Discussion
I had the rad changed on my 98 chimp a couple of weeks ago, and since then the temp guage indicates the car is running at 50-60 deg when warm, and only creeps up to 70 when in traffic for a long time. The fans now come pretty soone after start up and stay on from 50 deg upwards. I therefore removed the connector from the otter switch and it now runs at 80-90 on the go (not too cold today), creeping up in traffic - but not to the point that i've had to leap out and reconnect the fans yet.
Prior to changing the rad the fans came on at 95ish on the gauge. I'm therefore assuming that the guage is (reasonably) accurate - with the fans currently disconnected the car is not overheating when reading 95 deg.
Do otter switches ever pack-up so as to bring on the fans too early?
Cheers and season's greetings to all.
James
Prior to changing the rad the fans came on at 95ish on the gauge. I'm therefore assuming that the guage is (reasonably) accurate - with the fans currently disconnected the car is not overheating when reading 95 deg.
Do otter switches ever pack-up so as to bring on the fans too early?
Cheers and season's greetings to all.
James
Could be that the gauge is misreading (in which case you could be overheating your engine without knowing it), otherwise I would suspect that your stat isn't working correctly. There a plenty of faults that will make the car run too hot, but a missing/defective stat is just about the only thing that will make it run too cold.
Quite possible you still have air in the system that is causing false readings. Worth bleeding the system again as they can be troublesome. Do this with the heating on hot to ensure a correct flow. What happens is the sensor gets immersed in air rather than water and this causes the funny readings while the water gets hot quickly and trips the otter switch.
Bleeding is covered in the bible (several methods) and in the owner's handbook.
The otter switches usually fail O/C rather than comng on early.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
Bleeding is covered in the bible (several methods) and in the owner's handbook.
The otter switches usually fail O/C rather than comng on early.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
I'm with Peter on this.
Also lots of TVR places fit resistors into the temp gauge circuit to make the gauge read lower if the owner is complianing of high readings on the gauge with no apparent overheating. Don't forget a maodern system is pressurised and holds antifreze .. both ways to increase the working range of the coolant beyond 0-100C .. you could be over the gauge temp in reality and not know it.
Also lots of TVR places fit resistors into the temp gauge circuit to make the gauge read lower if the owner is complianing of high readings on the gauge with no apparent overheating. Don't forget a maodern system is pressurised and holds antifreze .. both ways to increase the working range of the coolant beyond 0-100C .. you could be over the gauge temp in reality and not know it.
Thanks for the advice - re bleeding cured the problem and around town the temp is back where it was at around 90, with the fans coming on at 95.
In the recent cold weather however the temp drops down to 60 on the motorway - could this be a faulty thermostat?
I've also noticed on cold mornings that the car is quick to stall. It idles fine (although at 1100, not significantly higher than when warm) and starts no problem, but for the first 60 seconds or so (manouevering out of the carpark), the revs dip initially when you first apply the throttle and you have to be quick to catch it. Is this a "characteristic" or should I expect it to pull away with no hesitation from cold?
Many thanks
James
In the recent cold weather however the temp drops down to 60 on the motorway - could this be a faulty thermostat?
I've also noticed on cold mornings that the car is quick to stall. It idles fine (although at 1100, not significantly higher than when warm) and starts no problem, but for the first 60 seconds or so (manouevering out of the carpark), the revs dip initially when you first apply the throttle and you have to be quick to catch it. Is this a "characteristic" or should I expect it to pull away with no hesitation from cold?
Many thanks
James
radzoule said:
I've also noticed on cold mornings that the car is quick to stall. It idles fine (although at 1100, not significantly higher than when warm) and starts no problem, but for the first 60 seconds or so (manouevering out of the carpark), the revs dip initially when you first apply the throttle and you have to be quick to catch it. Is this a "characteristic"
100%
just wait for over 60 seconds before trying to pull off 
M@H said:
I've also noticed on cold mornings that the car is quick to stall... Is this a "characteristic"
100%
Yup, 'they all do that, sir'. Especially when you fire the car up and two very attractive girls walk past giving very appreciative looks... that's when it's guaranteed to stall.
...happed to a mate of mine you see
I have had similar problems to you since changing my coolant, and the dodgy guage readings! Im convinced its an air lock and have bled my rad plus from the top of the mainfold. I have yet to try it this weekend to see if my fans now go off when stationary, i.e. click in and out maintaing the right temp... fingers crossed.
marc adams indeed, tornado chip, carbon trumpets and new induction goodies with k & n filter. followed by 2 hours on the rolling road. can,t wait to see what the diff. will be. according to tim at act, and i,ve seen the graph, it takes a 450 chim. from 240 bho to about 260, with loads more torque. mmmm peter
Thanks for the advice re the thermostat - I changed it (that was fun!) and the car now sits at a solid 80 on the gauge when cruising, regardless of air temp. The one I took out wasn't stuck open and was stamped 82 deg so I can only assume it opened too early.
The fans cut in and out in traffic and the temp rises to just under 100 deg on the dial. I have to say that I would prefer it to be a bit lower than this - presumably if the engines are designed for 82 deg stats they must be designed to operate optimally around that temp. Are lower rated Otter switches available? Also - I note the bible states the otter is either on the swirl pot or the block. Mine is on the l.h. side of the rad. This might explain why the engine temp is a bit higher when the fans cut in - I presume the rad must run slightly cooler than the block? Anyone have any thoughts?
On another note, how much of a "blowing" noise should a chimp make under acceleration, especially in a tall gear? If you plant your foot should you not really hear any more? The noise I get is not tappety or mechanical, but rather a rasping that detracts from the exhaust note. I asked the garage to check whether it was the manifold gaskets and they assured me they couldn't find a leak.
Thanks and happy spring motoring to all.
The fans cut in and out in traffic and the temp rises to just under 100 deg on the dial. I have to say that I would prefer it to be a bit lower than this - presumably if the engines are designed for 82 deg stats they must be designed to operate optimally around that temp. Are lower rated Otter switches available? Also - I note the bible states the otter is either on the swirl pot or the block. Mine is on the l.h. side of the rad. This might explain why the engine temp is a bit higher when the fans cut in - I presume the rad must run slightly cooler than the block? Anyone have any thoughts?
On another note, how much of a "blowing" noise should a chimp make under acceleration, especially in a tall gear? If you plant your foot should you not really hear any more? The noise I get is not tappety or mechanical, but rather a rasping that detracts from the exhaust note. I asked the garage to check whether it was the manifold gaskets and they assured me they couldn't find a leak.
Thanks and happy spring motoring to all.
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff