Forum:
I have a J reg Feroza. The temp guage has always never moved from cold position, but when I took it out for a 15 min run two days ago, I could feel the cab getting warm, so looked and temp guage it was over heating.
It might be worth saying that last Sept I put antifreeze in, tho I am a tad ditsy, and put it into the overflow res thinking that as it moved round, it would do the job. So back to my problem, when I reached my journeys end, I popped the bonnet, checked the overflow, nice blue coloured water, then took off the rad cap....(for the first time since I had it) and the underside of the cap was covered in a sandy brown gunk, the water in the rad had no hint of antifreeze in it, not even a smidge, so, I thought I would stick the hose in and see if there was a block. The water was going nowhere, it just came straight back out at me, very soapy looking, loads of suds. No movement in the overflow.
Does anyone have an idea what the problem could be?
Kind regards, Jen
Thermostat.
Start be changing the thermostat. If its been running with the gauge at 'cold' then its been telling you that the thermostat has been broken for ages. The thermostat was stuck in the 'open position' and was not regulating the temperature. I bet its been burning fuel to keep the engine warm! Now the thermostat's spring which operates and opens/closes the thermostat's valve has decided to close,its making your engine over heat. There is no coolant circulation.
A new diy thermostat is £17. Make certain its the type for daihatsu .. its a longer version than the types fitted to 'normal' cars. Fit it with the jiggle uppermost, use sealant and a new gasket and dont overtighten the nuts.
Both the radiator and engine coolant must be emptied to renew the thermostat. Take the opportunity to use a garden hose to flush both the engine and radiator. Flush the engine block via the coolant's hose which is removed when removing the thermostat. Flush the radiator via its filler cap. There is a drain tap at the bottom of the radiator. Take care not to snap the tap off when twisting the tap to drain the radiators coolant.
Antifreeze .....
no point in putting it into the overflow reservoir. Its an OVERFLOW. You need to empty the coolant from the engine block and radiator. Flush the whole system and close any valves etc. Add correct volume of antifreeze into the radiator and then fill with water. The reservoir is then filled to max with a mixed solution of antifreeze and water.
NB .... when coolant/antifreeze is complete, run the engine to normal temperature and switch off. When cold top up the coolant reservoir with mixture of antifreeze and water.
PS ... if asking a garage to do the work then insist the system is flushed. A garage will only renew the thermostat, so insist both the engine block and radiator are thoroughly flushed.
Thankyou for the replies,
Thankyou for the replies, right, I checked the dipstick.... the oil is black, no sign of water or anything in there, so fingers crossed the head is OK. It got dark before I could drain and flush the rad, that will have to wait till tomorrow. The comment about the fuel was interesting, I put in a tenner a day to just swish round locally, I was warned that these vehicles drink loads so I didn't think that there was anything going wrong,
So all things considered, and looking at the replies, I am thinking that the thermostat is the villain here...( well that and my own incompetance) If this is the case, I don't think I have the know how or confidence to try to change it myself, sowhat kind of cost am I looking at? is it a huge job or can it be done quite quickly?
Thanks again for taking the time to offer advice,
Kind regards, Jen
Girl alert! Please help
Hi Well that's good that the oil is black and seems to have no water contamination.
As a rule, dependant on how you drive these, the fuel consumption is good for their size and should average over 30MPG.
It does sound very much like the thermostat and to remove and replace that you will have to drain down the water system, so at the same time you can flush the system through and clear it of any residue gunge. Once the weater flow clear then let it drain before sealing up and adding the Antifreeze and water mix. As said run to normal operating temp which should be juat left of the N and then let the car coll off. Then top up as required.
I am unfamilier with these stick thing mentioned but it may have cured a small leak so keep an eye out for any once the car is back together. The hoses removed use spring "jubilee Clips and sometimes these will not reseal tightly. Replacing them with normal clips again doesn't always work on the old hoses so keep an eye on the seals of these. Check that the system is pressurising once hot by the hoses becoming hard and if they don't then it will probably be the rad cap.
GOOD LUCK
OLDMINIMAN
M J Young
Girl alert! Please help
Hi
No use really now but you should have drained off some of the Radiator and put the antifreezr in that direct and the header tank. Don't worr we all do things like this from time to time.
This aside you could have a number of problems from lazt Thermostat, poor pressurisation of water system by knackered rad cap, or head gasket failure.
