Car running too cool!
Discussion
RossMac said:
Coming back from Southampton on Sunday I noticed when I got home the engine temp was only 55, should I change my otter or Thermostat for winter?
swap for mine? See my post below
That's going from one extreme to the other, bloody car will end up with flu!
Too cool implies a faulty/missing thermostat. You can hide the symptoms by blocking off the rad, but this isn't a very good solution as it means the cooling system is effectively uncontrolled, you would get as much cooling as you get airflow regardless of whether this is more or less than you need. Faulty stats often fail in the 'half open' position so a stat that doesn't close properly may also prevent you from getting full cooling when you need it. Better to fix the fault by replacing the stat.
Some people like to drill a small hole through the stat to introduce a deliberate leak, this makes it easier to bleed but means that even when the stat is nominally closed there is still some water flow through the rad. In very cold conditions when the engine is lightly loaded, even this tiny flow can be enough to overcool the engine. If you expect to spend a lot of time in freezing conditions then you need to make sure the thermostat seals properly and hasn't got any extra holes drilled in it. If it's only once or twice a year then you might decide to put up with it.
Some people like to drill a small hole through the stat to introduce a deliberate leak, this makes it easier to bleed but means that even when the stat is nominally closed there is still some water flow through the rad. In very cold conditions when the engine is lightly loaded, even this tiny flow can be enough to overcool the engine. If you expect to spend a lot of time in freezing conditions then you need to make sure the thermostat seals properly and hasn't got any extra holes drilled in it. If it's only once or twice a year then you might decide to put up with it.
Yes I concur with SHPUB, I drove my Woseley 1500 home from Barking to Southend one late night in middle of winter. Could'nt get heater to work at all and inside windscreen froze solid
Had to stop and found that the whole radiator had froze solid
Blanked it off with cardboard 
and run the engine till it was working proper again and made my way home.
This was 35 years ago - some things never change
Had to stop and found that the whole radiator had froze solid
Blanked it off with cardboard and run the engine till it was working proper again and made my way home. This was 35 years ago - some things never change
When I first bought mine a couple of years ago the temp (esp in the winter) always read between 55 and 70. Never getting any hotter. Couldn't really understand it.
Then one day sitting in traffic noticed it suddenly jumped up 20 degrees or so, then back down, then up and so on.
Eventually it settled in the 20 degrees higher position (which I believe to be the correct reading) and has stayed there since. I guess the temp sensor was just a bit sticky for a while.
Now the fans come on at an indicated 89ish degrees (which I think is correct).
One way of checking is to see what your readout is showing when the fans click on, as the otter switch is seperate to the temp sensor.
>> Edited by _dan_ on Thursday 2nd December 18:12
Then one day sitting in traffic noticed it suddenly jumped up 20 degrees or so, then back down, then up and so on.
Eventually it settled in the 20 degrees higher position (which I believe to be the correct reading) and has stayed there since. I guess the temp sensor was just a bit sticky for a while.
Now the fans come on at an indicated 89ish degrees (which I think is correct).
One way of checking is to see what your readout is showing when the fans click on, as the otter switch is seperate to the temp sensor.
>> Edited by _dan_ on Thursday 2nd December 18:12
I had this problem last Spring. I called at my local dealer to buy a thermostat, but the workshop manager advised me to change the gauge temp sensor, as this is a common problem. On a serpentine it lives behind the distributor and is almost impossible to see without taking the dizzy cap off.
This immediately cured the low readings on the gauge.
Make sure you get the correct one for your engine as serp and pre-serp are different. Cost was about a tenner. BTW don't confuse it with the temp sensor for the injection.
Paul.
This immediately cured the low readings on the gauge.
Make sure you get the correct one for your engine as serp and pre-serp are different. Cost was about a tenner. BTW don't confuse it with the temp sensor for the injection.
Paul.
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