Right thanks for that little lot and something to get me started.

I'll check fan first, then radiator plastic baffle, then flush radiator and check thermostat.

Is there any easy way to check the water pump impeller and if there is a head gasket issue?

Would it make sense to use something like Steelseal when I flush the system through just to be on the safe side and seal up any holes?

Finally where does the temperature sensor live and is there any way to test if it's bust?

Many thanks

When my head went the only specialist i could find here in Ireland who would do the job refused to take it unless I agreed to replace the complete cooling system. He said he'd seen P38's come back too many times after gasket replacement etc and was no longer doing them without doing the whole lot including replacing the head.
After following the P38 overheating saga on here and other forums (and after 35,000 subsequent trouble free, overheating wise!! , miles ) I'm inclined to agree with him. I know Wills and few others are of the same mind.
There are just so many things that can go wrong and as the thing ages each of those plastic parts degrade with any overheating leading to a possible string of overheating problems one of which is bound to blow the head.

The best way to check for head issues is a sniff test in an indie garage. Another symptom is rock hard hoses but one mans rock hard is anothers firm so that one is a bit vague.
From what you've said your car is fine when moving. Normally with a head problem she could tick over for hours without a problem, its only under pressure that it will manifest itself. You seem to have either inefficient cooling capacity which is normally associated with a fan problem or bad circulation caused by a bad pump which is unable to pump enough water at idle. But again i reckon a bad pump would cause overheating on the open road as well as at idle.

Mmmh it's interesting you mention the idle part because I've just had it back from the garage and they couldn't get it to overheat when idling for half an hour. I then drove it home through horrendous rush hour traffic, it took an hour to do about 3 miles never doing more than a crawl so was keeping an eye on the temp for when it would overheat but it never did. I would have thought that it was the right conditions for an overheat.

All I did between the last overheat and taking it to the garage was add 1.5 litres of water and 4.5 litres of oil.

So is it likely that it is a head issue because I was only crawling along and it didn't overheat?

Perhaps I need to run it and do some long journeys and see what happens? Due to drive up to Manchester from London next weekend so perhaps see what happens after this trip.

Dr W said:

Mmmh it's interesting you mention the idle part because I've just had it back from the garage and they couldn't get it to overheat when idling for half an hour. I then drove it home through horrendous rush hour traffic, it took an hour to do about 3 miles never doing more than a crawl so was keeping an eye on the temp for when it would overheat but it never did. I would have thought that it was the right conditions for an overheat.

All I did between the last overheat and taking it to the garage was add 1.5 litres of water and 4.5 litres of oil.

So is it likely that it is a head issue because I was only crawling along and it didn't overheat?

Perhaps I need to run it and do some long journeys and see what happens? Due to drive up to Manchester from London next weekend so perhaps see what happens after this trip.

Click to expand...

If it was short of 1.5 litres of water and 4.5 litres of oil, I'm surprised you still have a functioning engine. Oil functions as a coolant as well as a lubricant, see the large oil cooler in front of the rad. A water shortage of 1.5 litres would no doubt leave air pockets in the head water galleries which would lead to localised boiling.

If you are lucky and it hasn't knackered the head or head gasket, then you probably do not have an overheating problem now the fluids are as they should be.

This should be a warning to other buyers to throughly check the levels before driving home.

Actually I have just got the car back from the garage and apparently the drag link was so worn that it was just hanging in with a bit of rubber, the guy said he'd never seen one so worn, he also said there was no way it had got like that in a year since the last mot, suggests his mate did a mot but didn't really check anything or perhaps just wrote it out.

Well I guess I'll just drive it for a bit and see what happens

if air bags not leaking why change?? air leaks usually very easily heard,,also vehicle kneels to leak when left standing not running,,,,spray fairy liquid over pipe connections to find leaks in pipework...good luck

Cheers for advice.

Reason for changing is that the bottom of the bags looks quite perished and I don't want to leave it till it's causing me a problem and I'm forced to change them, I know they will need doing in next year or so, so why not do them when I have spare time and a couple of mates to help me do it.

I've got to change the gearbox oil and filter, the air and oil filters, change the oil cooler and fit hot fix kit and new compressor in pump, might as well rope the lads in to give me a hand and do the lot in one weekend, will save me a few bob rather than getting garage to service it.

Will use your idea and check the air pipes from the block when doing it in case I need to set aside another weekend so change the seals.

Cheers