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So after removing the thermostat, pressure checking the rad, changing the water pump, sorting the timing and changing all the hoses I can still only drive the car 3 miles before it seriously over heats. It can't be the temperature sensor as the radiator is seriously hot and the over flow thing has filled right up. It's been rad flushed and we also run the hose through the engine, from the top pipe to make sure there was no blockage.
The fan is a little rubbish to be honest - but 3 miles (at 30mph) driving nicely is taking the proverbial!
So what the heck is wrong with my car! I've done 85 miles in it since i replaced everything and we are seriously stumped.
There's no chicken soup either before anyone suggests that, or it is that I need to check this before I turn the engine on as it could be evaporating, tho I would expect to be losing water, which I am not as it all goes directly into the over flow sump after it starts to over heat. I've even changed the rad cap as we thought this was the issue, but no difference.
Any suggestions? or anyone want to buy a project? or do I see how much MR scrap man will give me, get a new engine for my other car and drive that.
We have sorted out the idling issue so that is back to normal. ....
Help! Me and the boyfriend are fed up of not eating until 11pm at night, most nights as we're under the bonnet of my car
I think
you might have an actual crack in the engine block somewhere, or head, something like that.
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
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Stumped
Would I not be losing water? or gaining water as I'm picking up fluid?
Fumes in header tank / Airlock?
Hi,
What vehicle is this?
If you had a cracked head or block, I'd have expected you to loose coolant to the sump (oil level goes up) OR the coolant might get forced into the header tank - does the header tank bubble or smell of exhaust fumes?
Just a suggestion:
When the whole lot was overheating, was the heater in the vehicle working and making hot air? Just wondering incase you have an air lock somewhere.
Generally on cars, you should fill up the coolant system ensuring the heater control is set to hot.
Some cars have bleed valves on various pipes, but I'm sure diesel Fourtraks don't.
J.
1985 Veg oil burning Fourtrak "Rocky".
Sounds like combustion gases
Sounds like combustion gases pressuring the coolant.
One simple test, start engine when fully cold, and see if the radiator hoses become extra hard with pressure before the coolant warms up.
And have a good sniff for exhaust fumes in the expansion tank.
His! I'm a girl! tho thanks
His! I'm a girl! tho thanks for all the things to look at.
I don't know if the head gasket has been changed at any point, tho nothing is leaking externally, TBH the amount of boge jobs done on this car it wouldn't surprise me if one of the previous ovners had done a half arsed job at some point. I mean I had a ford fan fitted backwards stuffed in the engine bay with a switch when I first got it, that was just making noise and not doing anything much. There are no exhaust fumes in the water, else TBH I would be scrapping it, or offering it on here for scrap money. So we're (me and the boyfriend) are not going down the head gasket route at this point, tho with every job we do we are looking for the tell tale signs.
It really has us stumped. I am going to change the air intake gasket, we used gasket seal and I noticed while moving the coolant from the expansion tank back to the rad and doing a little inspection there was a tiny bit of water under the manifold itself, this could be a coincidence, but as it's only £6 and I have worked out the quick way of getting it on and off by removing the minimum, I think it's worth a go. If there is a little drip there, and assuming water is getting out air could be getting in, I'm crossing my fingers and TBH it's worth a go.
I will check the hoses and if there is still an issue I'll start looking really well for head damage..... or putting it in the for sale section here!
Thanks guys, I guess I'll have to upgrade the carrot cake to home made custard tarts!
so then mrs
so are you loosing water now then after you posted you were not?? sounds like the extra fan was there cos the heating issue has been going on for a long time......
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
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I've only noticed the drip
I've only noticed the drip since we replaced the hoses and changed the gasket. The water is not alot, you have to stare at it to realise there is something there and it's not a coincidence. TBH it's hard to spot. The over heating issue was going on even with the additional fan. I could drive 6 miles! LOL.
It's been over heating since I got it about 3 months ago. It was a freebe as such.
Fixed!
