Overheating or not?

[PaulK]

Hi good people, I am wondering if you can help me. Had the Cerbera parked up for a few months due to being a sad person and not using it enough never mind, anyway got it out started first time all seemed ok. After about 5mins or so the temperature went up to 100 then 105 then off the gauge . By this time getting really worried stopped the car lifts bonnet and nothing no steam no boiling or anything water level ok etc. Fans were even working. However when I turned off the ignition the fans stopped when I turned the ignition back on a couple of seconds later the fans did not restart, which they have done in the past. Also I have noticed when I now lock the car the alarm makes a high pitched squeal which it has never done before.

Checked all the fuses and they seem to be ok let the car fully cool down and tried again and the same thing happened very confused now.

The car has had Joo’s wonderful cooling chip mod which up until now has been fantastic and kept the temp around 90 or so whatever the temp outside. Also when the temp was off the gauge the heater was not really really hot it was hot but not as you would expect any ideas whould be greatly appreciated.

It may just be the gauge but it may be more serious and I really don’t want to risk driving it to HHC (around 60miles) to get sorted if I am going to cause serious damage

Cheers

Paul

[RUSSELLM]

1st one sounds like an airlock & the coolant system needs bleeding.

Second one sounds like a TVR favourite..... Knackered alarm siren (the battery enclosed inside it)

[PaulK]

Thanks RussellM never thought of the system airlocking my give it a bleed any thing to be aware of before I go blundering in and have to get it towed to HHC?

Cheers

Oh the alarm siren I will check that as well thanks

[RUSSELLM]

You should be able to search for a thread on bleeding it, I tend to not touch anything myself, as I normally break stuff

But I've watched various mechanics bleed the old car














Typing that has made me realise what a lazy ba5tard I am

[PaulK]

Yes I know I would much prefer someone else to do it as most things crumble to dust at my slightest touch But will have to try and get it stable before I take it to somebody who knows what they are doing.

Thanks again

[southendpier]

I think bleeding the system is fairly simple since the bleed valve is dead easy to get to. Be worth it. Even I had a go!

[PaulK]

Is it the two tap things around the head area? I could try them first and see if it makes a difference.

[caduceus]

It is those two butterfly taps, but they are a pig to get ondone sometimes. ALOT of WD40 is needed.

There is a bleed nut on the top of the rad too.

Love those 18" racelines by the way! Don't see them too often.

[PaulK]

Thank you I have had the racelines for a lot of years they were my first upgrade. they were hard to get as there had been a lot of scares with them cracking. I have had no issues as yet (touching lots of wood) Tony at HHC sorted them for me.

I do think they look better than the spirders on a cerb, but thats just my opinion.

Will get out the WD40 and give it a go thanks

Paul

[kojak]

caduceus said:

It is those two butterfly taps, but they are a pig to get ondone sometimes. ALOT of WD40 is needed.

There is a bleed nut on the top of the rad too.

Think Jools says no need to touch the 2 butterfly taps. Just use the brass nut on the red. Thats all I used too.

Edited by kojak on Wednesday 14th May 17:17

[knowall]

hi, have you noticed if the rad is getting hot? if not you will need to replace the thermostat, they get sticky after a period of non use!also if the car has been laid up for some time but was ok before in order to get an air lock you will of needed to loose fluid has this been the case?

[JensenA]

Park the car so it's nose is slightly higher than the back, fill the expansion tank, then undo the nut on the radiator, tighten it when water starts coming out. (And keep topping up the expansionr tank if neccassary)

[Nefarious]

Personally, now that I know getting the laptop hooked up is so easy, I'd check the temps that the ECU is reading before I did anything else - the gauge in the car is not the most reliable of things.

[kojak]

I'd also get a coolant chip from 'trackcar' when you have sorted your problem out...thats assuming you havent already put one in. I no longer worry when stuck in traffic. Best money i've spent.

[PaulK]

Thanks for all your advice. I will give them a go. It might be the thermostat as the car worked fine before I parked it up. I have the Trackcar chip and I agree its the best upgrade I have done keeps the car at 90 or so all the time (well it did before this happened )

Cheers

Paul

[David Smith]

wotcha ...

Ive changed all my water pipes rad thermostat about 8 months ago and she hadnt moved since

been a nightmare every thing i touched turned into an issue but thats another story ...

took her out for a run tonight - wow almost like driving a cerb again for the first time!

lots of temp guage flickering held temp on move but then boiled up on driveway.

fans on ok rad only partially warm ... top hose warm bottom hose cold bled with engine off rad all warm run up again and to be honest not sure what it was doing.

So long story short idiots guide to bleeding please .... goner do a search now ???

Thanks DAS

[Allandwf]

This is how I did mine, worked for me. Removed expansion bottle top and radiator bleed plug on the top offside, filled expansion bottle until water started to come out, had to run engine on idle . refitted that plug. Ran until thermostat openeded, continued filling. once full still with engine running, opened bleed taps on the metal cooling pipes to engine until bubbles stopped. Closed. allowed to cool and then rechecked level.
Don't run for long enough to pressurise the system and have the fans running or you will get boiling water out the taps.

[David Smith]

thanks allan ...

still no joy ...

goner give up and see what my local mot man makes of it

[trackcar]

Paul .. on my chips if you turn of the car when the fans are running they won't re-start until the engine is doing over 400rpm .. it's so the fans don't take power away from the starter motor on a hot start and teh temp is still over the fan-on threshhold, as soon as the revs are over 400rpm the fans will start up again until teh coolant temp returns below the fan off threshhold

[Storer]

Trackcar
Does your chip allow the fans to continue running after the engine is switched off?

My 4.5 tends to run at about 80deg while travelling at 60 to 70 mph and only rises to 90+ when going slowly or stationary. Fans seem to cut in at about 95deg one first then both.

I know the temp gauge runs about 10 degrees above actual.

What exactly does your chip do?