Can anyone give me some advice on an overheating issue with our car? We have a 1995 Audi A4. After an "oil change"(turns out those jerks didn't even change the oil, but we were so busy we didn't get a chance to deal with it at the time) our car began to have an overheating issue. The coolant looked a bit low and after adding more the problem got worse and is now so bad we cannot get more than a few miles without going into the red. In idle it does not over heat. We took it back to that same on post(US Army post) shop for diagnostics and they told us it was simply the thermostat needing to be replaced. It was going to cost a lot with labor for them to change it so we did it ourselves under the watchful eye of mechanics at the Auto Skills center we have access to. The problem is still occurring and getting progressively worse. We did a radiator flush during the thermostat change as well. There really isn't anything specific to our car about this issue online, but I have watched a few videos for similar cars/situations. I let the car heat up w/o the cap to release any "air bubbles" and then touched several tubes. The one to the bottom of the overflow was cold after letting it heat up. The belt on the fan is not loose either. I have a feeling it is the water pump, due to the videos I have watched and what we have done so far... Oh and as per suggestion of the Auto Skills mechanics I took the old thermostat home and boiled it to see if it would open up, proving if it was in fact faulty. Nope, it opened up just fine! I am going to go ahead and order a water pump and timing belt today and work on it tomorrow. Unfortunately I am on a time crunch as my sister is going to be here in a couple days for her R&R from a deployment in Kuwait. Talk about timing, eh? Ha ha. Any thoughts, comments, or suggestions?

 

First , what engine do you have?

Second was the cooling system bled?

Third was a combustion leak test performed to see if exhaust gasses are present in cooling system?

If it is a vehicle with a plastic impeller on the water pump it could be a problem!

 

It is an ADP 1.6
Yes it was bled when we changed the Thermostat.
I am not sure if that test was preformed. We are taking it to a local German auto shop tomorrow, I will ask about that.
I was wondering if it was the water pump, I did see a few videos regarding the common failure of plastic impellers, so I preemptively purchased a cast iron impeller water pump in case the German Auto shop deemed a replacement necessary(cheaper to get it through the post than face the euro charges)

Another thing I noticed is that it does not blow hot air through the vents at all even when it is in the red.

Any tips or knowledge I can take with me in dealing with the German mechanics??

Thanks!

 

If the wp impeller is bad , you will not have heat. No circulation of coolant.
If i am not mistaken , some engines that have the thermostat in the front of the block they can be removed & you can see the waterpump impeller from the thermostat opening.