Questions and Answers

Volkswagen Jetta Still Overheating Q. I have a 1987 Volkswagen Jetta GL, 135,000 miles with no A/C that is overheating. The radiator had a small leak and I replaced it, the water pump, which was getting a little noisy, the thermostat and all hoses. It still gets hot very quickly. The fan was working but typically only after turning off the engine, I don't know if that's typical.

Since the repairs I have not run the engine for very long but it should have been hot enough to start the fan. Where should I go next? Should I test the sensor at the base of the radiator and if so how?

Thanks for your help...

A. The quickest way to test it is to unplug the thermoswitch and jump the two terminals in the connector. If the fan comes on, the thermoswitch is bad.