Discussion
Hello all. I had a problem on the M25 a couple of weeks ago, resulting in the Chim blowing steam out of the swirlpot. Took it to The Ofirds, who informed me that the valley gasket had blown. £450 later and I have noticed that the temperature seems to go between about 70 and 92 degrees. It does seem to climb up and down. Is this OK? Should I be looking for another problem? Have the guys at the garage done their job properly????
HELP!!!
HELP!!!
My 400 runs 70 water temp in normal traffic inc mways etc and upto about 100 in a queue (even when it's below zero ambient) and oil pressure is at 30, so together, in normal driving, both dials are at about 10 o'clock - this I consider the baseline for guaging how the engine is behaving
rizla123 said:
How do I check for an air lock?
Paul. To check for an air lock or re-fill the system this is what I do:
1. Remove the blue cap on the top up tank, and fill to half full. Re-fit the blue cap and leave it.
2. Remove the brass nut from the swirl pot (can be a sod to shift)and fill the pot right up to the brim.
3. Remove the radiator plug and run coolant thro' until it's bubble free (make sure the swirl pot doesn't run dry / empty in the process).
4. Fill the swirl pot back up until its full to the brim again. Re-fit the brass screw.
peice of cake then...if you can lift the front it makes the water temp sender the highest point in the water system so any air will be trapped there as well...worth undoing (not fully) just until you get a trickle of water comming out.
With the swirl pot cap removed when you see a constant fast stream of water flowing you will know you should not have an air lock...remember there is a flow of water even when the thermostat is shut...
With the swirl pot cap removed when you see a constant fast stream of water flowing you will know you should not have an air lock...remember there is a flow of water even when the thermostat is shut...
andy-w said:
remember there is a flow of water even when the thermostat is shut...
If the stat is closed then the only flow should be through the heater and the bypass. You shouldn't have any flow through the top hose, swirl tank etc. (Well you may have a very small amount because the stat may not be perfectly sealed.)
GreenV8S said:
andy-w said:
remember there is a flow of water even when the thermostat is shut...
If the stat is closed then the only flow should be through the heater and the bypass. You shouldn't have any flow through the top hose, swirl tank etc. (Well you may have a very small amount because the stat may not be perfectly sealed.)
I didnt really mean flow...i meant that there is a hole in the stat to allow a little flow of water to help prevent thermal shock to the rad....IIRC?
when mine is cold i get a flow of water like a tap being on very low...when it heats up its like a tap on full!
just take the cap off...start the engine...put the heaters on and let the car do the rest...after a while you will see if there is air in the system...i have had mine run for 15-20 minutes with the cap off....every now and then it would spit coolant out like pete said but after a while it levels out and becomes a steady flow of coolant circulating...
andy-w said:
just take the cap off...start the engine...put the heaters on and let the car do the rest...after a while you will see if there is air in the system...i have had mine run for 15-20 minutes with the cap off....every now and then it would spit coolant out like pete said but after a while it levels out and becomes a steady flow of coolant circulating...
On some systems you will get lumps of air coming out days or weeks after you filled it. It helps to take it out for a drive and throw it about a bit. Top tip from Joolz is that Water Wetter helps with this.
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