x flow overheating?
Discussion
hi all
had a westfield 1700x flow for a few weeks and what a fun car, although after around 10 minutes it appears to try and overheat as the temp gauge goes above 90. When it hits 90 i stop and the expansion tank is almost full. There is no thermostat so is this normal. I have flused the radiator and it is clear, the water pump (inspecting from above with engine running seems to be moving water (though not with much force!). I have checked the pipes and they are tight
any ideas much appreciated
dave
had a westfield 1700x flow for a few weeks and what a fun car, although after around 10 minutes it appears to try and overheat as the temp gauge goes above 90. When it hits 90 i stop and the expansion tank is almost full. There is no thermostat so is this normal. I have flused the radiator and it is clear, the water pump (inspecting from above with engine running seems to be moving water (though not with much force!). I have checked the pipes and they are tight
any ideas much appreciated
dave
Removing the thermostat is a bodge, it's not a proper solution to a problem. It might be worth flushing the whole system with a flushing agent, remove the radiator and empty out the sludge in it, replace the water pump and thermostat and refill with good coolant.
This assumes the fan is comng on when it should and the blades are turning !
This assumes the fan is comng on when it should and the blades are turning !
You might also want to join the boardroom on www.wscc.co.uk , the Westy owners club. You'll get loads of suggestions over there !
>> Edited by busa_rush on Monday 5th December 20:23
>> Edited by busa_rush on Monday 5th December 20:23
as said previous,don't remove the stat.Do you have an open non pressure cap on the cylinder head and a pressure one on the expansion bottle? Don't think that just because you have 'cleaned' the rad,that the cores are clear.Is the temp gauge reading correct,or is it out of calibration and what controls your cooling fan.Do you leave a bit of space in the expansion bottle,like 70% space? Crossflow can be tempermental in a westfield,but there are many cures.Is the cap a decent item,or an old cap that has lost its spring seal and letting by.have you got an airlock? Have you plumbed in a heater.Give us a few details and can help you further.
hi all,
thanks for the advice. To clarify there is no thermostat and the radiator was new in 2003, there is a pressure cap on the top of the cylinder head and a normal plastic cap on the expanasion bottle. After running for 10 minutes the expansion tanks fills almost to the top and the temp goes over 90. At this point i stop the car and the expansion tank level then slowly drops over around 10 minutes. I have flushed the radiator and checked connections, my next plan is to do complete engine flush, fit a thermostat, and if no improvement then to change the water pump.
cheers
dave
thanks for the advice. To clarify there is no thermostat and the radiator was new in 2003, there is a pressure cap on the top of the cylinder head and a normal plastic cap on the expanasion bottle. After running for 10 minutes the expansion tanks fills almost to the top and the temp goes over 90. At this point i stop the car and the expansion tank level then slowly drops over around 10 minutes. I have flushed the radiator and checked connections, my next plan is to do complete engine flush, fit a thermostat, and if no improvement then to change the water pump.
cheers
dave
Some more thoughts... from memory the pressure cap on the thermostat housing (near the head) should only allow water to get into the expansion tank when the pressure in the cooling system overcame the spring pressure in the cap. Therefore either the pressure in your cooling system is either genuinely too high because of a head gasket failure or something like that or the pressure cap doesn't have enough reach to seal the sprung bit (is it new?) and simply lets the water through or the pressure cap is knackered (is it old?) and lets water through under far less pressure.
Not sure if this will help or not, but i have a vulcan tuned 1700 Xflow westy and after having a few
puddles under the car i was told a spring cap should be avoided by the guys on the WSCC forums.
I replaced the spring cap for a blank one and it solved my problem just as they sugggested.
I was forever topping up the expansion tank before that.
My car touched 90ish in hot weather while sat in traffic but i have a manual fan i used to switch on (blowing not sucking) when it got near 80 odd and the car has a radiator from the V8 models it seems.
It's deffo worth a post over at www.wscc.co.uk, just click on the boardroom button and ask away.As someone else touched apon here, they can be a bit fiddly to get right and they all seem to be different in one way or another.Even having the expansion tank at the wrong height can cause issues for some etc.
puddles under the car i was told a spring cap should be avoided by the guys on the WSCC forums.
I replaced the spring cap for a blank one and it solved my problem just as they sugggested.
I was forever topping up the expansion tank before that.
My car touched 90ish in hot weather while sat in traffic but i have a manual fan i used to switch on (blowing not sucking) when it got near 80 odd and the car has a radiator from the V8 models it seems.
It's deffo worth a post over at www.wscc.co.uk, just click on the boardroom button and ask away.As someone else touched apon here, they can be a bit fiddly to get right and they all seem to be different in one way or another.Even having the expansion tank at the wrong height can cause issues for some etc.
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