Temperature getting a bit high
Discussion
Took this pic on my way home from the park earlier today. It was slow and stop start on the approach to, and going through the Blackwall Tunnel, and I noticed the temp gauge moving around a bit, generally in an upwards direction, most worrying was this when I was stopped near the exit of the tunnel. Normally runs somewhere between 80 and 90 when going along, sometimes a bit higher when stopped in traffic, but never seen it this high before (had dropped a bit from where it was by the time I took the photo.
Fan seems to be kicking in when it should and all that, so why is it getting that high? Is it normal, or does this not bode so well for when the weather eventually warms up and the air temperature increases?
Or is this perfectly normal for this type of car (its a 280i) and nothing to worry about?
Edit: Apparently I can't spell very well, topic should be "Temperature getting a bit high"...
Fan seems to be kicking in when it should and all that, so why is it getting that high? Is it normal, or does this not bode so well for when the weather eventually warms up and the air temperature increases?
Or is this perfectly normal for this type of car (its a 280i) and nothing to worry about?
Edit: Apparently I can't spell very well, topic should be "Temperature getting a bit high"...
Edited by Jon280 on Saturday 2nd March 18:03
Hi Jon..If you remember we talked about this some weeks back when you said you had a little bit of a water loss and noticed a very small leak from one of the hoses...Basically if there is a leak anywhere in the system then pressure will be lost and the water will start to boil..Causing overheating..Sitting in traffic is the telling factor..If you have replaced the hoses and have no leaks then it could be a sticking thermostat..First check when cold the condition of the rad cap..(Non pressurised) and the expansion cap (Pressurised)..If they are ok then check the operation of the thermostat..Let the car warm up to temperature and then check the bottom hose from the rad, If its still cold then the thermostat is sticking shut..To replace it always use the better quality brass type..I think the full opening temp is 86-88 degrees..Replace the gasket and be careful not to over tighten the bolts as it will shear the thread..Alloy housings with steel threaded bolts..Ziga
Good point Mark, really should pay more attention when at the park, though it is a Saturday morning and has generally been freezing when I have been there! Tightening up a few hose clips seemed to have stemmed the leak somewhat, but I guess when it all gets hot there could still be a bit of a leak, sounds like I need to find the time to change a bunch of the pipes. Will also try and get a good look at the radiator, but that's a bit tricky as its in the nose on mine.
Sometimes a tweek of the clips helps but sometimes it can make it worst..Try running the car up to temperature util the fan kicks in and then turn it off, Check the bottom hose for temperature and look for anything leaking..If you cant see anything then turn it back on and let it idle longer and let the fan come in and out a couple of times and then switch off and see if you can spot any leaks or steam from anywhere..Check condition of all the hoses..If you do replace them then buy good quality new clips as well..The norma clips are good..The norma high torque are even better..I think howlfrauds do them although i bought some of fleabay..You can try AP Motor store for the hose as the kits are very expensive..Not sure if you have capri bottom hose to rad and granada top hose to rad like mine..Ziga
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=a...
I have most of the sizes needed if you need them.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=a...
I have most of the sizes needed if you need them.
Just a quick note - the 2.8 engines can have air locks in their systems if you have been topping it up after a leak, and air locks can cause engine to run hot, especially if you have an early 2.8 with the wierd hose arrangement.
Check everywhere carefully, including the rad, for leaks. Also if you have had Radweld or similar in the system, this can cause blockages after a leak, because it cures in the presence of oxygen (air). It's really an invention of the Devil....
It might be a stuck thermostat, but then it's a complete system drain anyway to get it out, as it's at the bottom on the Colognes...
I had a leak at bottom of my rad (along the solder join), and took it a rad repairer, he discovered the rad was 30% blocked, but temp was OK, so I guess this kind of thing can slowly creep up on you !
Check everywhere carefully, including the rad, for leaks. Also if you have had Radweld or similar in the system, this can cause blockages after a leak, because it cures in the presence of oxygen (air). It's really an invention of the Devil....
It might be a stuck thermostat, but then it's a complete system drain anyway to get it out, as it's at the bottom on the Colognes...
