Radiator Advise PLEASE !

Hello all. Hope im putting this question in the right place!

Well the nice weather is here(hope i dont tempt fate saying that   ) And what better to do than get my Mk1 Gti (83 spec)out of its winter hybernation. After 5 months of being garaged there was no suprise that i would encounter a few problems. The first thing i noticed was the internal mould! However that was the least of my problems.

I had to get my Dad to jump start me as the battery was flat(even though it had been disconnected). I then took the car for a spin feeling on top of the world. It was great! Drove like a dream! Sometimes i find it a shock after getting out of my Corrado VR6 and back into the MK1, but it wasnt the case this time! Loved every minute! Got him home and noticed the over heating light had come on, fan wasnt working  8O i then noticed a slight leak from bottom hose(i thought) but by this time it was too dark to investigate further.

The next morning i could see why the fan wasnt working, one of the wires going into the thermo switch had corroded and was just hanging there. So two new spade connectors later that was sorted. Battery had gone flat again(even though it had been on charge night before), as it was still under guarantee i took it back to kwik fit then that prob was sorted! My minor leak seemed to have dried up so i put it down to the fact that it had just been sat for so long that the sudden cruise had caused it, but no! After another spin round the block grinning like the cheshire cat i popped the bonnet just to check on leak. It was then i noticed the crack on the plastic bit on the side of the radiator! Its not too major so i can still drive around grinning to myself, just wont go too far! And obviously keep an eye on water levels1

Anyway i seem to have rambled on some what    My question is could anyone recommend somewhere where i could purchase a new radiator? Or is there anything i could do in the way of fixing the leak as its on the plastic part! Any advice or info would be much appreciated! Thanks. Heather

Try your FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Factor). There's no real supply problems with radiators, since they are common across other VWs and Mk2s used the same ones too. I think the fittings, etc are slightly different but the basic radiator is the same. Failing that, Euro Car Parts, GSF, etc but you might not have a branch nearby.

i got mine from gsf, but i would get it sorted asap. it if fails it will cost you a lot more cash.

Thankyou both for your advise! I'll have a look at places mentioned. There is a gsf and euro car parts in birmingham so its not too far to go. Thanks again!  

P.S Paul C "FLAPS" did make me laugh, had to look twice  

Even if your battery is disconnected, it will still lose charge over time.  Next winter, buy a trickle charger and it will keep the battery charged over the colder months when not in use.  In the long term, you battery will last longer too.

dannyboyblue said

Even if your battery is disconnected, it will still lose charge over time.  Next winter, buy a trickle charger and it will keep the battery charged over the colder months when not in use.  In the long term, you battery will last longer too.

Thanks for that i will add a trickle charger to my MK1 shopping list! This forum is great im getting a load of handy hints.  

thers a mk1 gti slimline rad on the parts for sale bit on the club gti site it looks like new ?30 p+p hope this is some help.

wiggy said

thers a mk1 gti slimline rad on the parts for sale bit on the club gti site it looks like new ?30 p+p hope this is some help.

Thanks for that! But im all sorted now. Got one from GSF for ?50. Always the way though, you find cheeper ones when you have just bought one  

Well i am very proud of myself! Got my other half to teach me how to disconnect my old radiator and strip it down, then i got him to teach me how to angle grind    So i sorted my rather rusty fan cover and radiator grip things at the top of radiator. Then i sprayed them in hamerite black smooth, so the front of my engine bay is now looking mint!! The only problem i came accross was when i went to fit the new radiator it was the wrong one  it had no bit giong into the expansion tank. So took it back and the other half fitted the 2nd new one wednesday night when i was at work. So all is good again!

However i think im going to carry on with my angle grinding and hammerite as there are other areas of my engine bay that need some TLC.  

Thanks again to you all for your handy advise!

Heather

its addictive spent my ten days off making the mk1 and mk2 look better and taking things apart itsgives me a buzz hope its not a weird thing just a bit obssesivel lol.

Definately not weird!! Im exactly the same    Always doing somthing on either my Mk1 or my Corrado. When i finish work tomorrow in going to polish/t cut the inside of my engine bay. Too tired to do it today, been at work for 24hrs. Bless the other half though he's been angle grinding and spraying up other parts of the engine bay for me. Nice suprise when i got home.