hiya. been absent for a while. got my self a nice new landy - series 3, 1975, lwb station wagon, 2.25 petrol.
one of the many problems is that the temperature gauge seems to shoot up incredibly quickly.
after 90 seconds of idling the gauge is about a third of the way up. if i leave it idling it doesn't go much above two thirds after fifteen minutes, but if i drive into work (4 miles) then it's quickly on the red.
the water in the rad is a nice green colour, and gets hot, eventually it iwll even steam slightly (20 minutes or so) and the heater pipes get hot if i open the valve, but looking down into the rad it doesn't look like there is much flow (if any) - i was under the impression that once the thermostat opened this should look like niagara falls. not having driven it more than 20 miles in a go it hasn't yet overheated.
so i think i've got one of four possible problems
1. crap gauge - other electrics are dicky, so it wouldn't come as a surprise, and this is my favourite choice.
2. knackered thermostat - but then why would the rad water heat up if theres no coolant circulating?
3. knackered pump - same objections as 2.
4. partially blocked system - don't like the sound of it, but the fact that the coolant is still nice and green and there is some water flowing lends this as a possibility.
what do you reckon?
one of the many problems is that the temperature gauge seems to shoot up incredibly quickly.
after 90 seconds of idling the gauge is about a third of the way up. if i leave it idling it doesn't go much above two thirds after fifteen minutes, but if i drive into work (4 miles) then it's quickly on the red.
the water in the rad is a nice green colour, and gets hot, eventually it iwll even steam slightly (20 minutes or so) and the heater pipes get hot if i open the valve, but looking down into the rad it doesn't look like there is much flow (if any) - i was under the impression that once the thermostat opened this should look like niagara falls. not having driven it more than 20 miles in a go it hasn't yet overheated.
so i think i've got one of four possible problems
1. crap gauge - other electrics are dicky, so it wouldn't come as a surprise, and this is my favourite choice.
2. knackered thermostat - but then why would the rad water heat up if theres no coolant circulating?
3. knackered pump - same objections as 2.
4. partially blocked system - don't like the sound of it, but the fact that the coolant is still nice and green and there is some water flowing lends this as a possibility.
what do you reckon?