Tiger123 Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Good afternoon after some help please today TR4A overheated on the driveway never done it before left me scratching my head would like some pointers where to start the diagnosis of the problem A bit of background to today's events My car was last run at the end of October from then onwards I was nursing everyday my elderly mother who sadly passed away at the end of December I know the top tip over winter is to either run the car in the garage turn the wheels etc etc but life didn't play its hand that way So today got the car started been on trickle charge since October primed the fuel pump 4 cranks and she jumped into life So I reversed out onto the driveway left the car running at this point car was warmed up temp was halfway while I swept the garage out after about 10 mins I noticed steam So flicked bonnet up and the overflow bottle was bubbling over so switched off and let cool down After an hour removed pressure cap 7lbs rated and new the radiator was recored last year check levels topped up and decided to take the car for a run but using electric fan (it's barely 5° here) so drove for 15 minutes got home temp stayed steady during this run came and have put the car back in the garage The car has not overheated before in fact during the summer even in traffic rarely had to use the electric fan So my question is where do I begin to sort the issue out? As ever your views are welcome Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Hi you have an electric fan - I assume this is an electric rad fan - if so why did it not come on before boiling over. - or did it !!! How much water do you have in the Radiator - it should only just cover the vertical pipes within the rad. Bubbling out of the opverflow bottle - how much coolant lives in the bottle normally when not boiling. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Have you actually got an issue? Have you left the car idling like that before without it doing that ? Is the fan on an automatic switch and if so did it come on while the car was idling? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger123 Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 2 minutes ago, RogerH said: Hi you have an electric fan - I assume this is an electric rad fan - if so why did it not come on before boiling over. - or did it !!! How much water do you have in the Radiator - it should only just cover the vertical pipes within the rad. Bubbling out of the opverflow bottle - how much coolant lives in the bottle normally when not boiling. Roger Hi Roger No fan did not come on before it boiled over (will check connections tommorow) Water levels last time I checked correct and needed a top up to the correct levels after the overheating Overflow bottle normally less than a quarter full Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger123 Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 (edited) 18 minutes ago, RobH said: Have you actually got an issue? Have you left the car idling like that before without it doing that ? Is the fan on an automatic switch and if so did it come on while the car was idling? Fan is not on an automatic switch (checking with the guy I bought the car from) No it didn't come on at idling fan switch is situated junder the steering wheel Thanks Edited January 15 by Tiger123 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 (edited) The correct water level with a cold engine is for the coolant to be just over the vertical pipes in the rad. The area above the pipes is for expansion (this stops it boiling over). Roger Edited January 15 by RogerH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger123 Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 5 minutes ago, RogerH said: The correct water level with a cold engine is for the coolant to be just over the vertical pipes in the rad. The area above the pipes is for expansion (this stops it boiling over). Roger Thanks Roger levels were correct before will run the car again tommorow and see what happens and will update the thread Regards Terry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Efuentes Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Not sure if I have misunderstood the situation or the circumstances around it, but, if you have an electric fan that is not connected with a thermostatic switch(ie: it has to be manually activated rather than staring on its own beyond a certain temperature), and the car is static, that is, idling, at some point in time it will overheat if the fan is not connected, specially if it does not have the mechanical fan. In other words, without a fan, without the car moving,it will eventually overheat, regardless of the outside temperature Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Just possible the thermostat had stuck shut and after boiling and cooling off the heat soak has freed it up. Hence the trouble free run after. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
james christie Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 In spite of using what I believe to be the right (ethylene glycol) anti-freeze / coolant, I am amazed by the quantity of chemically generated crud that accumulates in the thermostat housing - I like to think I take it apart every year just to clean it out and raise my comfort level. As Stuart suggests it maybe this which stopped the thermostat from opening. james Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Efuentes Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 I think that, if the issue was the thermostat stuck in the closed position (ie: with water circulating only within the engine and not passing through the radiator), then there would have been no overflow in the overflow bottle, which is connected to the radiator… Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger123 Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 1 hour ago, Efuentes said: Not sure if I have misunderstood the situation or the circumstances around it, but, if you have an electric fan that is not connected with a thermostatic switch(ie: it has to be manually activated rather than staring on its own beyond a certain temperature), and the car is static, that is, idling, at some point in time it will overheat