I had a leak at bottom of my rad (along the solder join), and took it a rad repairer, he discovered the rad was 30% blocked, but temp was OK, so I guess this kind of thing can slowly creep up on you !
Well after spending some of the afternoon with my head under the bonnet, I have discovered the following. Operation of the fan and thermostat is working as expected, rad bottom pipe cold till it gets up to temp then getting hot, fan kicking in and out when the temp gets to about 95. Both pressure caps seem to be fine too.
I did find a couple of small leaks, there appears to be a slight seep of coolant from the connections to the thermostat housing, and also on the pipe to the top of the radiator, shown in pic, the leak is in the yellow shape. There appears to be a small pinhole that once everything gets hot starts to leak a bit. Any ideas on where to find a replacement for this pipe without having to resort to a collection of straight pipes and some right angle hoses, or any imaginative ideas to repair it?
I did find a couple of small leaks, there appears to be a slight seep of coolant from the connections to the thermostat housing, and also on the pipe to the top of the radiator, shown in pic, the leak is in the yellow shape. There appears to be a small pinhole that once everything gets hot starts to leak a bit. Any ideas on where to find a replacement for this pipe without having to resort to a collection of straight pipes and some right angle hoses, or any imaginative ideas to repair it?
mrzigazaga said:
Sometimes a tweek of the clips helps but sometimes it can make it worst..Try running the car up to temperature util the fan kicks in and then turn it off, Check the bottom hose for temperature and look for anything leaking..If you cant see anything then turn it back on and let it idle longer and let the fan come in and out a couple of times and then switch off and see if you can spot any leaks or steam from anywhere..Check condition of all the hoses..If you do replace them then buy good quality new clips as well..The norma clips are good..The norma high torque are even better..I think howlfrauds do them although i bought some of fleabay..You can try AP Motor store for the hose as the kits are very expensive..Not sure if you have capri bottom hose to rad and granada top hose to rad like mine..Ziga
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=a...
I have most of the sizes needed if you need them.
Ziggs correct,water will boil at a higher temperature when under pressure,so no leaks required.http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=a...
I have most of the sizes needed if you need them.
Hi Jon..As regards to the leak on the swan neck you could use pro-seal 2 part epoxy putty, Its better than quick steel..Shame i didnt know at the park as i have some in the boot, If need be send me your address and ill post some to you, Remember though it is a temporary fix albeit a long lasting one..Its also best if you clean off a bit of the paint on the area to be repaired...It can be painted afterwards...Is the leak on the thermostat housing on the hoses or the housing itself?..If the latter then it can be a bit of a pain to stop leaking and will need a new gasket and ideally a good gasket sealant..If its the hose then its better to replace it..I think its 30mm ID but check it before you change it and it might be worth replacing the thermostat although it sounds like its working correctly...Ziga
If the slight leak is from the thermostat housing itself, DON'T just tighten those 3 bolts, as they thread into the rear casting elbow which is ALSO aluminium, and there's a big risk you will strip the threads. Been there, done that !! No, it will need new gasket(s) and sealer if it is leaking. You can tighten the hose clips, but again don't go too mad as the cover is all ally...
as is the top outlet...
as is the top outlet...
Bit more info to go with my post on the 'whats happening...' thread.
Braved the cold to take apart my cooling system today with a view to replacing all the hoses to hopefully stop a bit of coolant leak, and hopefully get better cooling etc.
Started to look at the system, and as my radiator is in the nose cone, and is a pain to get at, I decided the first job was to remove the bonnet. This give much much much better access to everything!
After peering around, it also looks like there is a bit of a leak at the top of the radiator where the pipe connects back to the expansion tank, hard to tell if it is just the connection of the pipe, or an actual leak. It looks to me like it may have been repaired before. This coupled with the fact that I cant get at the hose clip to remove the bottom hose makes it look like some of the front of the car may be coming off and the radiator removed to give it a proper check over.
Some of the old pipes were rather tricky to remove, where they had been clamped down they had almost moulded themselves to the fittings, but a bit of gentle persuasion and they all came off. There did not appear to be too much gunk in the system, through some bits did look a bit red (see pic, has some nasty additive been used at some point maybe?)
The thermostat seemed to be wedged in quite tightly, is there an specific way of removing these? Thinking I may as well replace it as I have the whole lot apart.
