Heat-related questions
Discussion
Hi everyone,
Just been out for a play in my new toy, and now I have a couple of questions for those of you who know how these things work...
1. The car hasn't been used for a few days and now seems to be running a bit hotter than it was before (used to be 80 on the road, 90 in traffic; now 87 on the road, 96 or so in traffic). It warmed up more quickly than usual, too. The fans are working fine. Anything I should be worried about? There was plenty of coolant in the cooling system before I left.
2. The T5 box seems to be a bit difficult to shift into 3rd from 2nd when the car is hot. This could be down to a number of things I suppose, but is it worth considering replacing the oil for starters?
Sorry these are such basic questions, but I promise I'll ask something a bit more intelligent once I get the hang of the Griff.
>>> Edited by SGirl on Thursday 22 August 17:13
Just been out for a play in my new toy, and now I have a couple of questions for those of you who know how these things work...
1. The car hasn't been used for a few days and now seems to be running a bit hotter than it was before (used to be 80 on the road, 90 in traffic; now 87 on the road, 96 or so in traffic). It warmed up more quickly than usual, too. The fans are working fine. Anything I should be worried about? There was plenty of coolant in the cooling system before I left.
2. The T5 box seems to be a bit difficult to shift into 3rd from 2nd when the car is hot. This could be down to a number of things I suppose, but is it worth considering replacing the oil for starters?
Sorry these are such basic questions, but I promise I'll ask something a bit more intelligent once I get the hang of the Griff.
>>> Edited by SGirl on Thursday 22 August 17:13
Not sure about the temp part, but my T5 box used to be temperamental too. It's favourite trick was to baulk between 2nd and 3rd at high rpm, but that seems a bit better now. It also used to be very stiff (esp 1st and 2nd) when cold, but that seems to be OK now.
Weird. Conclusion: It's a TVR.
Weird. Conclusion: It's a TVR.
The warm weather can make a difference of a few degrees, but check your not losing fluid over the next few days and make sure the blue cap on the header tank is tight.
Have you got a splitter fitted, on my Griff this makes a noticeable difference in warm weather by significantly reducing the forward speed you need for non-fan assisted cooling.
Do you have a fan override switch fitted, this is nearly an essential mod. As soon as you get into slow traffic and the fans come on then I switch in the override until either the temp comes back down to around 80 or I’ve started moving again.
I only seem to have these issues during hot summer weather, the rest of the year the temp behaves unless there’s something else wrong.
As for the T5 box, yes mine sometimes seems stiffer than it should be and then gets better again, it’s a 1997 model and has always been like that.
Cheers,
Simon.
Have you got a splitter fitted, on my Griff this makes a noticeable difference in warm weather by significantly reducing the forward speed you need for non-fan assisted cooling.
Do you have a fan override switch fitted, this is nearly an essential mod. As soon as you get into slow traffic and the fans come on then I switch in the override until either the temp comes back down to around 80 or I’ve started moving again.
I only seem to have these issues during hot summer weather, the rest of the year the temp behaves unless there’s something else wrong.
As for the T5 box, yes mine sometimes seems stiffer than it should be and then gets better again, it’s a 1997 model and has always been like that.
Cheers,
Simon.
quote:
The T5 box seems to be a bit difficult to shift into 3rd from 2nd when the car is hot. This could be down to a number of things I suppose, but is it worth considering replacing the oil for starters?
You've probably got it in one with the oil change. From memory, it's due every 12,000 miles, when was it last changed? My Chimaera had just this problem and was a lot better after the 12,000 mile service.
Guess I've been lucky so far as ive had no problems with the gears in my 96 Griffith(t5).
Also have had a bit of a problem with getting hot latley and took my Rad in to be pressure tested as it was leaking from what i now Know to be the Daf Tank end and in the corner as i believe is the usual place.
Simon
Also have had a bit of a problem with getting hot latley and took my Rad in to be pressure tested as it was leaking from what i now Know to be the Daf Tank end and in the corner as i believe is the usual place.
