Cooling problems

[Wild Thing]

Hi
Just returned home from a 120 mile round trip run today stopping halfway for a few hours, before setting off home i checked the coolant level and had to put in about a pint of water but there again the engine wasn,t totally cold and had only drawn back about half the coolant from the expansion tank.

when traveling at about 3250 revs (about 75 mph) temp guage started to creep above halfway mark but if i put heater on it dropped back to normal also stayed at halfway mark if i stayed at about 65mph.

i,m starting to get worried as i have fitted a new mod head about 6 weeks ago + new rad + new thermostst + new water pump + new timing belt + all other belts, the viscus fan seems ok but at that speed the air should be blasting through the rad also there is no water leaks its holding preasure ok.

I,m wondering if it could possibly be the atf getting to hot as i,ve noticed on here that most peoples revs are about 2500 to 2750 for 70mph where mine are 3000 revs for 70mph.

Any help would be welcomed.

Regards Gary

[stormforce]

Hi
Just returned home from a 120 mile round trip run today stopping halfway for a few hours, before setting off home i checked the coolant level and had to put in about a pint of water but there again the engine wasn,t totally cold and had only drawn back about half the coolant from the expansion tank.

when traveling at about 3250 revs (about 75 mph) temp guage started to creep above halfway mark but if i put heater on it dropped back to normal also stayed at halfway mark if i stayed at about 65mph.

i,m starting to get worried as i have fitted a new mod head about 6 weeks ago + new rad + new thermostst + new water pump + new timing belt + all other belts, the viscus fan seems ok but at that speed the air should be blasting through the rad also there is no water leaks its holding preasure ok.

I,m wondering if it could possibly be the atf getting to hot as i,ve noticed on here that most peoples revs are about 2500 to 2750 for 70mph where mine are 3000 revs for 70mph.

Any help would be welcomed.

Regards Gary

you got a air lock by any chance?

[slim]

may be an air lock or blocked rad/pipes...revs seem ok mine are near that figure, it used to be worse than that b 4 i changed the diffs around 60 mph @ 3000 rpm

[Wild Thing]

no air locks that i,m sure both heaters working ok and burped it well this is the first time since i replaced the head 6 weeks ago that its caused a problem

[mud skipper]

viscous fan.................

[BETRAYAL]

when ive been driving for about half an hour, i notice a bubbling nosie from the expansion tank sometimes? does yours do that garry? ..if its bad news can you tell me in a way that it doesnt sound bad?

[phoebelala]

when ive been driving for about half an hour, i notice a bubbling nosie from the expansion tank sometimes? does yours do that garry? ..if its bad news can you tell me in a way that it doesnt sound bad?

mINE LOST WATER OUT THE WEEP HOLE ON THE WATER PUMP.
this in itself won't explain the temp rising though. could be just because it was very hot weather

[smokey_1_uk]

Hi,
I had a similar problem with my G plate 2.4 surf at the weekend. I was towing a caravan, the weather was really hot and I had the aircon on. The temp gauge started to creep up but would go back to normal when I turned the aircon off. When conditions became too stuffy I turned on the aircon again and the temp started to creep up again. what I did notice that was odd was that as soon as I turned off the aircon the temp gauge would immediatly go down. When I stopped she dumped a load of water from (I presume) the header tank overflow pipe. (well the puddle was underneath that area).
I topped up the coolant again, ran the engine but couldnt reproduce the problem/leak.
Could the strain of towing and having the aircon on be too much for her? She dosent usually seem to notice pulling the van. Is this a common problem? and if it is Im dreading the trip (with caravan) from London to Anglesey at the end of July.
Any help/advise would be gratefully accepted.

Regards
John

[MattF]

When I stopped she dumped a load of water from (I presume)
the header tank overflow pipe. (well the puddle was underneath
that area). I topped up the coolant again, ran the engine but
couldnt reproduce the problem/leak.

If you had been running the aircon, the moisture may
just have been from the aircon drain on the bulkhead.
Had she actually lost any coolant when you went to
top her up?

[andy_enuff]

Have you checked airflow through the aircon radiator and engine coolant radiator and checked the belt tension of the waterpump/alternator belts (there's 2 afaik). When was the thermostat last replaced? Gary you named everything I would check but I don't know THAT much LOL, anyone else got any ideas. When mine overheated it did the same, however when i took the rad out it had 3.4mm of mud over the side of the fins which faces the aircon rad (that you can't see from front or back when it's in the car.

[smokey_1_uk]

If you had been running the aircon, the moisture may
just have been from the aircon drain on the bulkhead.
Had she actually lost any coolant when you went to
top her up?

Hi Matt,
It was a bit more than moisture and yes I had to top up a couple of pints.

Ive had the car 9 months and dont know when (if ever) the thermostat was changed.

Regards
John

[smokey_1_uk]

Have you checked airflow through the aircon radiator and engine coolant radiator and checked the belt tension of the waterpump/alternator belts (there's 2 afaik). When was the thermostat last replaced?

Hi Gary,
I'll check the belts tonight and look for mud :-)
Cheers
John

[Tallyman]

I think you'll find that part of your problem is running the aircon. The aircon rad is part of a heat exchange system, i.e. the air into the cab is cool because the heat is removed from it and that heat has to go somewhere. It goes to the aircon rad, which is cooled by the air flowing through it, which then, as hot air, has to pass through the main rad before exiting somewhere under the vehicle.

So when you ran the aircon you were adding to the heat in the water going back into the engine, which ought to have been cool but was probably heated a bit more by both the aircon rad heat and the ATF fluid in the bottom of the main rad, as the auto gearbox (presuming yours is an auto) was also probably working a bit harder as well and contributing to the raise in temperature. Also explains why mine was doing the same last time I towed my caravan.

Come on Kenlowe, where's your reply to my e-mail enquiry about a replacement electric fan for mine? Don'y you want my money?

[smokey_1_uk]

Hi Mike,
Thanks for that.
My is a manual anyway but I can see your point.
I changed the thermostat this afternoon and checked the belts. While I was running her after changing the stat loads of coolant poured out of the overflow on the header tank cap. So its back to the drawing board :-(

Im intrigued though about the viscous fan. I presumed that the fan stays still and starts up when the engine needs cooling...well mine goes all the time. Is that right or yet another fault?
Also i note you mentioned electric fans. Is this a bolt on to boost cooling and if it is, where can I get one?
Went to japarts in edgeware north london today. Excellent store with very helpfull staff. Recommended !

Regards
John

[MattF]

It was a bit more than moisture and yes I had to top up a couple of pints.

Ive had the car 9 months and dont know when (if ever) the thermostat was changed.

Regards
John

If it's a 2.4, the thermostat and rad cap should be the first things
you replace.