Help 1.8 GTi Rivage Boiling over at the header tank.

Hi   New member as of today, can you help?
Towards the end of last year I bought my Rivage ( Bought off eBay!! )which when warm was pinking really really badly under load. Left it over the winter, started it today and drove to the garage about 3 miles away to have the timing checked. While there as the car was ticking over and the over flow tank started to boil and over flow. The radiator seamed cold and the top hoses felt really solid. Not sure if the pinking & over heating are connected of if it is just a thermostat or water pump failure.  Thanks.

Yeah if the hoses and rad are cold, sounds like a faulty thermostat. If the rad's hot and it boils over, check the fan is kicking in. Its a fairly simply electrical circuit which makes it happen, but the connectors often corrode etc.

Nb said

…..the over flow tank started to boil and over flow..

..might also be worth getting a new cap for the overflow / header tank….????

If the coolant was changed recently it could simply be an air pocket. It's a bugger to refill as the rad has no cap, might be worth checking if the bottom rad hose is getting hot.

Tian