Suddenly started overheating

[Tanguero]

Started as slight overheating in slow trafic. Seems to have got worse so it starts after a few minutes of driving at normal speeds.

Cooling system is full and well bled. Both fans are coming on as normal.

Is there an easy way of checking that the water pump is functioning?

Any other suggestions?

[Old Geezer]

Simple things first!
Thermostat!
Typical symptoms runs hot in summer and take ages to heat up in winter.
I'd replace it straight away, get them on ebay all the time.
I even got one as a spare as soon as I got my Cerb.
TEST - Start from cold, if rad gets hot straight away it has gone!

2nd - Radiator core need cleaning as you have filled it up with dead bugs during enthusiastic summer drives.
Could do with a mesh, as my oil cooler was totally blocked recently.
BE VERY CARFUL WITH HIGH PRESSURE WASHERS!!

3rd still got an air lock. Squeeze the pipe to the rad and you should get coolant overflow out of filler with cap off. If it starts to bubble and go down there is still air in there somewhere.

4th Low on oil?


Goog luck!!

[Tanguero]

Old Geezer said:

Simple things first!
Thermostat!
Typical symptoms runs hot in summer and take ages to heat up in winter.
I'd replace it straight away, get them on ebay all the time.
I even got one as a spare as soon as I got my Cerb.
TEST - Start from cold, if rad gets hot straight away it has gone!

2nd - Radiator core need cleaning as you have filled it up with dead bugs during enthusiastic summer drives.
Could do with a mesh, as my oil cooler was totally blocked recently.
BE VERY CARFUL WITH HIGH PRESSURE WASHERS!!

3rd still got an air lock. Squeeze the pipe to the rad and you should get coolant overflow out of filler with cap off. If it starts to bubble and go down there is still air in there somewhere.

4th Low on oil?


Goog luck!!

Unfortunately the thermostat is fine and opening normaly at once up to temperature.

I will check the radiator more carefully - but last time I looked it seemed ok.

There really isn't an air lock.

Oil level is fine.

Tonight I plan to verify the temp gauge vs ECU vs pipe temp with IR thermometer but I am fairly convinced it isnt just the gauge

[caduceus]

Tanguero said:

I will check the radiator more carefully - but last time I looked it seemed ok.

So did mine, even though I took it for a pressure test and found it had expanded too much at some point and damaged itself. Got a recore done (138 quid) and saw the true extent of the blockage inside once the old one was off. Which I had stealthily engraved to eunsure its Identity.

Whip it off and get it tested. Not too hard to remove.

[Tanguero]

caduceus said:

Tanguero said:

I will check the radiator more carefully - but last time I looked it seemed ok.

So did mine, even though I took it for a pressure test and found it had expanded too much at some point and damaged itself. Got a recore done (138 quid) and saw the true extent of the blockage inside once the old one was off. Which I had stealthily engraved to eunsure its Identity.

Whip it off and get it tested. Not too hard to remove.

Will do, although this overheating started quite suddenly. I havn't had a problem at all in the year I have had the car and would expect a radiator blockage ot build up quite slowly.

[brakedust300]

Mine was doing the same and turned out to be the RAD had gone, hard to tell as the water was evaporating before it got a chance to pool, a re-core only cost £135 and i got it upgraded from a 3 to a 4 core and she's much better in traffic now.

[Tanguero]

The plot thickens.

I drove the car back from the body shop through heavy trafic this afternoon and the temperature periodicaly crept over 100 on the gauge - but then came down again with the fans. The gauge is overreading (surprise surprise!) but despite quite some time letting it sit idling I could not reproduce the level of overheating that I experienced a few days ago!

[caduceus]

Tanguero said:

The plot thickens.

I drove the car back from the body shop through heavy trafic this afternoon and the temperature periodicaly crept over 100 on the gauge - but then came down again with the fans. The gauge is overreading (surprise surprise!) but despite quite some time letting it sit idling I could not reproduce the level of overheating that I experienced a few days ago!