Cooling the engine

Air-cooled engines are lighter as  there are fewer parts, and they have lower production cost.

In the past, Volkswagen was well known for producing cars with air-cooled engines, but as emission laws became more stringent, production of air-cooled engines started to dwindle.

The main problem for water-cooled engines is when there is not enough water in the cooling system. This will lead to engine overheating and in some cases the engine might come to a stall altogether.

Once this happens, you are certain that there will be considerable damage. In many cases the mechanic would suggest that the whole engine be replaced.

So, in order to prevent that from happening, the driver must check the water level at least once a week, both in the reservoir and the radiator. Also remember to check the water level only when the engine is cold.

The radiator cap in every vehicle is a safety-type. In order to open it you need to first push it down, and then turn. But the correct way is to just turn the cap without pressing.

Once the cap won’t turn further, and there is no pressure, boiling water or steam escaping from the radiator, then push down the cap to turn the cap further and remove it.

The reason I advise you to take the two-step approach to opening the radiator cap is because if there is any excess heat or pressure left in the radiator, it will escape once you turn the cap in step 1. But it would be directed downwards as the cap would still remain on the radiator, and the person is safe.

If you notice that the water level is lower than normal in the reservoir but the level in the radiator is normal, the radiator cap may not be working properly and is unable to withstand the designated pressure by the manufacturer. Juts replace the cap and I strongly recommend that you purchase a genuine one. Make sure that the numbers on the new cap must correspond to the old one because they stand for the ability to withstand pressure, and it is different from vehicle model to model.

However, if the water in both the reservoir and radiator are lower than usual, after filling in about 200cc of water every week, quickly go to the garage and find out the reason.

If you want to carry out the inspection on your own first, then start with looking for leaks around the radiator, joints for rubber hoses (both upper and lower), water pump, water plug next to the engine. This plug is the hardest to find since they are located deep inside, and may require specialists.

If you checked and found no leaks, then remove the engine oil measuring stick after you have just shut down the engine. Notice whether the colour of the oil on the stick has turned brown, like coffee with cream, or not. Sometime there might be whitish fluid similar to milk in the engine oil. This means that the coolant has been sucked into the engine and is mixed with the oil.

Also, if you remove the radiator cap and poke your finger around the opening (when the water is cold), you might discover sticky and brownish substance resembling rust or chocolate, then it means that both the coolant and the engine oil is leaking between the two systems. The area that this commonly takes place is the engine cover. In this case you need to remove the engine cover and make the inspection.

Don’t forget that if the water in the cooling system starts to lower or disappear, you must waste no time in finding the cause and repairing it. Otherwise, the damage may turn out to be major and it may not be able to repair the original engine back to running condition again.