Coolant Alarm Driving Me Nuts

[haydn callow]

About ready to tear this thing out.

Screw has been replaced, goes about 3 days before is screaming at me again for 10mins after start up.

How many miles have you done on the new engine.?

[adscatt]

My coolant alarm was sounding at me after start up (fast idle) and when setting off at junctions it would give a little peep, found my alternator was over charging so at fast idle it was about 16v rising to 17.5v at times, new alternator fitted, not had a peep since.

Worth checking the alternator output?

[Jaws]

If you have recently put new red coolant in you can expect the alarm to "play up"for around a month.
The coolant will coat the screw until that property within the coolant is exhausted.

I wish I had known that before. The alarm is great but ignoring the bleep has started to get on my nerves after a recent head change

Lucky I have a cylinder head sensor too...

[haydn callow]

If you have recently put new red coolant in you can expect the alarm to "play up"for around a month.
The coolant will coat the screw until that property within the coolant is exhausted.

I wish I had known that before. The alarm is great but ignoring the bleep has started to get on my nerves after a recent head change

Lucky I have a cylinder head sensor too...

Take the screw out and wire brush it.

[Jaws]

Done that. Recurs in about two days. Easier to just back out the screw a few turns and tighten up again. Now that I know it will go away eventually I am not so concerned

An explanation is fine and thank you for it.

[haydn callow]

Contact alarm HQ and ask Jo for one of the longer screws...tell her 'dad says'

[Mark Elvin]

About ready to tear this thing out.

Screw has been replaced, goes about 3 days before is screaming at me again for 10mins after start up.

How many miles have you done on the new engine.?

1000 OR SO.

[haydn callow]

I would suggest that if a clean screw fitted now plays up you have a underlying electrical problem.
Check the voltage at the screw....it trips the alarm at about 2.4 volts

[Mark Elvin]

I would suggest that if a clean screw fitted now plays up you have a underlying electrical problem.
Check the voltage at the screw....it trips the alarm at about 2.4 volts

Really, it's fine when first fitted. Goes nuts after three days or so.

[Simon Jones]

What voltage are you getting across battery when this happens?

[haydn callow]

I would suggest that if a clean screw fitted now plays up you have a underlying electrical problem.
Check the voltage at the screw....it trips the alarm at about 2.4 volts

Really, it's fine when first fitted. Goes nuts after three days or so.

You say yourself you suspect the alternator....

Take some voltage readings as suggested.

Or

Rip it out and send it back..
You have had suggestions on here on things to try and readings to take.....with a bit of patience we can sort this out....as I said, these alarms work or not....they do not 'go faulty' the failure rate is less than 0.5%....

[Mark Elvin]

I would suggest that if a clean screw fitted now plays up you have a underlying electrical problem.
Check the voltage at the screw....it trips the alarm at about 2.4 volts

Really, it's fine when first fitted. Goes nuts after three days or so.

You say yourself you suspect the alternator....

Whoops, so I did.

Hmm, seams ok though. I'll get one of the sparkies here to double check it.

[Gasy]

I think it's alternator related, in which case I'm tempted to dump it as it's a constant source of annoyance. I'm pretty disappointed.[/quote]


Here to help
Second post on this topic

[winchman]

I think it's alternator related, in which case I'm tempted to dump it as it's a constant source of annoyance. I'm pretty disappointed.

The last thing you want to do is remove a coolant alarm from a Bongo.
You will get to the bottom of this, just keep at it.
These alarms are fitted to loads of stuff not just Bongos and I have never know a faulty one.

[Mark Elvin]

Time sadly is the one thing I don't have. I'm currently working 12-14hr days, 6-7 days a week!!!!