Simon
As a relatively new owner myself (3 1/2 months), I am also on the TVR learning curve. My on the road temperature reads on average about 75-80 but from what I've read, the gauges are not necessarily accurate.
A week or so back I was stuck in traffic and watched the temp needle rise above 100, it was fairly stationary traffic and I didn't hear the fans come on. I knew they worked as I had seen them come on when I first went to look at the car. When I checked the fuse the 40 amp fan fuse looked like it had blown, I had a spare, and since replacing, it the fans are working fine. Its worth keeping a spare fuse which, I believe, are only available from the dealers.
Might also be worth checking your oil, I believe this also has a bearing on cooling and these beasts burn a litre every thousand miles or so. I did come across some notes about overheating on the Mole Valley site which may be of interest:
www.tvrservice.co.uk/Tips.htm
I also find that my gear change becomes generally "stiffer" as the car gets hot, up to a point, but then doesn't get any worse and I have learned to live with it. Although I would rather it changed like it does when its cold. I have also read that a change of gearbox oil may help. Logically you would think things would be stiff until they warm up, so not really sure about this one. Tend to agree with Simpo. It's a TVR, but great fun!
A week or so back I was stuck in traffic and watched the temp needle rise above 100, it was fairly stationary traffic and I didn't hear the fans come on. I knew they worked as I had seen them come on when I first went to look at the car. When I checked the fuse the 40 amp fan fuse looked like it had blown, I had a spare, and since replacing, it the fans are working fine. Its worth keeping a spare fuse which, I believe, are only available from the dealers.
Might also be worth checking your oil, I believe this also has a bearing on cooling and these beasts burn a litre every thousand miles or so. I did come across some notes about overheating on the Mole Valley site which may be of interest:
www.tvrservice.co.uk/Tips.htm
I also find that my gear change becomes generally "stiffer" as the car gets hot, up to a point, but then doesn't get any worse and I have learned to live with it. Although I would rather it changed like it does when its cold. I have also read that a change of gearbox oil may help. Logically you would think things would be stiff until they warm up, so not really sure about this one. Tend to agree with Simpo. It's a TVR, but great fun!
I got stuck on the M40 a few weeks back for 3 hours in 'orrible traffic, hot sunshine with a bootfull of gear so nowhere to stow the roof. Engine temp hovered between 98 and 105, fans off and on all the way, no ill effects noticed other than cockpit temp of @ 120, lost 3 stone (not a bad thing) and I nearly died of de-hydration.
sgirl, check both fans come on at a reasonable temp, the gauges are fairly accurate but not calibrated so while they may be 10 degrees out they usually will always be 10 degrees out. I checked mine with an IR temp reader and for 95 on the gauge I got 106 on the IR reader. Oil consumtion can be scarey depending on which you use...Mobil 1 300/500 miles per liter, better (IMO) stuff 1000+ per litre. You could have a thermostat stuck partially closed so change it if you think there is a prob (cheap & easy) I find ATF works well in the gearbox once warmed up, not so sticky.....and about this 3 counties thing....
>> Edited by apache on Thursday 22 August 22:47
>> Edited by apache on Thursday 22 August 22:47
quote:
. When I checked the fuse the 40 amp fan fuse looked like it had blown, I had a spare, and since replacing, it the fans are working fine. Its worth keeping a spare fuse which, I believe, are only available from the dealers.
I managed to get some 40A fuses from our Garage at work and beleive many a truck uses them so maybe a visit to the local Leyland truck Garage might help get u some spares.
Simon
Thanks for all your input!
The engine oil was changed about 1500 miles ago, but the last owner put Motaquip in instead of Mobil 1. Not quite sure about this, I think I'll change it to something else in another 1500 or so miles - any recommendations, apart from Mobil 1? I check the oil every other time I take the car out and top it up. There are no obvious leaks in the cooling system, unless it's sprung any in the last week or so since I bled the rad.
Both fans cut in at around 90 degrees. The car has a numberplate stuck on its nose rather than on the bar at the front, so there's not a lot getting in the way of the air flow either (except the TVR badge
). There are leaves and stuff around the base of the rad that keep coming back whenever I take the car out, surely that couldn't make a big difference??
