Discussion
Can anyone help, looking for some Advice...
I have bought a T350 (picked it up last week), been driving very happily over the last few days. Need to know if what I am experiencing is 'normal' or if I have cause for concern. Basically, the car takes the normal 5-10 minutes to get up to temperature and then displays the following in the display...
When moving
Water temp: 95 - 100
Oil temp: 80 - 85
When in traffic
water temp: 100 - 115
Oil temp: 85 - 90
Also, when the water goes up to around 110/115 a few times the radiator has discharged some water/steam (I know that this is a design feature that when they get to a given pressure they should be doing this) But just wonder if this is common with the car or if I should be getting it checked out / fixed.
Other than that, very very pleased with it though... Fantastic cars!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading...
Rich...
Both readings seem a little on the high side. Are the fans coming on? Could easily be a fault sensor, but with oil and water both being high I suggest just getting it checked over.
Did you buy from a TVR dealer? Take it back and have them check (if they're nice people they will).
t/.
Did you buy from a TVR dealer? Take it back and have them check (if they're nice people they will).
t/.
THanks, I've had an EVO and a Lotus in the past, but have been interested in TVR's ... Always imagined I would start with a Griff though but decided on the T350 as it sounds a little more up to date... Really blown away by the performance and handling, just amazing...
In answer to your question, The fans do come on and appear to be putting out some heat aswell (although the drivers side kicks out more heat, I am guessing this is because of the direction of water flow, therefore by the time it hits the seconds fan it is cooler than the first, if that makes sense). I am not ruling out an innacurate reading, it could be that the water temp is showing +10 Deg higher than it actually is, although I do take your point about both temperatures being high etc etc (I dont know what is considered a 'comfortable' oil temp basically).
If anyone has any other idea's great!!!
Thanks guys...
Mine read:
Normal fully warmed driving in this weather:
Water - 89-91
Oil - 70ish sometimes high 60s
Traffic jam
Water - 94-97 with fans cutting in/out
Oil - never much above 80
Which seems about right to me ... but mine could be underreading
Someone said the fans come on at 92 then 96 degs (2 stage). This might be a good reference point?
Your coolant should find its own level, probably about halfway down the expansion tank. Just make sure it doesn't get too low (below the side outlet) like I did once, got high temp readings due to low coolant/air zooming around the system. All fine when I topped it up.
Normal fully warmed driving in this weather:
Water - 89-91
Oil - 70ish sometimes high 60s
Traffic jam
Water - 94-97 with fans cutting in/out
Oil - never much above 80
Which seems about right to me ... but mine could be underreading
Someone said the fans come on at 92 then 96 degs (2 stage). This might be a good reference point? Your coolant should find its own level, probably about halfway down the expansion tank. Just make sure it doesn't get too low (below the side outlet) like I did once, got high temp readings due to low coolant/air zooming around the system. All fine when I topped it up.
Mine this time of year:
Fully warmed up driving along:
Water 88-91 Oil 60-75
In traffic:
Water 89-96 with fans turning on and off Oil Up to 80
I was told by my dealer that the fans are 2 stage, the first turning on at 92 and the second at 96.
Even at last weekend's trackday at Snetterton I did not see more than 98 for water and 85 for oil but I suspect I wasn't trying hard enough.
Cheers,
Howard
>> Edited by hwassall on Thursday 8th September 13:38
Fully warmed up driving along:
Water 88-91 Oil 60-75
In traffic:
Water 89-96 with fans turning on and off Oil Up to 80
I was told by my dealer that the fans are 2 stage, the first turning on at 92 and the second at 96.
Even at last weekend's trackday at Snetterton I did not see more than 98 for water and 85 for oil but I suspect I wasn't trying hard enough.
Cheers,
Howard
>> Edited by hwassall on Thursday 8th September 13:38
Same on mine:
Water normally around 90is & oil around 75ish.
Having a/c on seems to increase them slightly.
When I bought mine I was often sitting in traffic jams with water sensor reading around 115 & warnings going off. However this was just a dodgy sensor.
If though steam is pi55ing out then this is obviously not the case. Take it back to dealer for checking.
Probably something dead simple.
Water normally around 90is & oil around 75ish.
Having a/c on seems to increase them slightly.
When I bought mine I was often sitting in traffic jams with water sensor reading around 115 & warnings going off. However this was just a dodgy sensor.
If though steam is pi55ing out then this is obviously not the case. Take it back to dealer for checking.
Probably something dead simple.
It is running hotter than mine. How old is the car? If new, it sounds like the cooling system needs bleeding and repriming, maybe some air in there. If older, has it had the expansion tank mod?
Since I had the mod, it never runs water temp above 95 - previously it was roofing to 115, which eventually led to the head gasket giving up the ghost and a complete engine rebuild and 05 spec engine put in. It was done on warranty but even so the car was off the road for six weeks.
Since I had the mod, it never runs water temp above 95 - previously it was roofing to 115, which eventually led to the head gasket giving up the ghost and a complete engine rebuild and 05 spec engine put in. It was done on warranty but even so the car was off the road for six weeks.