if the fan is not connected, specially if it does not have the mechanical fan. In other words, without a fan, without the car moving,it will eventually overheat, regardless of the outside temperature Yes you are correct in your points I have spoken with the previous owner to establish how he had wired in the fan and he confirmed that rhe fan is a manual switch as I have already mentioned the car has never overheated and holds excellent temperature even sat in queues entering or leaving shows etc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger123 Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 1 hour ago, stuart said: Just possible the thermostat had stuck shut and after boiling and cooling off the heat soak has freed it up. Hence the trouble free run after. Stuart. Stuart good point tomorrow I will run the car again from cold to check and ensure water level is checked and report back Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger123 Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 1 hour ago, stuart said: Just possible the thermostat had stuck shut and after boiling and cooling off the heat soak has freed it up. Hence the trouble free run after. Stuart. Given the circumstances around why I have not used the car you have a very valid point a sticky thermostat could have been the issue Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 5 minutes ago, Efuentes said: I think that, if the issue was the thermostat stuck in the closed position (ie: with water circulating only within the engine and not passing through the radiator), then there would have been no overflow in the overflow bottle, which is connected to the radiator… It still would have got hot due to bypass action. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Let's not get carried away. If the only cooling fan is electric, & it only has a manual on off switch, & is was not switched on when idling on the driveway, then yes, it will eventually boil over. Try again with the fan running, if it still boils, then check the thermostat. Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 +1 Do it logically Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Efuentes Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 9 minutes ago, Lebro said: Let's not get carried away. If the only cooling fan is electric, & it only has a manual on off switch, & is was not switched on when idling on the driveway, then yes, it will eventually boil over. Try again with the fan running, if it still boils, then check the thermostat. Bob That was exactly the point I was trying to make in my first post: what happened seems perfectly normal if the fan is switched off Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger123 Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 12 minutes ago, Efuentes said: That was exactly the point I was trying to make in my first post: what happened seems perfectly normal if the fan is switched off But as I have pointed out even in the summer I can run the car on the driveway for at least 20 mins and it does not overheat Take last year I sat last July at Supercar Sunday at Sherborne Castle for an hour trying to get in didn't overheat no fan at all required I do agree left long enough without fan assistance it would overheat but after 10 minutes on the drive in bloody freezing conditions today I am very surprised that it boiled over it has always been rock steady on temperature which is why it's a mystery why it did it today after such a short time So back to the basics tommorow 1. Check water levels again in the radiator drain down if any doubt 2. Remove thermostat and test/check and check waterway 3. Run from cold on driveway until mid point on temperature gauge test drive for twenty minutes route to include town centre and a bit of semi rural back home 4. Return home leave running on driveway without fan running noting time taken to get to 3/4 heat switch fan on to check that it is working Thanks to everyone for every suggestion and view I am sure with the forums help I will get to the bottom of it as has been said start simple with potential cause Will update tomorrow once I get a chance Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Z320 Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 You are testing us? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger123 Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 10 minutes ago, Z320 said: You are testing us? No why would I sorry really don't understand why you think I would "test" anyone I have given all the details of what has actually happened today nothing more nothing less Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Hi Terry, there may be a translation issue here. It is not a test but a challenge Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tiger123 Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 1 minute ago, RogerH said: Hi Terry, there may be a translation issue here. It is not a test but a challenge Roger Maybe Roger but I value all members opinions and views and would never disrespect any member no one can help unless I try and and give as much information as I can and as accurate as it can be Regards Terry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob Salisbury Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Thing to remember here is with an electric fan stuck in front of (or behind) the rad that is not wired to switch on and off automatically then the capacity of the radiator to keep the engine at the correct temperature is, to some extent, compromised .... ie the thing blanks off some of the rad and the car will eventually cook!! Cheers Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Refill the water in the morning. Start it up, keep an eye on the temperature gauge and check the top hose to confirm the thermostat is opening properly. If not you probably have solved the problem Do you still have the mechanical fan or just the electric fan? If just the electrical one, check it switches on as the temperature rises, or manually switch it on and see if keeps the temperature down. I had Scimitar GTE 5A that seemed to gobble up thermostats with alarming regularity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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