Well, today is going to be a bit cooler, so maybe I should go and have a drive and see what happens. Any excuse!!
Thanks also for the gearbox feedback - I'm glad they all do that... ATF sounds like a good idea, I'll give that a go. I've been double declutching to get the shift into 3rd when the engine is hot, or alternatively I find that shouting at it works too. Not recommended if you want to look like a cool sports car driver, though!
The engine oil was changed about 1500 miles ago, but the last owner put Motaquip in instead of Mobil 1. Not quite sure about this, I think I'll change it to something else in another 1500 or so miles - any recommendations, apart from Mobil 1? I check the oil every other time I take the car out and top it up. There are no obvious leaks in the cooling system, unless it's sprung any in the last week or so since I bled the rad.
Both fans cut in at around 90 degrees. The car has a numberplate stuck on its nose rather than on the bar at the front, so there's not a lot getting in the way of the air flow either (except the TVR badge
). There are leaves and stuff around the base of the rad that keep coming back whenever I take the car out, surely that couldn't make a big difference?? Well, today is going to be a bit cooler, so maybe I should go and have a drive and see what happens. Any excuse!!
Thanks also for the gearbox feedback - I'm glad they all do that... ATF sounds like a good idea, I'll give that a go. I've been double declutching to get the shift into 3rd when the engine is hot, or alternatively I find that shouting at it works too.
Not recommended if you want to look like a cool sports car driver, though!SGirl,
My Griff runs at the same temperatures as yours did.
In France however, because it is warmer, it ran a bit hotter. As soon as I got back to the UK, it cooled down again.
I think it is just as simple as that.
I don't have an over ride switch either - it doesn't need it as long as your thermostats and fans are working properly. At least, that is my experience.
My Griff runs at the same temperatures as yours did.
In France however, because it is warmer, it ran a bit hotter. As soon as I got back to the UK, it cooled down again.
I think it is just as simple as that.
I don't have an over ride switch either - it doesn't need it as long as your thermostats and fans are working properly. At least, that is my experience.
quote:
In France however, because it is warmer, it ran a bit hotter. As soon as I got back to the UK, it cooled down again.
I did wonder if the ambient temperature had anything to do with it, but it ran hotter yesterday than it did last Saturday, and yesterday was several degrees cooler weather-wise. With any luck I'm just suffering from New Owner Paranoia - cheaper than repairs if bad for the stress levels!!
quote:
I don't have an over ride switch either - it doesn't need it as long as your thermostats and fans are working properly. At least, that is my experience.
I'm glad you said that - I don't have one either. I was considering getting one, but as you say - if everything works as it should, no need to worry. If anything stops working, then we'll see.
Thanks!
quote:
or alternatively I find that shouting at it works too.
I have not tried shouting at Little Nelly .. im not sure she will respond well. Maybe I will give her another rub down with canuba wax .. I like stroking those curves
quote:
I don't have an over ride switch either - it doesn't need it as long as your thermostats and fans are working properly. At least, that is my experience.
Tis true but as the otter switch is probably the most unreliable bit of kit in the cooling system, most overheating is caused by the fans not switching on because the switch is broken. Ihave as advocated in the bible and LED that tells me that the switch has tripped or not. If the temp is rising into fan on regions and the LED is not glowing, flick the overide and see what happens. If temp goes down, carry on until you get somewhere sensible. If not the chances are it will boil over in the middle of nowhere when you least want it to do. It is just a bit of insurance. You can also turn the fans on early which can be a big help if you need to nurse the car due to some other problem.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
quote:
Steve, according to the diagram your led will only show that the fan relay has closed, if the fan has failed you will still get the led coming on. Being picky maybe but worth knowing about
Yes tis true but the temp will soon start to rise if the fans are not working so if the guage reads 100 and the LED is still on, you know there is something wrong. Basically use it with the other instruments.
You could add one to the fans but it would only show that power had been applied and not that the fans were working. They could be faulty, jammed or something so you are back to square 1.
Nothing wrong with a bit of paranoia though as long as you rmember KISS...
Steve
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