Thanks for all of the replies so far... It is comming up to two years old (in December), has 9,000 miles on the clock. I dont think it has the additional expansion tank fitted to it, but it does have the flat type radiators with two fans side by side...
I presume that bleeding / reprimning the cooling system is a back to TVR garage job?? or can I attempt to do this myself?
Rich...
richardhadley said:
Thanks for all of the replies so far... It is comming up to two years old (in December), has 9,000 miles on the clock. I dont think it has the additional expansion tank fitted to it, but it does have the flat type radiators with two fans side by side...
I presume that bleeding / reprimning the cooling system is a back to TVR garage job?? or can I attempt to do this myself?
Rich...
You wouldn't by any chance be the same Richard Hadley that used to work for a company called Claritas in Teddington about five or so years ago?
OK, so having driven the car a couple of miles into work again this morning, I have decided I need to get it checked out.
Like I say, still getting to grips with TVR ownership, can anyone tell me if there is a central london TVR garage? (I know of the north london one but someone tells me there is one opening near kings cross?)
Thanks...
richardhadley said:
Can anyone help, looking for some Advice...
I have bought a T350 (picked it up last week), been driving very happily over the last few days. Need to know if what I am experiencing is 'normal' or if I have cause for concern. Basically, the car takes the normal 5-10 minutes to get up to temperature and then displays the following in the display...
When moving
Water temp: 95 - 100
Oil temp: 80 - 85
When in traffic
water temp: 100 - 115
Oil temp: 85 - 90
Also, when the water goes up to around 110/115 a few times the radiator has discharged some water/steam (I know that this is a design feature that when they get to a given pressure they should be doing this) But just wonder if this is common with the car or if I should be getting it checked out / fixed.
Other than that, very very pleased with it though... Fantastic cars!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading...
Rich...
Richard, does yours have the additional expansion tank? some of the early t350 did not have this, and there was an ober heating issue, and the extra tank was added. The post on here are about right for the oil and water, but if yours is this high, if you got it from a dealer, take it back and get a pressure test done on the car to make sure there is not a leak and you are loosing water, which might account for the high temps, or as other people have stated, get the sensors changed.
The last thing you want is a leak in the water system, and there there is an airlock around the fan sesnor switch at the back of the engine, as the fans will not come on, and your car could overheat and cook the engine.
Not scaremongering, but better check to be safe rather than sorry.
Mr F
richardhadley said:
OK, so having driven the car a couple of miles into work again this morning, I have decided I need to get it checked out.
Like I say, still getting to grips with TVR ownership, can anyone tell me if there is a central london TVR garage? (I know of the north london one but someone tells me there is one opening near kings cross?)
Thanks...
I do not think there is a service outlet in Central London. There is an independent in Hammersmith, but they might only know Rover V8s. I suggest TVR Centre in Barnet, which I guess is the one you are referring to.
From experience it sounds like you have a pinhole leak in your rad, probably offside edge of the rad. The hole is so tiny that it only loses water when the engine is really hot and this evaporates the leak so you never seek a puddle under the car. (Rad faults are common on early T350s- all the cars from my dealer had theirs changed.) Eventually (maybe 6-9 months) the hole gets big enough to leave a puddle.
The symptoms of the rad being cooler on one side (nearside i'd guess) point to an airlock caused by the loss of water. Don't let the dealer fob you off with "sensor faults". I had five fitted to mine before it finally left a puddle and I had to change the rad.... out of warranty!!!
A T350 shouldn't use any water (have you ever had a new car that DID use water.... and it was normal?). Anyway, if it does... you have a leak.
The symptoms of the rad being cooler on one side (nearside i'd guess) point to an airlock caused by the loss of water. Don't let the dealer fob you off with "sensor faults". I had five fitted to mine before it finally left a puddle and I had to change the rad.... out of warranty!!!
A T350 shouldn't use any water (have you ever had a new car that DID use water.... and it was normal?). Anyway, if it does... you have a leak.
My T350 has the expansion tank.
The manual said - fill to 10mm above neck..
Very dubious I thought as this only leaves about 2 square 2cm for expansion... so I tried it and guess what it expanded and came out the cap.
I tried the 1/2 up expansion tank method and it's fine - probably only using 1 inch per week : which is very acceptable.
I mentioned this to a well know indy who called the factory for me and they confirmed 1/2 way up expansion tank is correct - customer manual is wrong..
Hope that helps.
The manual said - fill to 10mm above neck..
Very dubious I thought as this only leaves about 2 square 2cm for expansion... so I tried it and guess what it expanded and came out the cap.
I tried the 1/2 up expansion tank method and it's fine - probably only using 1 inch per week : which is very acceptable.
I mentioned this to a well know indy who called the factory for me and they confirmed 1/2 way up expansion tank is correct - customer manual is wrong..
Hope that helps.
targarama said:
Mine read:
Normal fully warmed driving in this weather:
Water - 89-91
Oil - 70ish sometimes high 60s
Traffic jam
Water - 94-97 with fans cutting in/out
Oil - never much above 80
Mine mirror these readings to. It seems some people have had problems with the cooling system. I had mine checked and it had an air lock, it was causing my temps to run similar to yours.
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