Mow I just need to measure up all the different pipes and connectors and order a bunch of new stuff. Also trying to decide if its worth the effort of replacing the connections to the heater matrix in their entirety or just cutting them leaving the existing pipes going through into the cabin. I can see this leading to me taking the dash out... It does need to come out at some point so I can replace the speedo cable anyway...
Also going to clean it all up a bit while I have a bit more space! Any other things I should consider taking a look at while the bonnet is off?
Temp repair to the pipe with ProSeal (can just about see it in pic below) appears to have held up on the trip home yesterday, but think I might take it somewhere and get it welded for a more permanent fix, need to give it a good check over first, as there is quite a bit of staining from coolant along the bottom of it. This could just be from the single leak, and the coolant travelling along the pipe, or it could be more holes.
As a bonus, I managed to collect the majority of the old coolant, and only got a small(ish) amount all over the garage floor!
Think that will do for now, though there may well be more questions coming along as I carry on tinkering!
Braved the cold to take apart my cooling system today with a view to replacing all the hoses to hopefully stop a bit of coolant leak, and hopefully get better cooling etc.
Started to look at the system, and as my radiator is in the nose cone, and is a pain to get at, I decided the first job was to remove the bonnet. This give much much much better access to everything!
After peering around, it also looks like there is a bit of a leak at the top of the radiator where the pipe connects back to the expansion tank, hard to tell if it is just the connection of the pipe, or an actual leak. It looks to me like it may have been repaired before. This coupled with the fact that I cant get at the hose clip to remove the bottom hose makes it look like some of the front of the car may be coming off and the radiator removed to give it a proper check over.
Some of the old pipes were rather tricky to remove, where they had been clamped down they had almost moulded themselves to the fittings, but a bit of gentle persuasion and they all came off. There did not appear to be too much gunk in the system, through some bits did look a bit red (see pic, has some nasty additive been used at some point maybe?)
The thermostat seemed to be wedged in quite tightly, is there an specific way of removing these? Thinking I may as well replace it as I have the whole lot apart.
Mow I just need to measure up all the different pipes and connectors and order a bunch of new stuff. Also trying to decide if its worth the effort of replacing the connections to the heater matrix in their entirety or just cutting them leaving the existing pipes going through into the cabin. I can see this leading to me taking the dash out... It does need to come out at some point so I can replace the speedo cable anyway...
Also going to clean it all up a bit while I have a bit more space! Any other things I should consider taking a look at while the bonnet is off?
Temp repair to the pipe with ProSeal (can just about see it in pic below) appears to have held up on the trip home yesterday, but think I might take it somewhere and get it welded for a more permanent fix, need to give it a good check over first, as there is quite a bit of staining from coolant along the bottom of it. This could just be from the single leak, and the coolant travelling along the pipe, or it could be more holes.
As a bonus, I managed to collect the majority of the old coolant, and only got a small(ish) amount all over the garage floor!
Think that will do for now, though there may well be more questions coming along as I carry on tinkering!
Hi Jon..The red stuff could be rust in the water, Especially if the car has sat for a while..I would put the pipes back on and flush the system before putting it all back together...Replace the old coolant with fresh but make sure you buy the blue one..Dont use red or green..As andy say's..It could just be the pipe leaking at the top of the rad inlet..Fingers crossed as it will be a bugger to get out..If you are replacing the thermostat go for the brass type and not the cheapy as you will find yourself doing it all over again..Wiggle the old one out and save the outer rubber sealing ring as the new ones sometimes dont have them included..Fit a new gasket to the thermostat housing and use some sealant..When putting it back together do not over tighten the three retaining bolts as they can quite easily strip the thread..Its a bugger sometimes to stop it leaking from there..When fitting new pipe clamp the ends and not an inch in or it will leak again..Also get some new clips..Norma or norma high torque are good but not that dear..Howlfrauds sell them..Ziga
I don't know of anything that useful, someone may be able to suggest something useful. I always reverse flush, so basically using a good strong flow of water from a hose forcing water the opposite way round the radiator and engine than the normal flow unil the water exiting runs clear.
Someone else may have a better method.
Someone else may have a better method.
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