Overheating issues....

Hey all, am having a few overheating issues and would be interested in some sound advice....

Since coming back from Bromley Pageant my temp gauge has been fluctuating between N and H - when it usually just sits dead on the N... I don't appear to be losing any water and I put it down to the hot weather and the fact that the engine is ticking over a bit quick on idle because of a sticky choke cable.

Yesterday I took it to work and on the way home he got really hot, but still not boiling. Then when I parked up I noticed a nice puddle of water had appeared between parking up and walking round the front - but it wasn't gushing or steaming - just a puddle! Opened the bonnet and could not see a leak from rad or any of the hoses - so I put it down to radiator overflow pipe. Gauge was halway between N and H.

Let it cool down and opened rad cap to find I had lost no water!

So I am thinking...

1 Possibly head gasket? Although compression is still good.
2 Knackered Rad? - although losing no water (apparently)
3 Thermostat? - although new one added during put back together
4 Fan on wrong way round? - Paranoia kicking in now!

Any thoughts???

Jase

First try a night driving. If it still not holding where t did recently, the it is not only the hot weather.

Then check the radcap (if it is an old one, its a good idea to replace it as it is quite unexpensive), then check the thermostat. Head gasket issues usualy show themselves in the form of a juicey oil cap or oily water. At least some bubbling in the water+water loss.

CamelotR wrote:First try a night driving. If it still not holding where t did recently, the it is not only the hot weather.

Then check the radcap (if it is an old one, its a good idea to replace it as it is quite unexpensive), then check the thermostat. Head gasket issues usualy show themselves in the form of a juicey oil cap or oily water. At least some bubbling in the water+water loss.

Thanks Camelot, I am fairly convinced it's not headgasket as there is no juicy oil cap or water in the oil. Rad cap is okay, and no water loss or "bubbling".

I will check the thermostat, but I'm pretty sure a new one was put in in March.

Jase

Hi Jase

Is the rad water rusty or quite dirty? Its just a thought but after such a long run down to the Bromley Pageant, I wonder if years of silt and rust has been dislodged and clogged the radiator cooling tubes. Try flushing the radiator and engine waterways. Have a look under the nearside wheel arch and check to see if the external radiator fins are free from dirt and the same applies to the engine bay side of the radiator. Is the fan belt set to the correct tension ie too loose and slipping? Check the engine timing as this can make the engine run hot. Plenty to have a go at and hopefully one of these and other suggestions posted so far will cure the problem.

Good luck

Andrew

a couple of more pointers - if the fan is on the wrong way you should not be able to feel warm air been blown over the wheel from the outside of the wing. Is the heater tap turned off ? this can cause a significant reduction in water circulation, plus is the car running too lean on mixture. Another one is what type of water pump is fitted - the ones with the pressed steel impellers are pretty useless, the cast ones really work best (I have had the pressed steel impellers corrode off to nothing more than a stump before !) Try using some water wetter, it does really work, it is the only way we can stop H from over heating these days. Have you increased performance during the rebuild ? more power = more heat. Tuther one is the sender unit faulty ?

Hope this helps a bit