overheating

[ripp]

having owned a 2.4 surf for three years with no problems i recently brought a caravan which i used in france,to cut a long story short i ended up cooking the engine i assume the head is now cracked,istill have the car but have ended up buying a 3.0 td which i thought was safe from overheating but after reading some of the stories on here i am now scared of the same thing happening again.do i need to change the radiator or fit a extra oil cooler as i read on here that the rad is partley blocked by the oil cooler,is their anybody that makes a new design rad to overcome this problem,any advice would be gratefully received many thanks. (SORRY NEW TO THIS I DID NOT MEAN TO PUT THIS UNDER JOKES BUT CANNOT SEEM TO MOVE IT NOW)

[Predictable Bob]

overheating



To be honest it's not a problem for the 3.0 (Can't say for the 2.4 - probably depends on servicing and weight of van etc) we towed our 1300kg van all over UK with no probs at all (Surf was loaded to the gills too - 2 adults & 3 kids + gear).

As a precaution we had an additional oil cooler fitted before we went down to the Ardeche last year, we did have some signs of overheating on VERY long hills at high revs (I tow like I'm driving a sports car) BUT this was almost certainly due to my rad being half full of Salisbury Plain - I've since washed out a MASSIVE quantity of mud .......

This year we were up in the Peaks and had no probs at all despite pushing her up hills at a rate that may have incurred the wrath of plod had he seen us

Despite all the foregoing the answers to a few questions would give a guide to whether or not you may have hassles:

What's the MTPLM of your van ?

How much additional weight will you have in the Surf ?

What sort of speed do you tow at ?

Where will you be and when i.e. what sort of temperatures will you be towing in ?

[ripp]

overheating

the van is 1250kg unladen but i do put quite a lot of weight in it plus 2 kids and 2 adults and more stuff in the surf i was towing in France in hot weather when the 2.4 overheated but it was working hard and it did do about 100 miles between boil ups but i think i pushed it to far in the end and i assume i cracked the head, i think the rad was blocked because it only seemed hot at one end. i hope the 3.0 is going to be alright as i want to carry on towing i assume it should be more than capable of doing this or do i need to do other mods. its a real pity because i had the 2.4 for 3 years with no problems but i wasn't towing with it then, i have still got it so i might take the head off just to see what the damage is.( ps thanks for answering)

[TJG]

never had the temp needle flinch in mine, the van is about the same as yours, this year we had topbox on with awning in, all the rubbish for 2 weeks, 3 dogs the lot and was towing in the hottest week of the year, up in the 90's, didn't spare the horses and still no problems. If your needle is on the move then there is something wrong with the cooling system.

[ripp]

overheating

no the needle is not on the move just trying to be safe rather than sorry,just got the 3.0 so i have not really been far as yet i am going to change stat and cap and flush and refill and maybe have a go at refilling viscous fan,not sure where the stat is for 3.0 different place than 2.4.

[Andy Dawson]

Cracked the head on my 3.TD a while back, but that was due to me driving rather quickly with a radiator full of mud. Long as you clean it out after a day playing you'll be fine. Be careful though, the air con rad is right in the way and traps a lot of stuff.

[europa88]

never had the temp needle flinch in mine, the van is about the same as yours, this year we had topbox on with awning in, all the rubbish for 2 weeks, 3 dogs the lot and was towing in the hottest week of the year, up in the 90's, didn't spare the horses and still no problems. If your needle is on the move then there is something wrong with the cooling system.

Tjg,
I note you have a manual box on your surf, some of the auto owners are not so lucky, as the hot transmission fluid also runs through the bottom of the rad sometimes causing a knock on effect!

I have a 4 row core rad and new top tank with tranny coolers and the gauge will still start to move on a hot day on a long incline! towing around 1750kg's though!!!

Cheers

Neil

[TJG]

And I get the exercise of changing gear too!

The Europa sounds lovely by the way, don't see too many these days.

[europa88]

And I get the exercise of changing gear too!

The Europa sounds lovely by the way, don't see too many these days.

Yeah,
If any thing can keep you poorer than a surf can, It's a old lotus!

[TJG]

Yeah,
If any thing can keep you poorer than a surf can, It's a old lotus!

As they used to say Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious!

[europa88]

As they used to say Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious!

Yep, and they still do!