2006 MultiVan - Recall or not,..? Oil Cooler

[BigEzy]

Hi all,.. My first post from what I think will be many,..!

So I save all year to buy a Transporter, to carry all my Windsurfing gear and sleep in it on those long road trips down the coast,.. but after the first trip I had the temp. light came on after only owning the T5 for a couple of weeks (Second Hand, 265k),..
But the temp. gauge stays in the middle. doesn't overheat.! The engine fan would only go on when the A/C was on, so I took it to Barloworld, thinking it was the Engine fan recall 97W8. (BTW when are the fans meant to turn on,..?)

So they tell me that the temp. light turning on because of engine oil and water mixing, with either the ERG Cooler (Don't know what that is) or the Oil Cooler, being the possible cause,..?
(Also the power steering is noisy,.. not sure if that's an issue,..?)

and then i find this forum,..! yeah..!

I've seen a few posts sounding similar to my issue, ie. the recall code 17C6 has been mentioned, Leaking power steering pump,...

My question is, first of all. How far up **** creek am I.?

I've seen a post by Super Moderator, Transporter, suggesting a few common faults.
Not sure where to look to check where I stand,..

Any help will greatly appreciated,..!

Thanks in Advance,..

[Sunny43.5]

Has the water level in the reservoir gone down ? this happened on our 2005 T5 diesel 2.5 and it was the water pump leaking apparently a common problem with the first series pumps . The light would come on so I stopped and checked the temp which was all good then noticed the level in the plastic container was below the min level topped it up light went out and then continued home , it came on again around every 150 kays until it was replaced . Just a suggestion to check .

[BigEzy]

Hey Sunny,., that's the funny thing the temp light comes on as I start the van, stone cold, and stays on even when I top it up with water,.. They did mention the water pump as a possible source,..
Cheers
E

[Transporter]

At 265k km any fault and anything is possible, especially if the vehicle wasn't maintained properly (serviced by the owner enthusiast without a proper training, DIY self using Internet or missed a few services). Get your van looked properly by an experienced independent, the dealership's very young mechanics could be waste of time on old vehicles, IMO VAG dealerships try to void working on the old cars, and I don't blame them.

Sent from my GT-N8000

[Sunny43.5]

When you top up the water do you restart the van as it has to be restarted once refilled to reset the warning light , it will then come on again if the water drops below the minimum level . If the water level is low when sitting over night I think it will turn on the warning straight away when you start the van .

[BigEzy]

No, the temp light goes on within 2-3min of starting up, even with the water topped up...

[Sunny43.5]

Okay scratch my solution then as Transporter says someone with VW experience would be the best option good luck and keep us informed on the outcome .

[BigEzy]

How do the two engines fan meant to work,..? Do they come on at a certain temp,..? I thought they should be on all the time,..?

[Umai Naa!!]

If it's got oil in the in the coolant, the low coolant level light will come on.

Once you have sorted out why the oil and coolant are mixing, you'll generally have to replace the coolant expansion bottle.

[BigEzy]

Thanks Umai....
Is there a common reason why oil gets into the coolant,...?

[Umai Naa!!]

Oil cooler module on the front side of the motor, or the water pump.

[BigEzy]

I guess this is what water in the engine oil looks like,..!

There's a lump of oil half way down the haft,..!

Anyone hazard a guess at how much I'm up for,..?!

[Umai Naa!!]

I'm sure it's over full on the dipstick, too.

They're not too bad to do. Just a bit time-consuming to drain/fill/flush the coolant several times to clean all the oil out.

[BigEzy]

Any recommendations for a Mechanic in the Moorabbin (Vic) area,..?

[Tornado T5]

Not Moorabbin, but East Bentleigh, used them for my T4, Tucker Road Motors,
Address: 848 North Rd, Bentleigh East VIC 3165 (head west from East Boundary Rd/North Rd intersection.
(They used to be on Tucker Road/North Rd many years ago.)
Phone: (03) 9570 9566

http://www.yellowpages.com.au/vic/bentleigh-east/tucker-road-motors-1995-pty-ltd-13384790-listing.html