Polo Vivo radiator fan not working

[Imotions]

Hi guys

I got a really bad luck streak on my side
1-Please can anyone help me as per a previous post there's a clunk noise when I take off... so I took the car in and seen the outer cv was jumping out put it back in but the cir-clip that locks it was messed up and balls in the cv was falling out every time seen the shaft splines was worn out so I got a new shaft with cv so when you tighten it the cv pops again the only way it stays there is if there's a washer fitted on the cv behind the disk... got the cv on and clunk noise still there all bushes are intact not damaged or anything no bolts missing nothing cant be shock mountings as they were changed not even a month ago any other ideas where I could look for this clunk noise its sounds like when the shock spring turns into place but its not...

2-As of Tuesday night the car is standing as the radiator fan suddenly stopped working temp lights comes on and flashes heat gauge stays half but no fan even if the pipes are hot and hard so im not taking any chances on driving it. I did notice that if I turn ignition on without starting the car the fan does on rotation spin and that's it... checked big fuses on fuse box all were fine never see those small ones though. Any idea which is the fuse for fan or any other ideas where I can check or what could the issue be

at this moment even the most easiest suggestion is welcome..

I tried doing a vcds but its not picking up the car read up that there's a grey/white wire that needs to be disconnected on the radio harness for it to work so will only try tonight if it works.. so as it is I got no diagnostics done on the car

Thanks

[Imotions]

Eish anyone? anything?

[panic-mechanic]

I know nothing of a vivo except that it exists.
So cannot even begin to help with the water issue but have a look down the sides of the radiator. Is there a thermo switch. If so pull the plug from it and jum some of the wires to each other and see if the fan runs, or at least if you hear a relay click.
If not test the fan itself but putting direct power on it. If that runs then it's either the relay box or the switch.
Systematic diagnosis is what you need to do instead of just looking at fuses then give up.

[Imotions]

Hi Panic
its really confusing how the fan just randomly just stopped but I will try have a look and test al connections to the radiator and fan....
I tried running vcds but it was not picking up my car think it was because of that k line wire from the radio as ive read on ross tech page if that wire is connected the vcds wouldn't pick up so I disconnected it hoping it would pick up now when I try again

last resort I book it in with vw or with a rmi workshop which I hope doesn't happen
thanks again though

anyone else with a vivo that can help and have advice?

[panic-mechanic]

Vcds is not going to diagnose a dead fan for you. Some stuff you ahve to do the manual way.

[Imotions]

Vcds just to get a diagnostic report on the car also maybe sensors or something not right etc

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[bennit]

most probably the switch! or relay!

[Imotions]

Anyone know of a mech in the south gold reef area that might be able to come check the car yesterday i took the dipstick out only to find a small amount of grey sludge at the tip of it .. oil cap and water bottle clean so i dont know coz service was just done recently in the week .... and if you put ignition on without starting the fan just kicks and stops

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[Imotions]

Thats how the heat gauge sits and coolant light on even if you just switch the car on coolant light comes on

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[panic-mechanic]

It means low coolant.

[Imotions]

Topped it up full and still comes on..

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[THANAS]

Grey on the end of the dipstick? Do you have a picture of that? What does the underside of the oil cap look like?

[Imotions]

Hi THANAS i pulled the dipstick out and at the end was grey sludge like its mixing so i opened oil cap to check but its clean oil there.... opened water bottle also and its clean... unfortunately i did not take a pic and i am not driving the car

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[Imotions]

So thats whats happening @THANAS

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[Howie-WP]

Water bottle contents looks problematic. ....

[Imotions]

Water bottle is dirty eish but water is clean

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[THANAS]

The dipstick, is that what you pulled out of the engine? Or did you wipe it off? The tip should be pitch black. Is that red/beige colour the colour of the oil?

[Pieta]

There's coolant in that oil, if that is how you pulled that dipstick out. Oil should be goldish / black not beige / cream...Sorry to say...Headgasket I think...

Why is your coolant level so high in the bottle? Or is it just me seeing it like that?

[panic-mechanic]

either blown gasket or the heat exchanger

[Imotions]

Hi All

sorry for a delayed response never has internet access much this weekend

@THANAS and @ Pieta that's the dipstick straight from when I pull it out and after I wipe it same creamy color

this creamy color is only on the dipstick not by the oil cap or the water bottle

someone who is a mech at vw seen the car and said that it looks like the head gasket also....

@panic-mechanic heat exchanger?

how much am I looking at to sort it out though
a side note the morning this happened I checked the oil and water after filling up and all was fine only in the late afternoon I noticed the car was sort of misfiring after that coolant light came on not even 10km from my house oh and 120km service was done except spanner wasn't removed as it doesn't work with switching ignition off and on and holding the button etc so waiting for vag cable to turn off
thanks again guys

[Morné Pieters]

+ 1 on the head gasket

Heat Exchanger = Oil Cooler

[THANAS]

I'm going to agree with the headgasket diagnosis, as from your dipstick you have water in the oil, which gives that milky colour. When the heat exchanger/oil cooler ruptures internally, the oil pressure is a lot higher than the water pressur, so oil pushes into the water, which rises to the top and sits in the coolant orb. But only when the headgasket blows does water get drawn into the oil (water channel/jacket into the oil return channel).

To remove the head, skim, replace the gasket, and reassemble you're probably looking at a few thousand (probably up to R8k, more at agents). I'm not sure what the procedure is for skimming with these motors. The Vivo motors are the same as the Polo 6R motors I believe.

Just be sure that when you go through with the repair, that the root cause of the headgasket blowing has been addressed. If the fan relay module is faulty and that stopped the fans from coming on, allowing the car to overheat and warp the head, that must be replaced. Also look at the waterpump and thermostat. No sense in fixing the headgasket only for it to blow again.

[THANAS]

Side note: It seems that the Vivo range is starting to reach the age where these sorts of faults will start to become more common, the 'honeymoon' phase is coming to an end :}

INB4 more Vivo trouble posts.

[Imotions]

I will have to look for a reliable trustworthy place to carry out the job as im not going to beable to fork out that amount of cash maybe half or quarter yeah but around 8k eish killed me already

@ THANAS in that case they might as well replace everything then one time instead of fixing one end and the end breaks later

anybody know a reliable person or workshop in the south side that I can contact to get quotes from as ill be needing to hibernate for a few odd months before I get the cash

[panic-mechanic]

Thanas I am going to respectfully disagree with you on your theory of how oil and water gets exchanged with a failed heat exchanger. And they are called heat exchangers for a reason not an oil cooler.

But anyway yes your theory that it pushes oil into the water is correct when the engine is running at rpm. Now you let it heat up and the cooling system build 1 bar of pressure inside it and it is a pretty big accumulator.
Now even at idle the oil pressure is only 0.85 bar in the oil system and already it is going the other way.
Switch the engine off and the oil pressure is gone, yet that pretty big accumulator now sits and happily pushes at a bar for quite a while into the oil system which now has no pressure.
And from simple real life experience I promise you they mix very well with a failed heat exchanger.

It is called a heat exchanger because from cold start the oil actually warms up faster then the water, so it basically heats the water up from the oil to get the car on working temp faster. Once the oil gets higher then water it goes the other way.

Hope you come right.