Running Temperature

[petros]

What is the normal running temp for a 450 chim. once the engine is hot? My gauge reads about 70 whilst moving but jumps up to just over 90 before the fans bring it down when stuck in traffic. Tend to use the overide switch at 80 now to stop her getting to hot.

[Big Al.]

Sounds about right! My 4.0 was about the same.

[parrot of doom]

Same here.

Personally I wouldn't bother with the switch, my last 3 cars all ran optimally at 90.

[steve1c]

3rded and agreed

[jonnyb]

Sounds about right, The temp the fans come on will depend on the otter switch, its usually about 92. If you want it lower you can fit the leven cooling kit and thats an 82 otter I think.

[coach]

Yep
My 450 does the same

C

[pullingpower]

Diddo.
Forget about it!

[chimhunter]

Fans come on at just over 70 in mine, with the usual temp a tad over 80. I get worried if it gets up to 90, but its only done that once with no after effects.

Rob

[GreenV8S]

I suspect your gauge is innacurate chimhunter, because 70 degrees is way below the target running temperature and the stat would be firmly closed at that point.

[Fire99]

Hi There,

My 450 When on a motorway will indicate around 72-75 ish and around town its around the 80ish.
When stuck in traffic the guage will climb to 90 and around 90ish the fan cuts in..
At worst it will reach 95 when in a Jam.

The guages are not 100% accurate and the thermostats i believe vary a touch from car to car but under most driving conditions if the guage stays within the realms of around 70 - 90 i wouldnt be concerned.

I do believe the motto, if its not broken, dont fix it and yours sounds fine to me.

The cooling kits i think are great for cars that are tending to boil but if your car is running fine now it may run too cool with the cooling kit. Especially on a Motorway run.

So cutting to the chase, if she warms up ok and doesnt boil in traffic. Just keep the coolant level checked, check for leaks and watch she doesnt boil.

cheers,

Nick

[chimhunter]

GreenV8S said:

I suspect your gauge is innacurate chimhunter, because 70 degrees is way below the target running temperature and the stat would be firmly closed at that point.

Quite possibly it is, but I was always told that you need to know your car's habbits, and when it stops doing the "usual" thing, something is going on. For me, 72 for the fans and 82-ish is usual. When it hits 90 I'll get worried but touch wood, its not done that yet.

Rob

[razorman]

chimhunter said:

Fans come on at just over 70 in mine, with the usual temp a tad over 80. I get worried if it gets up to 90, but its only done that once with no after effects. Rob

If I am reading this correctly then your fans are on most of the time after she has warmed up. Will this do any damage?
I only ask as I didn't know if I should be concerned about getting stuck in traffic with the fans cutting in and out all the time.

[Fire99]

When stuck in traffic, the fans will cut in and out.

I would suggest reading the Steve Heath buyers guide for the Chimaera where it states the operating temperature being normally around 70 - 90 degrees with the fans cutting in between 90 and 92 degrees or lower.

The TVR bible (which is worth reading) goes into detail about it all..

TVR's are not like youre average car as they are plastic bodied which means they dont radiate heat through the body panels, hence the big 'slashes' down the sides of the bonnet.

If under normal driving conditions its running between 70 and 90 then thats fine. In traffic the fans will cut in and out every few minutes.. and so long as the temperature doesnt climb beyond 90 -95 degrees.. all is well.

[razorman]

Fire99 - Thanks for the response, she seems to respond exactly as you say so all seems well. It's just good to have some reassurance sometimes when what you are driving is, as you say, far from "normal". (in a great way of course)

[Fire99]

razorman said:

Fire99 - Thanks for the response, she seems to respond exactly as you say so all seems well. It's just good to have some reassurance sometimes when what you are driving is, as you say, far from "normal". (in a great way of course)

No worries mate...

Yeah i know what you mean. How many other (modern) cars can see the temperature needle move while you watch it??

Believe me the first week or two of owning mine im surprised i didnt have an accident as i had one eye on the road and the other eye scanning the temperature and oil pressure guages!!

I would make sure you check your water level every week and check for any leaks at the same time as a precaution!

Thats not a scaremonger tactic just that The Chimaera cooling system works fine so long as it is in A1 condition but if you run it low on water or if it gets a leak and the system pressure goes low you may get overheating trouble just when you dont want it. (Hot day and unexpected Traffic Jam!)

Mine has been in some stonking traffic jams now and absolute max has been 95 degrees and not a degree higher and the garage has confirmed that all is A OK!

Believe me you enjoy your car a whole lot more once youre confident everything is working ok..

enjoy,

Nick

[steven.collett]

Its certainly very interesting and definately reassuring to hear everyones comments about "normal" running temps. I was frightened to death when I first got my chimaera and saw how much variety there could be in the position of the temp needle and have been massively relieved to find mine runs at what everyone seems to regard as normal. Anyway, enough waffle - I've just had the rad replaced and everything appears to be OK but it does seem to struggle to keep the temp below 95. I have checked the coolant and it seems to be OK but when i release the reservoir cap I get a pressure realease and gargling sound which worries me. The first time out after this happened initially I was concerned so checked the coolant again and it needed about half a pint to top it up. I checked it again on Monday and got the same pressure release and gargling, so gave the car a good run (running temp was OK) and checked it again after it had coooled down and got the same pressure realease and gargling but the coolant level seemed OK this time.
Anyone have any suggestions about why this could be happening and what the concequences might be?

[parrot of doom]

You may have put TCP in there instead of coolant.

[razorman]

parrot of doom said:

You may have put TCP in there instead of coolant.

I know this doesn't help but I just

[victormeldrew]

I fitted an oil temp gauge, and since then haven't been nearly as concerned about the water temp, which goes up and down like a tarts knickers. Round town the oil runs around 70, water 80-90. On motorways the reverse. If I ever get both reading 90+ at the same time then I'll be reaching for the ignition key, but I don't ever expect to see that.

I do have a large capacity ally rad fitted as well. Sat at idle you can watch the fand kicking in as the temp rises; with the ally rad they kick in and out very quickly as the rad drops the water temp very quickly once air is passing over it. I don't think I can recall the fans staying on for more than 10 seconds or so.

All in all, temp worries with my 500 are a thing of the past!

[Podie]

Fire99 said:

The Chimaera cooling system works fine so long as it is in A1 condition but if you run it low on water or if it gets a leak and the system pressure goes low you may get overheating trouble just when you dont want it. (Hot day and unexpected Traffic Jam!)

I'd agree with you on that one

When I bought my Chimaera the radiator was looking a little sorry for itself, so had it replaced (with a larger core) and also had the Leven cooling kit (lower temp stat and some Water wetter) fitted. Result? No overheating issues, and a far more relaxed driver


Oh, and nice to meet you the other day.