had little option but to leave it with a mechanic.. bummer. but, what he says is that the problem is actually a leak in the radiator and i need to find a new one.. it's in the mail. from:
"http://www.1aauto.com/1A/Radiators/Volkswagen/Jetta/1ARAD00351/283567"
from what i understand it should fit in the '81 rabbit pickup and work well with the 85 jetta engine thats in there...
Apparently the truck was running well at the mechanic and he saw no problem of pressure blowback in the coolant line.. perhaps what i saw before the truck went to the shop was just a hot engine due to coolant loss from the radiator creating a lot of pressure in the coolant line (?).. does that sound realistic? I saw coolant spraying out from under the cap on the overflow jug and assumed because it looked just like what happened three weeks ago when the head gasket blew that it was happening again. I would be psyched to not have to go through that again.
meanwhile the diesel engine is having a bitch of a time up here at 10,000' and takes a ton of extra juice to crank over. I bought a heavy duty emergency battery jumper, probably will replace the battery if i need to in lower and warmer places. Also arriving in town the truck was getting terrible gas mileage and had notably less power. I put in a new fuel filter... think I'm gonna have the injectors checked out when i get to oregon.. with luck I'll get there.