URGENT HELP PLEASE......ITS HAPPENED!!

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didn't really move from the 11 o'clock position so I thought I'd leave it idling on the drive while watching it like a hawk. 10 mins later...nothing. Gauge still at 11 and no sign of moving,

If you don't have a Mason alarm fitted - THIS DOESN'T MEAN A THING!

The needle doesn't move from 11 o'clock over a wide temperature range unless it has been modified to do so by fitting one of Dave Mason's alarms.

As said you need to make sure the system is bled properly - if air is trapped behind the thermostat it isn't going to open, 'cos it doesn't know the water is hot.

[BongoMTBer]

This happened to me after I had my head replaced. There was still an air in the system when I drove it home from the garage and it must have moved whilst I was driving it. I noticed the syptoms before it got too hot and shut it down, leaving it to cool for for a while. When I took the lid off, it swallowed it's coolant and I was able to fill it with another 1 litre or so with the engine running. It has been fine since.

I would suggest that you give it a good bleed just to make sure all the air is out. If it comes back after that, then you porbably have a head/gasket issue that needs sorting.

Good luck.

[Aunt Trumpet]

didn't really move from the 11 o'clock position so I thought I'd leave it idling on the drive while watching it like a hawk. 10 mins later...nothing. Gauge still at 11 and no sign of moving,

If you don't have a Mason alarm fitted - THIS DOESN'T MEAN A THING!

The needle doesn't move from 11 o'clock over a wide temperature range unless it has been modified to do so by fitting one of Dave Mason's alarms.

As said you need to make sure the system is bled properly - if air is trapped behind the thermostat it isn't going to open, 'cos it doesn't know the water is hot.

didn't really move from the 11 o'clock position so I thought I'd leave it idling on the drive while watching it like a hawk. 10 mins later...nothing. Gauge still at 11 and no sign of moving,

If you don't have a Mason alarm fitted - THIS DOESN'T MEAN A THING!

The needle doesn't move from 11 o'clock over a wide temperature range unless it has been modified to do so by fitting one of Dave Mason's alarms.

As said you need to make sure the system is bled properly - if air is trapped behind the thermostat it isn't going to open, 'cos it doesn't know the water is hot.

Yes, thanks guys, I do realise that the gauge is useless but it did work earlier when it got too hot. I'll be fitting as many alarms as possible when this is over!!

I've got a mechanic mate of mine coming over tommorrow to have a look with me....hopefully we'll try a flush and bleed...will keep you posted...

[francophile1947]

I've got a mechanic mate of mine coming over tommorrow to have a look with me....hopefully we'll try a flush and bleed...will keep you posted...

Don't forget to print the fact sheet, so he knows what's involved

[bongomaan]

is the bottem rad hose hot ?

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Yes, thanks guys, I do realise that the gauge is useless but it did work earlier when it got too hot. I'll be fitting as many alarms as possible when this is over!!

That is the critical bit - it only shows anything other than 11 o'clock when it's too hot and too late.

If it had moved whilst you were watching it - it would only have told you what the bubbling noise and steam had already told you a few seconds earlier.

[Glenda]

The reason the header tank is cold is an airlock stopping the water circulating - you really mustn't drive it until the system has been bled.

Thanks everyone for your input so far...much appreciated....
...and to the Eat Aunt..STFU says your marmalade is in your cupboard!!.....

This marmalade business is it linked to the below or are you mad or am I mad? At least its not jam
'If you’ve got a jar of marmalade, in a cupboard, right, and you take the marmalade out of the cupboard, right. You’ve still got the marmalade; it’s not in the cupboard, but you’ve got the marmalade. You’ve got to put the marmalade somewhere else haven’t ya? Of co - course you have, it stands to reason, there’s the cupboard, no marmalade, but you’ve still got the marmalade. It’s the same with sex and violence on television. Yeah, you can take sex and violence off television, but where you gonna put em, hm?'

Baffled by STFU though

[Glenda]

Just got STFU and I wont till you do.

[Aunt Trumpet]

Just got STFU and I wont till you do.

ha ha, actually.. STFU is Eat Aunts "affectionate" term for my wife! You don't want to know what she calls him! she also moved the marmalade the last time we were over there, and now he can't find it!

is the bottem rad hose hot ?

