temperature again

[chimburt]

on the way home yesterday the gauge ran up to just short of 100.
i got home, switched off, waited for the imobiliser to come on, then switched it back on. by the time i got back the temp had dropped to just short of 90.
when i switched back on ( to let the fans run ) the temp read about 80. the fans ran for about 5 mins and the gauge stayed put at just under 80, then the fans went off.
the cooling system on this thing is really getting on my nerves now - this may be why the car gets sold if i don't crack it.
worst thing is that when you let the car do it's thing at the roadside ( looking for fans on and off and all that sort of thing ), it behaves normally.

i was thinking of putting a battery operated temp sensor in. where to put the thermocouple? is there anything i can do to sort the standard temp gauge? do i just need to replace the sender?
any ideas much appreciated.

[AllTorque]

Just hope that any potential future owners don't read your posts on here!

[RCA]

Whats up with it??????, it sounds ok, fans working etc... what do you want it to do???

[tamago]

hello
get a mod wise 2 stage cooling kit - i have one and now my water temp stays at 85 most of the time, instead of swinging to 100 and down to 95 when the full fans kick in...
i guess most of the time my half speed fans are on but i'd rather have that than for the car to sit at temps nearing 100...
it is pretty simple to fix (plug in and tie the sensor on the lower rad hose) and hey presto...wonder why TVR don't fit these as standard...good luck!

[chimburt]

i'll look into the mod-wise kit. was thinking of putting in a delay on fan 2 to stop the fan fuse blowing ( i'm on #3 ), or taking a feed off the starter motor supply to prevent this.

thing that's bothering me though is the indications on the temp gauge. ( plus/minus 10 deg )
it's not giving information, it's spreading chaos and panic!

any ideas on that anyone?

[david beer]

The temp guage will read lower without the engine running as the alternator is not kicking out 14+Volts. The guages are really for you to notice unusual "mood changes". If you get used to seeing 90 when the fans are on and one day its 100, its time to check things out. The fans actually only take around 10 amps when running but the turn on surge is way above that, mine around 18. By having fans on first at half speed(half current) the fuse doesnt get the big "shock". Of course you could take the second fan supply from the starter motor and see big cooling gains as well as saving fuses. Then go that liitle bit further with fan run on after ignition off.

[shpub]

I am assuming that you have checked that the coolent levels are normal. Low levels will cause this type of fluctuation.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[chimburt]

thanks for your help chaps. wondered if the reading difference was just a reference thing.

will carry out checks and let you all know. sounds like mod-wise with starter add on, assuming everything else is ok, this may just make me calm down a bit.

you'll have to excuse me, i do get worked up about this....