My ute had a ickle temp!!
Mar 14th 2004 | 8:27 pm
#1
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My ute had a ickle temp!!
My ute had a temp ;-)
About 4 weeks ago I noticed that my temp guage was reading something like 80-90pc which raised an eyebrow as I had never noticed it go past 50 pc even after driving 1000km from Sydney to Melbourne.
I took caution, but also noticed that the temp did not go in to the red (>100pc) , and often dropped down to a more ‘reasonable� �€™ 70pc which I still considered 'elevated'. Around that time I would often arrive home.
I could not see any obvious loss of coolant from the radiator .ie leaks on road.
Knowing that the worse case scenario was, or would be:
1) A blown gasket (the membrane that seals the head of the engine to the main block) – a fair bit of $$$$. Symptoms: White smoke, loss of power, oil in the water, maybe water in the oil. The coolant is allowed to circulate inside the engine itself, rather than in the jacket around it, and the exhaust gases from the combustion process also cause the radiator to boil away and overflow with steam. Classic Symptoms.
2) Cooking the engine resulting in a cracked head – engine head rebuild. Even more $$$$$$
I did the following diagnostics:
1) Checked the viscous fan. This should come on at idle, and when the engine gets hot. (Otherwise I think it freewheels in the airflow at speed. It should stop when the ignition is stopped. It did.
2) Had a look at the Radiator cap to see if I was losing coolant there. It was up to the top. I was still unable to determine whether I was losing coolant or not. Seemed OK.
3) No sign of seepage from head. I gather you can sometimes see. I was none the wiser.
4) No gasket symptoms (as above).
5) Faulty water pump. Again no leaks.
6) I diagnosed (and hoped) that it may have been a faulty thermostat. This should open at higher temps, and allow water in to the radiator to to be cooled down by fan, it may have been stuck. I hoped this was the cause. You can take it out, and heat it in a saucepan on a stove to see if it opens but I wasn’t going to start taking my rad apart and wasn’t sure where it was..
I took it to the garage. They did a pressure test on the rad system and the cylinders. If the gasket is gone, then the pressure in one or more cylinders is low.
They replaced the thermostat. (and cap to be on the safe side) .
Seems to have solved the problem. I hope. If the problem comes back then I know that there is another underlying fault. It is not unkown for the thermostat to be installed the wrong way, and will also cause a problem.
Thought I would pass on what I learnt. Cost me $80.
And my ute is feeling a lot better. Might even stick it in the garage.
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About 4 weeks ago I noticed that my temp guage was reading something like 80-90pc which raised an eyebrow as I had never noticed it go past 50 pc even after driving 1000km from Sydney to Melbourne.
I took caution, but also noticed that the temp did not go in to the red (>100pc) , and often dropped down to a more ‘reasonable� �€™ 70pc which I still considered 'elevated'. Around that time I would often arrive home.
I could not see any obvious loss of coolant from the radiator .ie leaks on road.
Knowing that the worse case scenario was, or would be:
1) A blown gasket (the membrane that seals the head of the engine to the main block) – a fair bit of $$$$. Symptoms: White smoke, loss of power, oil in the water, maybe water in the oil. The coolant is allowed to circulate inside the engine itself, rather than in the jacket around it, and the exhaust gases from the combustion process also cause the radiator to boil away and overflow with steam. Classic Symptoms.
2) Cooking the engine resulting in a cracked head – engine head rebuild. Even more $$$$$$
I did the following diagnostics:
1) Checked the viscous fan. This should come on at idle, and when the engine gets hot. (Otherwise I think it freewheels in the airflow at speed. It should stop when the ignition is stopped. It did.
2) Had a look at the Radiator cap to see if I was losing coolant there. It was up to the top. I was still unable to determine whether I was losing coolant or not. Seemed OK.
3) No sign of seepage from head. I gather you can sometimes see. I was none the wiser.
4) No gasket symptoms (as above).
5) Faulty water pump. Again no leaks.
6) I diagnosed (and hoped) that it may have been a faulty thermostat. This should open at higher temps, and allow water in to the radiator to to be cooled down by fan, it may have been stuck. I hoped this was the cause. You can take it out, and heat it in a saucepan on a stove to see if it opens but I wasn’t going to start taking my rad apart and wasn’t sure where it was..
I took it to the garage. They did a pressure test on the rad system and the cylinders. If the gasket is gone, then the pressure in one or more cylinders is low.
They replaced the thermostat. (and cap to be on the safe side) .
Seems to have solved the problem. I hope. If the problem comes back then I know that there is another underlying fault. It is not unkown for the thermostat to be installed the wrong way, and will also cause a problem.
Thought I would pass on what I learnt. Cost me $80.
And my ute is feeling a lot better. Might even stick it in the garage.
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