2010 SKODA SUPERB engine overheat

Towing a trailer203
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Headlights
Before starting off with a hitched trailer, also check the setting of the headlights. Alter
the setting as necessary with the aid of the headlight beam adjuster
page 65, “Head-
lamp range adjustment* ”.
Detachable ball head
The ball rod is detachable on vehicles which feature a factory-fitted towing device. It is
stowed together with separate fitting instru ctions in the spare wheel well in the luggage
compartment of the vehicle.
Further information on the towing device page 204.
Note

We recommend that you also have your vehicle inspected between service inter-
vals if you tow a trailer frequently.

The handbrake on the towing vehicle must be put on when coupling and decou-
pling the trailer.
Driving Tips
Particular caution is required when towing a trailer.– Do not, as far as possible, drive with your vehicle unladen and the trailer laden.
– Do not make full use of the legal maximum speeds. This applies in particular to downhill sections.
– Apply the brakes in good time.
– Keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if the outside temperature is high.
Distribution of weight
The distribution of the weight is very poor if your vehicle is unladen and the trailer is
laden. Maintain a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid driving with this combina-
tion.
Driving speed
Do not drive faster than 80 km/hour for safety reasons. This also applies for countries
in which higher speeds are allowed. The fact that the driving stability of the vehicle + trailer combination reduces with
increasing speed means that the legally allowed speed should not be used when there
are unfavourable road, weather or wind cond
itions, particularly near accident black
spots.
You must always reduce your speed immediat ely as soon as you detect even just the
slightest swaying of the trailer. On no account attempt to stop the trailer from
“swaying” by accelerating.
Apply the brakes in good time! If the trailer is fitted with a trailer brake, apply the
brakes gently at first and then brake firmly. This will avoid brake jolts resulting from the
trailer wheels locking. Shift down gears in good time before negotiating a downhill
section to allow the engine to also act as a brake.
Engine overheating
Please keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if you have to negotiate a
lengthy slope in a low gear at a high engi ne speed when the outside temperature is
very high  page 16, “Coolant temperature gauge”.
If the needle of the coolant temperature gauge moves into the right-hand area or even
the red area of the scale, reduce your speed immediately. Stop and switch off the
engine if the warning light
 in the instrument cluster begins flashing. Wait a few
minutes and check the level of coolant in the coolant expansion bottle page 220,
“Inspecting the coolant level”.
Please refer to the following guidelines  page 32, “Coolant temperature/ Coolant
quantity ”.
The coolant temperature can be reduced by switching on the heating.
Any increase in the cooling effect of the coolant fan through shifting down a gear and
increasing the engine speed is not possible since the fan speed is independent of the
engine speed. One should also not drop a gear for this reason when towing a trailer as
long as the engine can manage th e slope without any drop in speed.
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Fuel
214WARNING
Pay attention to any legal requirements if you do carry a spare canister in the
vehicle. We do not recommend carrying any fuel canisters in your vehicle for
safety reasons. The canister can be damaged in the event of an accident and fuel
may leak out.
Caution

Before refuelling it is necessary to switch off the auxiliary heating system (auxiliary
heating and ventilation) *.

Remove any fuel which has spilled onto th e paintwork of your vehicle immediately
- risk of paint damage!

On vehicles fitted with a catalytic converte r, never let the fuel tank run completely
empty. An irregular supply of fuel to the engine can result in misfiring and unburnt fuel
may get into the exhaust system, which may result in overheating and damage to the
catalytic converter.

Make sure that the valve is not pressed into the filler tube when inserting the pump
nozzle into the filler tube. Otherwise you are unintentiona lly filling up the volume,
which in case of heat can cause an expansion of the fuel. This can lead to an overflow
of fuel or damage to parts of the fuel reservoir.

The fuel tank is full just as soon as th e pump nozzle switches off for the first time,
provided the nozzle has been operated prop erly. Do not continue refuelling - other-
wise the expansion volume is filled up.Note
The fuel tank has a capacity of about 60 litres, containing a reserve of 10.5 litres.s3fg.2.book Page 214 Friday, April 30, 2010 12:17 PM

Inspecting and replenishing
220
Inspecting the coolant levelThe coolant expansion bottle is located in the engine compartment on the right.
– Switch the engine off.
– Open the bonnet page 216, “Working in the engine compartment”.
– Check the level of coolant in the coolant expansion bottle fig. 184 . The coolant
level when the engine is cold must lie between the (MIN) and (MAX) mark-
ings. The level may also rise slightly ab ove the (MAX) marking when the engine
is warm.
If the coolant level in the reservoir is too lo w, this is indicated by the warning light in
the instrument cluster
  page 32. We nevertheless recommend inspecting the
coolant level directly at the reservoir from time to time.
Loss of coolant
A loss of coolant is first and foremost an indication of a leak in the system. You should
not merely top up the coolant in the reservoir. It is also important to have the cooling
system inspected without delay by a specialist garage.
Losses can only occur through the pressure relief in the cap of the coolant expansion
bottle which is completely free of leaks if the coolant boils as a result of overheating
and is forced out of the cooling system.
WARNING
Read and observe the warning notes page 216, “Working in the engine
compartment” before working in the engine compartment.
Caution
One should contact a specialist garage as s oon as possible if the source of overheating
itself cannot be determined and removed, since there may be grave damage to the
engine.Replenishing the coolant– Switch the engine off.
– Allow the engine to cool down.
– Place a cloth over the cap of the coolant expansion reservoir fig. 184 and
unscrew the cap carefully by turning it to the left .
–Top up the coolant.
– Screw the cap tight until it is heard to lock.
The coolant which you use for replenishing the system, must comply with one specific
specification page 219, “Coolant”. Do not use an al ternative additive if the coolant
additive G13 is not available in exceptional cases. Just top up the system with water
and as soon as possible arrange adjustment to correct the mixing ratio of water and
coolant additive again by a specialist garage.
Only use fresh coolant for topping up the system.
Do not fill up over the “MAX” marking! Excess coolant which is heated up is forced out
of the cooling system through the pressure relief valve in the cap of the coolant
compensation bottle.
Wait until the engine has cooled down for a system which has suffered a major loss of
coolant before pouring in coolant. This is necessary to avoid engine damage.
WARNING

The cooling system is pressurized! Do not open the cap of the coolant
expansion bottle if the engine is still hot - risk of scalding!

The coolant additive and thus all of the coolant is harmful to your health.
Avoid contact with the coolant. Coolant vapours are also harmful to the health.
It is important, therefore, to always safely store any coolant additive in its orig-
inal container out of the reach of children - risk of poisoning!
Fig. 184 Engine compartment: Coolant
expansion bottle
Ab
Aa
Aa
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