The oonly way to flush the rad out is to remove either the bottom hose or the tap at the bottom of the radiator (Right hand side). I would initially suggest you try the tap and then run through the clean water. Let it drain and then top up with the water/antifreeze mix. The water will not circulate until the thermostat opens and the engine has reached operating temperature.
The Sany sludge. This is caused by water contamination in the oil and if a lot is usually a sign of head gasket failure. Check the state of the oil in the sump using the dip stick . If it also has this "salad cread " on it then it almost certainly confirms that the head gastket has failed. This will not only produce the sludge but will super heat the water causing the temperature tio rise. I would however consider a very small amount just in the oil filler cap, and I mean a smear, to be caused by condensation.
If it is just a small amount get the thermostat changed as if this is stuck cloded then the engine will over heat.
As for the rad cap, if once the engine is hot check the top hose. If it is hard then the system is pressurising. If it is soft then suspect the seal on the radiator Cap.
As I say it can be a number or just one of these playing up. The worst is obviously the cylinder head but check all the others first as these atre the cheapest to solve
GOOD LUCK
M J Young
wrote: sandy brown
wrote:sandy brown gunk
also seen this effect when a `vauxhall turd` has been used to stop a leak on the system, cant remember the trade name for them but they were a long pellet covered in what looked like sawdust
MPG .....and another helpful tip.
Forgot to add:
If your J reg was registered before September [upto K reg and first 6months of Jreg] then remember its legal to use and also MOT without any catylist. I suspect the catylist must be about rusted away or holed. When a replacement is needed buy a longer front pipe and a rear silencer box. J reg [pre September versions] is legal without the catalyst. Without the catylist the mpg should go +10% and also an increase in power output.
Use this web link www.onlineautomotive.co.uk for part numbers.
Search menu on:
1. Exhausts Systems
2. Full System
3. Daihatsu
4. Sportrak
5. 1.6
6. Daihatsu Sportrak 1.6. 16v 4WD. OffRoad softtop.
Its a 1589cc. 04/1989-05/1990 exhaust sytem without catylist and fits J reg Sporty [pre Sept J reg].
Daihatsu Sporty is a thirsty vehicle. You should manage to average about 28mpg. Anyone getting an average over 30mpg must be free wheeling!
Jennie Burt
Wow! 28 mpg.... I would say I am getting half that if I am lucky, so I must have a serious problem somewhere. The overheating problem seems to have gone back to the heat guage staying on cold. I will take it to have a new thermostat fitted, but it will have to wait for a couple weeks. If my petrol consumption is still very high, I will check out the catylist option...It sounds good to me.
Its not the catylist that
Its not the catylist that will give poor mpg. The catylist is to clean the exhaust gass. Its the thermostat that is giving you increased fuel consumption and probably a cold heater. Since the thermostat is stuck 'open' the coolant temperature is not regulated by a fully functioning thermostat. The coolant is being over-cooled in the radiator. Consequently the engine management system is reporting to the fuel injectors that the engine is 'cold' and needs more fuel/choke. Thats why is only doing 14mpg. Its always running on choke! Get the thermostat changed.If constantly on 'choke' it would probably fail an MOT since the exhasut gas will be too rich and over the Co2 limit.
Thanks Mace, I am definately
Thanks Mace, I am definately going to get that done in the next fortnight..... Also, one other thing that I have to get sorted, when I first got the Feroza, the guy said that there was no key for the locking wheel nuts... he said I could use a smaller socket for them and that would be fine, well that was a load of B S so whats the best way to go about removing the ones I have on there so I can go and get another set... with a key.
Jen
Nuts.
Clean the nuts thoroughly. Use a magnifying glass and look for a manufacturers name and look also for a number stamped onto one of the nut. You could try a daihatsu dealer - they might be daihatsu locking nuts. Sometime you might be lucky since a replacement 'key' can be got from the nut manufacturer, provided you have the unique number of the set of nuts and can identify the manufacturer. If you can identify the manufacturer then search the internet for the manufacturer/address/telephone number etc.
Failing that you might have a problem since the nuts should be at a torque of 60lbs. A pipe wrench might do the job. I have known garages use a hammer and chisel ..... chisel the nut in the direction of removal and when it becomes loose use a pipe wrench. [pipe wrench is a very long set of pliers with a long nose for gripping difficult plumbing pipes/nuts etc].