Just for an update it appears to be fixed! I removed the intake manifold and the gasket seal I have used has disintergrated, even tho it said 'on the tin' it was suitable for gaskets and car engines, oil and water proof, sounded too good to be true. It went a pale blue colour and lost it's tackyness. All I can tell you is it's got blue in the name and comes out bright blue, when I opened the gasket it was missing and more like mush.
New hard proper gasket purchased and all looks ok
so Hattie the 'hatsu lives another day. Thank you for all your help lads!
X
youve uses blue hylomar by
youve used blue hylomar by the sounds of it...wrong stuff
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
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jesus, lifes too short!
jesus, lifes too short!
Overheating
Jabberwokey,
I have read this post several times and the replies from Mace are the most coherent. Well done Mace.
As for your over-heat problem can I ask a dumb question. What makes you think it is actually over-heating? Aside from the coolant expansion tank filling up (which I know is a bad thing) what other symptoms are there? I don't see any.
You mention the radiator is getting hot (and I am not being smart here) but it is supposed to. If you had a blockage or closed thermostat the radiator wouldn't actually get hot because coolant is not flowing through the heat exchanger part of the system (that was my experience of a stuck closed thermostat).
Where I am heading with this is, are we actually trying to diagnose an over-heat problem or actually something else. Do you see what I mean.
If your only symptom is the expansion tank taking expansion from the coolant system it may just be related to that and not the generic over-heat problem you ask about. Are you asking the right question?
Bearing in mind what I just said, my thoughts are you either have a "bubble" (air lock) in the coolant/heater system, a busted head gasket, or head crack, although you do state that you cannot smell exhaust gas in the expansion tank. Someone asked you here about the heater being hot (pertinent question) - is it? If not I would then check for an air lock.
Regards
the long and short of it is,
the long and short of it is, without exact description of everything an all info...its just guesswork and causes all conflicting answers as one thing can be caused by another...by another...by another....also I just want to repoint out at the very opening off this post she has said I should be loosing water...which im not, therefore not loosing water, therefore Not HeadGasket!!!!!!
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
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mind numbing boredom
as its cold, why not take it out into a field and set fire to it? that way at least you would be warm for about 1/2 hour or so.
yep
best answer ive heard yet
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
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Trolling
Those that don't want to help are free to leave.
Regards
overheating
Another check is to feel the radiator, if its hot all over it's working and the water is flowing through it. Are the little zigzags all there or is the rad just rows of pipes if so it wont lose any heat even though the water is running through it?
It s all pretty simple really..... The engine makes heat, hot water is pumped to the radiator via thermostat. Radiator loses heat to air by having a large surface area and air flow, cooled water flows back into engine block.
So......
If we assume the pump is working OK....Then either
The engine is making too much heat and/or venting pressure into the cooling system.
OR
Bust thermostat or airlock is preventing proper water flow into the rad
OR
the rad is either blocked or has no gills ( or both) preventing heat loss.
Its got to be one of them
Red hot rad and hard pipes and blowing water... its probably the head.
I do believe Hattie is
I do believe Hattie is behaing herself now. I am begining to wonder if I had a culmination of issues, cracked and eventually bust hoses, rubbish water pump, rubbish in the rad where it had been left with water in it for a year, no repeat of rubbish water now it's been flushed. I wonder if the poor girl was just neglected.
On the plus side I towed my sisters Lucida when it broke down with no issues. I appreciate it was probably out of the handbook weight ratio, but I had no other car available and seriously it pulled it very well with no overheating or obvious struggling.
so the old girl can have a paintwork job. 
Suggestions.
Coolant overheats if the circulation halts or there is a blockage. This will not cause lots of coolant to exit through the expansion tank. Coolant will escape due to the expansion of coolant due to the heat. When the expanded coolant has escaped the rush of coolant stops. When cooled the expansion tank contents disappear/get sucked back into the engine block.
If this appears to be your problem then change the thermostat. Get the correct replancment. A 'normal' vehicle short type thermostat will not open and the engine will overheat. You could try removing the thermostst completely as a termpory measure to check if it overheats without a thermostat. [Take care not to overtighten those housing bolts. If one snaps you have a big problem]
You have overheating and eject of lots of coolant. This suggests something is pushing coolant out from the engine block. The cause must be either oil or compression gasses getting into the coolant from the engine block. This forces coolant into the expansion tank and out from its overflow pipe. You do not mention oil mixed into the cooland so the cause must be compression gasses.
