Car running hot?

NightFire · Post by **NightFire** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 9:24 pm

I'm getting worried there may be something wrong with my engine. The car seems to get very warm very quick. I can watch the engine temp dial go from zero to half way in around 1 minute from a cold start.
I'm more worried about it, as I'm not sure my engine temp dial is 100% correct, after my installing white dials stuff up. I'm worried I have not got it set up correctly.
Anyway, is there anything I can do to to check what may be wrong? Should I do something like flushing the radiator? Would that make a difference? Or has something has gone, like the themostat? (I don't have much of a clue.......)
Thanks!

MattG · Post by **MattG** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 10:29 pm

It could be a faulty thermostat / temperature sender .
It could also be something like a faulty radiator fan - fan not coming on.
Could also have a leaky radiator - check you water levels.

Do you notice a gurgling sound that goes for a while after you turn the car off?

Does the temperature go over half way?

I would have though by having the engine stone cold, you could reset the needle on the gauge to zero and that would be accurate (so it isn't a problem with the needle being in the wrong position).

Can't think of anything else.

M@

andy · Post by **andy** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 11:05 pm

My temperature guage hits the middle pretty quickly as well. Great on a cold morning to get some heat into the car, I'd never thought of it as a problem. I'm sure I've read somewhere that FTO's heat the water pretty quickly, but you can't be sure that the oil's up to temperature.

TheSentry · Post by **TheSentry** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 11:30 pm

My car seems to warm up fairly quickly, at least compared to other cars. I'd say it takes about 3 minutes to get warm from a cold start and that's great compared to my mates GTi. His car seems to take a bloody lifetime to get some life into it.

Theremin · Post by **Theremin** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 9:36 am

Yep, mines goes to somewhere just below the half way mark pretty quickly too. But (and someone can correct me if I'm wrong) this is water temp, not oil temp. So it doesn't necessarily mean your engine is up to temperature.

elmo · Post by **elmo** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 9:56 am

The thermofans are set to not come on until the car has warmed up to operating temp. This means it warms up quicker and results in less wear and tear on the motor etc
Start the car from cold and let it sit there and idle until it warms up, open the bonnet and watch/listen for the thermofans cutting in. As long as they come on you should be pretty safe, cause they use a different sensor to the temp gauge, so even if it is wrong(the gauge) the fans will still do their job.
If the gauge never gets to fully hot, i would say it is just getting to op temp. I would not reccomend trying to move the needle on a temp gauge, cause they only have a little tiny spring driving the needle and it is very easy to damage, unlike the rest of the gauges which are relatively robust.
Water boiling/bubling out the overflow container would be the first sign of a really hot car, besides the smell. Also if it is getting hot often, you will notice the radiator needs topping up a bit.

D-TRAIN · Post by **D-TRAIN** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 1:56 pm

elmo wrote:I would not reccomend trying to move the needle on a temp gauge, cause they only have a little tiny spring driving the needle and it is very easy to damage, unlike the rest of the gauges which are relatively robust.

Yup, that's right, those needles have a spring tension behind them. Once you pop the needle out, you are pretty much or somewhat out of calibration from original. You also risk damaging the entire temperature gauge unit.

NightFire · Post by **NightFire** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 5:23 pm

Some great replies, thanks guys!

Firstly, MattG, no gurgling, and I have never seen the needle go to far over half way. I did the opposite to set my needle, I ran the car for around 1/2 hour, and then set the needle in. I just hoped that it would be the safer way to get an accurate reading.

andy, TheSentry and Theremin, I think I'm in the same boat as you guys! Hopefully its just me being a little worried and paranoid!

elmo, D-TRAIN, the thermofans do cut in after a while, so sounds like I'm okay.. pretty gutted to hear about the spring in the needle

but it does seem to be moving freely, cold to warm and back again, so I'll leave it for a while!

Whats the best way to check if the radiator needs topping up? My overflow container (top right of the bay?) is empty.

elmo · Post by **elmo** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 11:09 am

the overflow container should be about half full from memory, i think there are lines marked on it.
When the cars COLD undo the radiator cap and check fluid level by looking in the top. Fill it all the way up and put the top back on. Get the car warm and check the overflow bottle, (it might have a bit in it now) top the bottle up to the mark and close lid. The overflow works on pressure and sucks fluid back into the radiator as it shrinks and swells, so the lid must close properly for it to work.
I would do this first thing in the morning when the car is definately cold. If you have never taken the top off a hot radiator before don't even try. There is a trick to it but it is not for the novice and due to legal reasons I'm not gonna tell you what it is...

FTO AUSTRALIA

Car running hot?

Car running hot?

Temp

Re: Temp

overflow