Cooling system issues
Discussion
I've got a few concerns regarding the coolant temperature of my S1 Elise. I've read through pretty much all of the postings on this, but I'm still a bit confused!
I've owned the car for about a month now. When I first took it for a decent drive I noticed that the temperature on the stack display fluctuated quite erratically - anything from about 65 to 83 (fan still cut in OK when left stationary for a while). About two weeks ago I replaced the blue temperature sender and ever since the temperature's been fine - rising steadily up to about 85 and then staying there. This has been the case for the past two weeks (I've covered approximately 200 miles since). However, on the way home from work this evening it started playing up again. It seems to fluctuate the most if I give it some loud pedal on the twisty roads.
Another odd thing is that the coolant level in the expansion tank doesn't seem to change - when the engine's cold it's on minimum, but when it's hot it is too. The coolant seems pretty clean - no evidence of any nasties. Oil is as it should be.
Does anyone know what this might be? I was thinking it could be the wiring to the temperature sender or an air lock. It just seems very strange that it was fine for two weeks - perfect in fact - but has reared it's head again.
I've owned the car for about a month now. When I first took it for a decent drive I noticed that the temperature on the stack display fluctuated quite erratically - anything from about 65 to 83 (fan still cut in OK when left stationary for a while). About two weeks ago I replaced the blue temperature sender and ever since the temperature's been fine - rising steadily up to about 85 and then staying there. This has been the case for the past two weeks (I've covered approximately 200 miles since). However, on the way home from work this evening it started playing up again. It seems to fluctuate the most if I give it some loud pedal on the twisty roads.
Another odd thing is that the coolant level in the expansion tank doesn't seem to change - when the engine's cold it's on minimum, but when it's hot it is too. The coolant seems pretty clean - no evidence of any nasties. Oil is as it should be.
Does anyone know what this might be? I was thinking it could be the wiring to the temperature sender or an air lock. It just seems very strange that it was fine for two weeks - perfect in fact - but has reared it's head again.
Could be a bad ground. The main ground points are on the main chassis beam on the left side of the car. One in the engine compartiment, the other in the front service panel.
Could also be that the plug on the loom that attaches to the blue sender has corrosion on it. May be a good idea to disconnect and then hit it with some contact cleaner and re-attach.
Bye, Arno.
Could also be that the plug on the loom that attaches to the blue sender has corrosion on it. May be a good idea to disconnect and then hit it with some contact cleaner and re-attach.
Bye, Arno.
jons_s3 said:
However, on the way home from work this evening it started playing up again. It seems to fluctuate the most if I give it some loud pedal on the twisty roads.
What's the fluctuation variance in this case. When you give it some beans on an open road you'll find the temp drops as airflow over the rad increases.
Thanks for the tips! I'll check the wiring/earthing issues first. The fluctuations are fairly high (probably 20 degrees or so) so it sounds like it could be electrical. I'm still not sure about the level in the expansion tank though - I thought this was supposed to increase to the maximum mark when the engine's hot, but mine stays on the same level irrespective of temperature.
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