is it meant to get hard so quickly?

[skyhooked]

radiator top hose seems to be getting quite solid after a few minutes driving - is this normal?

i haven't noticed any considerable drop in water levels, every few days after a lot of driving it may need half a cupfull of water, i think this may be due to a very slow leak though

i had the head changed two months ago, and it's a stevo one. the truck as far as the temperature gauge hasn't overheated, and the white sticker on the side of the head shows that two of the four squares have turned black

what's the reason for this pressure in the top hose...surely can't be right? even after the engine switched off, it remains solid. my mates pajero after a long run had a very soft top hose once the engine switched off

water pump and thermostat are both recently fitted. also - detect a lot of heat coming from the engine bay...dont have any surf friends to compare too - can anyone please shed some light?

[dave.j.robbo]

Basically, yes, it's normal.

The hose is hard, cos there's pressure in it. The more pressure there is in a cooling system, the hotter the water can be, whilst still remaining a liquid (i.e. not turning to steam).

That's why cars with split hoses, etc, overheat and boil over so quickly.

BUT..

If the hose is getting hard as soon as the engine is started, and before the coolant has had a chance to warm up properly, the it MIGHT be indicative of a head or gasket problem......................

[joker??]

just went out and checked mine for you , it went quite solid once it warmed up and when turned off engine the hose remained quite firm
damn beaten by 4 minutes

[dave.j.robbo]

Tee hee!!!

Another thing...

Your mates p****o might have a head or gasket problem, if it's losing it's pressure as soon as the engine's turned off...

[skyhooked]

thanks dave, that sounds encouraging...

i think i'll time it from cold and after a minute or two check to see how long it takes. anyone have any ideas how long it takes to get solid?

sorry for the paranoia, if it was my old fiesta van i wouldnt give a hoot but the surf is such a joy to drive and it has weedled its way under my skin, and perhaps a little unhealthily now i see it as a sort of 'love feeder' or 'font of hapiness'

should the font run dry, i fear that i may find myself cast into some terrible doldrum. what folly to look towards a bundle of steel and nuts and bolts for hapiness...but i think i'm not the only one

does anyone have a ballpark figure timewise for pressurisation? any more advice greatly recieved

ps thanks again dave for your post

[skyhooked]

best forum of all time- thanks guys!

thanks for those quick replies - i sent my message and there they were! that was incredibly quick - thanks guys

so i'm looking for around 4 mins...i'll check it later and report back here. interesting about the mates paj - i'll mention it in passing another day

i thought that paj was alright - but i had been led to believe they are the last word in comfort...dunno, could swear the surf is more comfortable and smooth

also, seemed more solidly built than the paj - though that did have a tasty looking bash plate

ah..surf ownership...the glint of a double edge sword...ying and yang...where there is pleasure there is also sometimes a cold, creeping paranoia

so long as i have this forum i think i'll keep enjoying the perversion

[dave.j.robbo]

so long as i have this forum i think i'll keep enjoying the perversion

You're not wrong there, mate!!!!

My 2.4 get's up to full operating temp in about 3 minutes, when driving. It'll be slightly longer just sat at idle..

[Pika1971]

Pressure

Pressure is good dude.. Its means that the system can heatup properly and is doing its job. Its when you lose pressure that you have to worry...