oczuk32 Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 So i drove my wagon to work for the first time. On the way back coming home there is a small incline on the freeway and I noticed the temperature gauge starting to rise and leaking coolant thru the presure vent hose. I never notice any coolant leak but yet I had add coolant a couple times now. So I'm already thinking the worst, head gasket leak. So I get a block tester to see if theres any combustion fumes in the radiator which would determine and leak. Fluid should turn yellow after a couple minutes suctions. I have already change the thermostat. But still getting hot on that incline. I read in the manual that the radiator shoul not be top off but fill to a fin inside the radiator itself. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steptoe Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Yeah Firstly, a lot of us like to swap radcap for a recovery style then add a coolant reservoir to the mix I have had one as far away as the space near RHS bonnet hinge This keeps a cold radiator chockers in a healthy system, eliminating air space that can compress and maybe boil up also. I have run a few EA engines including turbo without thermostat for years in -9° - +42° C environment Sounds like your radiator needs assessing for % blocked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steptoe Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Just a bad cap will do what you describe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oczuk32 Posted October 22, 2019 Author Share Posted October 22, 2019 Ok. Ive replace the cap about a month ago with a 13 lbs. But not sure if its a recovery style. I will inspect it tomorrow and see if I could make install some kind of coolant recovery bottle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Have the radiator flushed, or replace it. I had overheating issues for a LONG time on my turbo wagon and it ended up being a clogged radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oczuk32 Posted October 24, 2019 Author Share Posted October 24, 2019 (edited) So I made a temporary coolant reservoir and top off the radiator to the cap. Drove the wagon for a bit release the pressure to get the bubbles out of the hose. Still running hot. Even the electric fan is staying on for longer periods. When I open the cap to see whats going inside. I dont see any flow or resemblance of coolant flowing thru the radiator. Scratching my head now. It wasnt getting hot when it was running rich in fuel mixture about couple weeks ago. Hopefully those are hot presure air bubbles and not cusbustion leak bubbles. Needle above normal operating temperature. Usually the needle sits on the line or below it. Edited October 24, 2019 by oczuk32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Be very wary of running over temp i fit is low on coolant. Check the radiator for free flow. I've learned from experience & experiments - with a radiator out of the car, cap off all the ports, except the top one. Fill with water. Keeping the top port high, lower port low. Uncap the lower port quickly. The water should just about fall out, like it was a big fat pipe suddenly open. Check that the fine fins are actually soldered to the tubes, and the thing isn't blocked with crud from the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steptoe Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 People sell cars because they are too cheap to replace or clean a radiator. I find if you look after a car for keeps you get to see how long a new radiator can last and know you have done the right thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 That’s a normal level of operating temp - it’s the point where your fans kick in. My brumby does the same, and with the mid 30*C weather we’re having already atm, it’s there all the time when sitting in traffic, once moving it usually drops back down. I’ll grab a couple of pics over the next few days to show normal running temp and thermo fan kick in point. Cheers Bennie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Normal operating temp where the thermostat is not fully open, so it’s monitoring the temp as such: Thermo fan kick-in/ON temp: Looking at your pic in comparison, it’s right on the same mark for thermo fan ON. I haven’t looked to see at what point on the gauge that the fans turn off. And don’t worry about my oil pressure, I need to put the sender unit on and hook it up as this is a relatively fresh dashboard conversion in my Brumby. Cheers Bennie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oczuk32 Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 22 hours ago, el_freddo said: Normal operating temp where the thermostat is not fully open, so it’s monitoring the temp as such: Thermo fan kick-in/ON temp: Looking at your pic in comparison, it’s right on the same mark for thermo fan ON. I haven’t looked to see at what point on the gauge that the fans turn off. And don’t worry about my oil pressure, I need to put the sender unit on and hook it up as this is a relatively fresh dashboard conversion in my Brumby. Cheers Bennie I see. Does your electric fan stay in for a long period or shuts off after couple minutes. My fan stays on for a while and with 80F ambient weather.. I will do flush on Saturday and see how it goes. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 It depends on the ambient air temperature as to how long they run for. I’ll have to time it next time it’s warm If you’re going to do a flush it’d Ben a good time I have your radiator professionally rodded, unless you’re good with solder and heat. They’ll pop an end tank off and carefully insert a rod down each channel to remove any crud or build up. Once that’s finished they might push some water through each channel to get any loose stuff out. Then the end tank goes back on, pressure checked and the whole thing flushed. This will ensure the radiator is using all of its cooling area as effectively as possible. Cheers Bennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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