I suggest you run the car. Remove the filler of the expansion tank [not the radiator] and sniff the contents. If it smells of exhaust gas then the problem is obvious. The head gasket is again leaking or there is a crack in the cylinder head.
If the head gasket has been replaced it does not guarentee it was fitted securely. Was the cylinder head skimmed before refitting? If not the head gasket slips and compression gas is forced from the cylinders into the coolant. Coolant is forced out from the expansion tank.
The test is to have the car 'pressure tested' Go to an local garage [Halfords] and get an estimate for compression test. In turn each spark plug is removed and a pressure tester inserted into each cylinder. The engine is cranked and cylinder pressure is measured. This shows if any cylinder is failing on compression - hence if it is leaking into the coolant.
I agree
Good suggestion Mace!
1985 Veg oil burning Fourtrak "Rocky".
yup but
if you properly read the guys post...none of those suggestions comply....its a bit of a mystery one
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
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if-theres-mud
Sorry to argue against your comment. Those suggestion which I have posted and experienced in 40years of vehicle maintainance, are significant issues which could result in the overheating.
yep
yer I know and im not against it at all, but matey in his post....has done all that.
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
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Mud.
Just to come back at you ...........
Where does he say he has had the cylinders pressures checked?
Where does he say the correct type of thermostat was fitted?
Where does he say the cylinder head gasket is not leaking or knows a previous owner has not/has recently renewed the gasket?
If the head gasket was changed was the head skimmed?
etc etc etc
I know he hasnt had the
I know he hasnt had the pressure test done on the cylinders but apart from that, everything is looked at really, he's removed the thermostat, he's not loosing any water, basically if you aint loosing water.....it aint anything to do with head gasket, its a mystery at the minute.
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
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some Good suggestions there
some Good suggestions there but not the halfords bit,i would rather use the zoo at least they are real monkeys in there lol
what was wrong with the tick over???
as others have said has it got a air lock???
what is the condition of the rad in???
if the fan is broke then that wont help
ahhh
air lock, well done parrot, matey, did you squeese the pipes/hoses when you refilled with coolant?? so you get visible bubbles and you see the coolant drop in the rad filler as squeese???
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
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LOL
Old beards !
This site is getting full of inexperienced youth. God help us !
PS ....... Sporty do not get air locks.
we may be younger than you
we may be younger than you but we cant be as bad as assassin.
any car can get a air lock,you should know that what with 40 years in the trade
Don't tell us you were not
Don't tell us you were not once inexperienced as well, it's forums like this that help build experience.
No I always had experience at hand.
No I was never inexperienced. My mates father owned a group of garages so I always had a fleet of mechanics who could be called in to help. Then there were the cars to drive ...... E types, MGB, American Galaxy etc etc. Enjoyable days with petrol at 5shillings/gallon. [That converts to 25p/GALLON]
Jabberwokey
To continue the misconceptions:
Did you remove the thermostat and now running Sporty without it replaced? If 'yes' then that excludes a thermostat problem.
Did you replace it with a brank new thermostat? Was it a daihatsu long reach thermostat? They cost about £15 to £20 and are not the type used in saloon cars. If you refitted the wrong type your Sporty will over heat. Also fit the thermostat with the 'jiggle' [the small hole in the top plate, uppermost. This allows air to escape and stops any air locks.
Did you remove and replace with the old thermostat?
If 'yes' then did you check the thermostat worked before refitting?
Note.........
The check is to put the thermostat into a pan, cover with water and boil it. If you have a suitable thermostat [jam/cooking thermostat] stand it into the pan. At 90 degree centigrade the thermostat should be fully open. Note the temperature which is stamped upon the thermostat's top plate. Fully open means the thermostat's wax expanison has fully compressed the thermostat's spring. There must be a created opening of at least half inch. If less than half inch the thermostat is broken. Your thermostat might be opening but is it open sufficiently to allow coolant to rapidly circulate? If in doubt replace it.