Forum:
my sportrak got hot today when on the motorway. it went to 3/4 of the way up. the bottle was full of water, its never done it before and i am not sure where to start looking. once it cooled down i topped up the water but it still seems to be running a little hotter then normal.
any ideas would be a help.
Hot Sportrak
There are a numeber of things that can lead to a car overheating some simple some less so. Start at the simple end, is the system pressurising? Once warmed up are the hoses hard or soft. If soft the pressure is not being maintained and the water will boil quicker. Most likely candidate is the Rad cap seal. You can cure it temporarly by using a bit of polythene to assist the seal but replace asap.
Leaks, well they are usually quite obvious from either water puddles or spry beneath the bonnet. The can dry white dependant on the water and will preveent the system from pressurising.
Head gasket failure. If the gasket fails which is common then the water is super heated by the exhaust gases and boils off. Check the oil for water contamination and the exhaust for excessive white steam. Remeber this cold weather will produce condenstion steam so don't jump to this as a conclusion. If you find water contamination, salad cream , in the oil then it is likely tio be the cause. Do a compression test to confirm
Thermostat failure closed preventing the water from circulating, cure replace thermostat.
It is also worth checking the strength of the antifreeze mix as this and the pressuriseation of the cooling system increases the boiling temperature of water as well as saving the engine water jacket etc from freexing.
Dependant on the age of the Vehicle check the condition of the radiator fins as these deterioate with age and dissappear which reduces the effectiveness of the Rad to cool the water. I had this one for some time and I replaced the rad with a new one from Alldon on ebay, £120 I think. Cured a long outstanding problem.
Plenty of ideas for you to look at
Have a nice Christmas
OLDMINIMAN
I would almost cert
M J Young
hi thanks for the tips i
hi thanks for the tips i have just got in from a little drive and the pipes are hard, i cant see any leaks anywhere. i dont think its the head gasket as there is no oil in the water or water in the oil. i think it might be the thermostat so i will try and change it tomorrow are they easy to get to or is it a big job. what is best to use to clean out the system.
I'm with oldminiman. first
I'm with oldminiman. first thing to check is the radiator cap, then just feel for heat on the pipe behind the power steering pump that goes to the thermostat, if its warm you thermostat is ok as this shows there is circulation. after that it gets expensive. try turning your heater on full to aid engine cooling.
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