Is my VW Passat engine toast?

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hi all,

I have a 2002 Volks Passat. The other day, the engine temperature gauge was indicated the car was overheating and the overheat light was beeping at me so I promptly pulled over and turned the car off. Waited 3 minutes, turned the car back on, the engine gauge showed it was slightly hot but not overly so, drove about 2 more minutes before the gauge showed it was overheating. I stopped, and before I could turn the car off I heard a gushing sound and white smoke starting coming from the engine. Antifreeze (or water?) starting gushing from the engine onto the street, and also onto the drivers side floor. I took it to two mechanics. The first one said that the water pumped was seized and the timing belt was loose, and thus they didnt know if the engine was toast because it is an interference engine. I took it to another mechanic to get a second opinion, and he said the water pumped was seized but the belt had only skipped a little and that the engine could still function. I have been doing a lot of research and a seized water pump does not explain why there was antifreeze/water inside the car on the drivers side - my research shows that is a heater core issue. My question is this - IF I pay to replace the water pump and timing belt, what chance is it that the engine is not toast? Secondly, does a seized water pump explain the water/antifreeze on the inside of the car? Any advice is much appreciated.

2

IF the mechanic is any good, he will check to make sure the engine is OK before he fixes the water pump and timing belt. If he finds further damage 1) You will need to make the decision to repair or junk it and 2) You WILL owe him for his diagnostic time - it is only fair.

Be sure and tell him the car gushed coolant INTO the car. You may be replacing a heater core with everything else.

Good Luck!

3

First off; Waiting only 3 minutes, then restarting the car and driving away was far from enough time for the engine to cool down. An hour would have been better!!!
You should have had it towed to your mechanic on the first overheating incident. He then could have found the frozen up water pump and headed off any further damage.

I presume that the pressure in the system was so great that it blew the heater core. The steam escaping was probably a burst radiator hose…also from the higher pressure.

Yosemite