High temp 1.9 dg

[mark]

Hiya
Had an issue on the way to whitby, flashing light and temp up and over 3/4 of gauge yesterday.
Had a look today.. coolant in the rad no air present.
Set the revs at 2k level dropped in the coolant tank about 1 to 2 inches or maybe a cup full, Topped up, cap back on.. left it ticking over temp climbing past the red light but rad not getting warm out going hose from the thermostat housing was cold in comparison ... I very much doubt that the thermostat is opening, have ordered a new one... I would think that there would be a clearer sign of head gasket failure but sods laws has me prepared for the worst,
My question is how much coolant would I loose removing the thermostat for the journey home.
Thanks in advance of any assistance
Mark

[maxstu]

How far in to your journey did this come to your attention? And have you been using vehicle regularly without issues? Cos at the mo it points towards either air in system or failed thermostat to me.
Whether you are at home or on the road a correct thermostat is easy to find at GSF or even Halfords and the likes...l would not drive without one though. Just my paranoia!
No mention of rad fan kicking in?
Losing coolant changing thermostat. Not a lot...if all four (rarely) bolts come off cleanly then not an issue.

[mark]

Hi thanks
I didn't get the rad fan to kick in as temp was high and the rad was cold.
I bought the van in July so its history is unknown, have completed aprox 800 Miles since purchasing with the temp to the right of the red light by about a needle width maybe 2.
E D I T. It happened about 1hr into the trip.
My fear was taking it out and loosing all the coolant in a camp site.. I think I'll wait until I'm home, see how she goes and if its bad a ride on the back of an rac truck beckons.
Thanks
Mark

[TONYT25T25]

As above sounds like thermostat/or air in system and needs bleeding, the pipes going into the radiator should be warm/hot.

[maxstu]

I agree. Wait until home. The bolts on the thermostat cap are held in place with captive nuts (in the plastic housing) and often fail to release through age and corrosion.
The temp needle at normal operating temperature is pretty broad. But mostly where you say your one sits.
Just check you are not losing coolant from somewhere.
Report back will you?

[maxstu]

As above sounds like thermostat/or air in system and needs bleeding, the pipes going into the radiator should be warm/hot.

And by the magic of technology...
Cheers Tony

[Stesaw]

Yep thermostat stuck or airlock.

2k revs, heaters on and open the bleed cap ontop of the thermostat housing as see if air or coolant comes out, if you get hot coolant then the thermostat is opening and the bleed rail around the engine bay has bled the air out the various engine bits. Close the bleed screw then. Open the bleed screw on top of the radiator, it might throw out coolant but til it gets rid of the potential airlock thats what it will do. Do it til you can feel the radiator go hot, top up coolant as required during this. I did a job on a van that needed about 5 liters of coolant putting in it as their rad never got hot, but was driving it around anyway.

As for coolant, either use the right stuff or top up with distilled water.

Check your lines to make sure you aren't losing coolant, also (just theory) check the radiator for damage or signs of rust. If its got a hole in it will just draw air and leak

Iate cooling system its easy enough to swap the thermostat. Its 4 bolts.. just as long as they haven't siezed in. I think earlies are a bit more messy as they are next to the water pump.

[mark]

Thank you, this place is a joy.
I feel a whole lot better, the temp has always been in the 'b zone'
Thanks again I'll report back when the thermostat is replaced.
Much appreciated
Mark

[TONYT25T25]

Good luck and keep an eye on paragraph c of the image.

[mark]

Spent today having a go to solve the issue.
Drained the coolant washed through with a hosepipe until running clear, through the thermostat housing and through the radiator return. Fitted a new thermostat, changed the coolant fitted a new blue cap that now quacks, the old one I couldn't blow through.
Everything is now getting hot and the radiator is getting warm/hot, still haven't got the radiator fan to run, the rad was hot but I don't think it was hot enough.
The temp gauge is sitting at about 3/4 on tickover and when driving... I'm going to change the temp gauge sender and see if it makes any difference.

The heater is now too hot without the fan blowing.

Still not 100% happy I couldn't fit anymore coolant in i got the required 8lts of neat antifreeze in but there was still water from the flushing in the system I bearly got another 1 1/2 liters of water in. I think it'll need another go at the baxter method next weekend and any rouge air has had a chance to work its way upwards.
Just to be clear this is the van now.
The rad is warm top to bottom.
The expansion tank is full to the brim.
The over flow tank is between min and max.
Heater is too hot now.
The temp gauge is at around 3/4.

[Stesaw]

This is something you might want to do,
If you have a metal bleed rail that goes around the engine bay and connects to different bits of the cooling system, take it off and see if it's blocked on any of the ports. Mine was blocked on the 3/4 head pipe so it wasn't bleeding the air out of the 3/4 side of the engine, which I think is why my 1.9 decided to start burning oil from those two cylinders.

[Mocki]

The temp gauge senders all tell a different story , just remember that whatever your “normal” is , its only if it changes its a issue

Also you will never completely empty a system unless you take it all apart , so as long as you get all the antifreeze in and it bleeds up ok, its fine

[TONYT25T25]

I am not sure about the reliability of the quack test, comforting if it works i suppose. I bought a new cap just as a spare, that didn't quack, neither did the one already fitted but the coolant system works ok.

[mark]

Hiya thought I'd update the ongoing hot running.
12 months on, I have finally removed all of the air from the system, it has been an epic affair, well hopefully, what I have now is about 1hr of normal driving after which the temperature will rise all the way across and then it is all about trying to control the temperature with various blowers.
I was beginning to think it was exhaust gases in the coolant, but 1500 miles later it is still having moments of the flashing red light, this usually happens until the hill turns into a slope. I have temp readings between a needle width past center and right over to the right hand side depending on the ambient temperature and the slope.
I now have a chicken switch fitted, new coolant and a thermostat that works.
What I have noticed is it takes a while for a cool radiator full of coolant to hit the temp sender and make the needle fall, I think my next step is to remove the water pump and swap that out for a new one.
The engine starts and stops, doesn't sound laboured, distressed or misses, doesnt smoke, black, blue or white or smell overly hot after an episode of red flashy light.
I'm typing this sat a top of a cliff at whitby a two hour journey from home, only one flashy red light on the approach to the hole of horcum, which is a couple of miles of steady incline followed by a steep decline which put the temp at two thirds.
Things I have learnt :-
You need a gaskit to remove thermostat so if your reading this and thinking you'll try it have something to make a gaskit before you pull it out.
If you raise the front end, and remove the rad bleed screw it's possible to pressurise the system with a bike pump to remove the air from the radiator.
On to replacing the water pump.

TO BE CONTINUED

[aknapper]

did your radiator fan kick in before you installed a chicken switch? - what temp do you turn it on at?  It is odd that changing thermostat and flushing lines etc you are still getting a hot coolant indication.  I renewed all my coolant lines 2 years ago AND changed out the radiator.  It was a bit of an effort, especially getting all the hoses correct and then fitting them into the engine bay, but the van has been running solid now and I no longer worry about coolant.  My fan kicks in as per design.  
Replacing the rad with a brickwerx one was straightforward.  I renewed the two rad hoses and also reinstated the missing cardboard wind deflectors which had perished long ago (the new ones are 3mm plastic).  Might also be an idea to buy a laser temperature reader and then you can read the various coolant temps as you point at them.  Andrew 87DGWBXKomet