New Radiator and hoses....

[Moose]

Hello everyone, I'm after some more advice/reassurance please.

I recently had a leak from my radiator so I purchased a new one from the Bongo shop. It was a pattern part as the Mazda ones were out of stock. I also bought a new water pump for belt and braces. I fitted both and bled the system through about a month ago but noticed that the Mason modified temp gauge was sitting higher than it had before. Last year I fitted a new genuine stat and the gauge always sat just below 12 o'clock and now sits just above 12 o'clock and goes up to 1 o'clock up hill or on motorways. No where near the alarm or the fans coming on but higher than normal. I did some searching and came up with the conclusion that I had not bled it properly. There was a couple of hoses that were looking a bit iffy so Ian at the Bongo shop ordered these in for me (amazing delivery by the way. Ian quoted 15 days from Japan but arrived in under a week) I replaced the hoses and bled it through again today. This time I kept going with the bleeding until the fans came on at the far end of the temp gauge which took about an hour. I took it for a little drive and was initially happy to see the gauge sitting at around the more normal just before 12 o'clock position. I took it back home and checked the levels and for leaks. All good so I took it for a longer jolly, this time along the motorway and it's back to the higher over 12 o'clock position and up to 1 o'clock up hill. This slightly higher temp reading is also accompanied by a hot plastic smell. I took this to be some sort of coating on the new radiator burning off but it has remained since the new rad was fitted about a month ago.
I was expecting to see the temp gauge at least the same or maybe lower. Our Bongo has to work pretty hard as we tend to go over the Alps each year for our holidays so do I a) get a genuine Mazda rad and try that or b) flush it and bleed it again or c) leave it as it doesn't appear to overheat.

As always any advice gratefully received.

Russell.

[dave_aber]

I have one of the pattern rads from the club shop too, and I do get a "hot plastic" smell sometimes.

It's been doing it since the day I swapped the rad, about 5 months ago.

My temp gauge also sits a shade to the right of "12 o'clock" and rises a bit on hills - but it also did that before I changed the rad and stat.

All sounds fairly normal to me, apart from the fact your gauge used to sit lower.

[Moose]

Maybe it's just the way those rads flow then. It sounds like I'm worrying over nothing.

Thanks very much.

[Northern Bongolow]

some waterpumps have more blades than others.
was it the temp sender to the gauge you swapped, copy or mazda, both the old and new.
was the old stat sticking open a bit and making it run cooler.
how long have you had the new stat in place,they seem to get better after a week or two.
did you change the coolant strength, pure water (old coolant) gets rid of heat better than 50--50 coolant mix (of any type/colour)(new coolant).

just a couple of variables there. .
doesnt sound a problem.

[jaylee]

I got a pattern rad too.. been fitted about 4 months? My masoned gauge reading hasn't really changed much since the replacement.. It may come down sit a little lower when idling... (Water pump replacement a couple of years back.)
Rad smells a little more like a take away than burning plastic.

[Poohbear]

Rad smells a little more like a take away than burning plastic.

Chinese? Indian? Pizza? Fish & Chips? You'll have to be a bit more specific, not all takeaways smell the same you know

[jaylee]

Believe it or not, it was closer to a Chinese...

[Moose]

Believe it or not, it was closer to a Chinese...

Hmmm not sure I'd want to eat the Chinese that smelt like our rad.

[jaylee]

I'm acquainted with the smell of welding MK1 Escort estate, the smell of an electrical fire MK1 Bedford CF, New car smell Nissan Micras K11 & K12... But the smell of fried noodles & water chestnuts on a new car component..? It was quite nice actually.!