pls put my paranoia to bed....

[welshsurfer]

all this stuff about cracked heads.... my 2.4td had rad flush,
new thermo,rad cap, bled it for ages 3 weeks ago. have done a few hundred miles last couple of days. let it stand for a while to check oil....... squeezed top rad hose hard (pressurised) is this normal ???
travelled at 65-70mph on m4 for 70-100 miles temp gauge normal
temp gauge has never worried me (never take eyes off it )always on normal position which is just under half-way.
am i worrying about nothing. not losing any water either....heating works ok.
CHEERS....CARL

[stara]

i was like you 18 months ago, thought the rad top tank was overly hot, and top hose too pressurised, no needle movement. 18 months on and it's still the same with no problems.

[Micky B]

You will always get some pressure build up in the cooling system thanks to the pressure cap on the thermostat housing. This is because water boils at a higher temperature (I think it is plus 1 degree C for every 1 psi increase, but don't quote me on that). Therefore if your engine reaches 100 degC (it shouldn't normally, but towing up a mountain in summer it might), it won't boil the coolant and cause air pockets and localized overheating, causing problems or even cracking heads.
So some pressure in the system is necessary, but excessive pressure means things are going wrong. You should still be able to press the hose without much force.
If you're not losing coolant, don't panic.