I cant remember to be honest, are you thinking blocked rad?

That is the critical bit - it only shows anything other than 11 o'clock when it's too hot and too late.

If it had moved whilst you were watching it - it would only have told you what the bubbling noise and steam had already told you a few seconds earlier.

Yes, thanks guys, I do realise that the gauge is useless but it did work earlier when it got too hot. I'll be fitting as many alarms as possible when this is over!!

Yes, the thing is i saw it rising but it was very gradual and even stayed at 12-1 oclock for a while, I had nowhere to pull over as i was on a busy dual carriageway so pulled over as soon as I could, even coasting into the pub car park.

Don't forget to print the fact sheet, so he knows what's involved

Cheers mate, did that yesterday and studied it word by word since!
Does anyone know if the cooling fans cut in when needed and the scavenger fan after that, or should they all come on together?

[BongoMTBer]

Scavenger is sperate, it comes in when the engine bay is at a certain temp, not the coolant.

[Aunt Trumpet]

Scavenger is sperate, it comes in when the engine bay is at a certain temp, not the coolant.

Ahh, ok. Interesting. Maybe thats why mine didn't come on then. I might short out the connections tommorrow just to see if it works anyway.

Thanks.

[bongomaan]

bottom hose hot means honorable thermostat open grasshopper....during the process known to the followers of the bong as breeding...its means that the nirvana of air expulsion is archived.... rerry critical....good luck aunty......... ps i believe the scavenger fans only when the temprature is that hot under the engine compartment that yer handbrake is about to melt....if i can help in any way please pm and ill send you a phone number...

[Aunt Trumpet]

bottom hose hot means honorable thermostat open grasshopper....during the process known to the followers of the bong as breeding...its means that the nirvana of air expulsion is archived.... rerry critical....good luck aunty......... ps i believe the scavenger fans only when the temprature is that hot under the engine compartment that yer handbrake is about to melt....if i can help in any way please pm and ill send you a phone number...

Ahh I see WiseBongomaan, me and mechanic man are going to try a coorant frush rater. fangu vewy mmuch.

[Aunt Trumpet]

UPDATE....UPDATE....UPDATE

My mate and I had a look this morning, we started up and felt all the hoses as it was warming up. We also uncoiled the bleed pipe and took out the bung. It took ages to warm up to the 11 o'clock mark but the bottom hose stayed cold throughout. I was secretly hoping it woud stay cold as it would mean the thermostat was stuck. I held the bleed pipe above the header tank as my mate revved it up to around 2500 revs for around 5 mins, matey checked the bottom rad pipe and it was hot, ruling out the thermo.

At around this point hot (rusty) water came out of the bleed pipe, so this ruled out the pump as it came out with quite a force when revved. So, all pipes are now hot and water apears to be getting around the system. The only thing left to do was to go out for a drive and replicate what happened in previous times.

Out for a drive and everything is fine, onto a dual carriage way and give it a bit of wellie, the gauge crept up marginally to around 12 oclock but then settled to 11 again, got much further than yesterday. On the way back down the dual carriage way all was fine until we slowed right down and come back into minor roads. The gauge went past 12 to 1 oclock and I started to worry but it settled back to 11 after a few seconds. Back onto the drive and all seems ok, so now I'm letting all cool down so I can check the header tank and check it again.

Now this throws up another couple of questions....

Would the reason the temp went up slightly as we slowed down be because only one of the cooling fans was going and there was a reduced flow of air through the rad. Then, as the second fan cut in it brought it down again? ie is it a 2 stage fan set up?

Does anyone think we may have had an air lock and expelled it when I had the bleed pipe up and the water came out?

[BongoMTBer]

With those intermittent readings on the gauge, I would suggest another bleed. It sounds as though there may still be air in there.... you need to get it all out.

It is unlikely that any of the fans would be running whilst you are moving forward. They only really come on when you have stopped or are crawling after a hard workout, or you sit still for a prolonged period.

If you got all the air out last time, then it could well be there is a crack, failed gasket or hose letting cumbustion gasses or air in when the engine cools.