1_eyed_jim wrote:After a week of use this is where the gauge sits when fully hot and fan kicking in
This is making me too nervous. I know you said this is where my gauge lives but I'm constantly looking at it! Anything I can do? Perhaps a 80oc thermostat?
The 'stat controls the lower end of the normal range. The fan and fan switch control the upper end. If the fan's kicking in, the 'stat is long since open - not least because the switch for the fan is in the rad, and the rad stays cold whilst the 'stat is closed.
If the fan's kicking in frequently, then it's new rad time - because it's not dispersing the heat efficiently without extra airflow. Is it hot all over, evenly?
1_eyed_jim wrote:After a week of use this is where the gauge sits when fully hot and fan kicking in
This is making me too nervous. I know you said this is where my gauge lives but I'm constantly looking at it! Anything I can do? Perhaps a 80oc thermostat?
The 'stat controls the lower end of the normal range. The fan and fan switch control the upper end. If the fan's kicking in, the 'stat is long since open - not least because the switch for the fan is in the rad, and the rad stays cold whilst the 'stat is closed.
If the fan's kicking in frequently, then it's new rad time - because it's not dispersing the heat efficiently without extra airflow. Is it hot all over, evenly?
Thanks for the reply. This is where the needle lives wether its coasting down a hill or sat in traffic. The fan will kick in but the needle still lives here. The radiator is hot evenly but only hot when the needle gets to there. Cab heater is lovely and hot though which has been the only bonus so far
1_eyed_jim wrote:Thanks for the reply. This is where the needle lives wether its coasting down a hill or sat in traffic. The fan will kick in but the needle still lives here. The radiator is hot evenly but only hot when the needle gets to there. Cab heater is lovely and hot though which has been the only bonus so far
Odd. Does sound as if the 'stat opening temp and the fan switch temp are too close to each other.
1_eyed_jim wrote:Thanks for the reply. This is where the needle lives wether its coasting down a hill or sat in traffic. The fan will kick in but the needle still lives here. The radiator is hot evenly but only hot when the needle gets to there. Cab heater is lovely and hot though which has been the only bonus so far
Odd. Does sound as if the 'stat opening temp and the fan switch temp are too close to each other.
Yes it does sound odd and making me nervous. Think I will look into buying a new 44mm radiator and new fan switch to make it more 2.1 specific.
I converted a 1.9 to 2.1 but left the old 1.9 rad in place(I did'nt know there was a different one for the 2.1) but I never had any issues at all with it, my gauge never went that far over even on long motorway trips in the south of spain at 35C! I just changed the lump over so all ancillaries, thermostat etc were all the same. so a did'nt notice any difference in the gauge position.
my current bus uses the 1.9 rad (see below) and the gauge never even gets to the midpoint(not sure where it gets its signal from however!) and the fan very rarely cuts in. Steve
chapperss wrote:and the gauge never even gets to the midpoint
That's not necessarily a good thing. Running too cool is as bad for an engine as running too hot.
Aye, but on his van with the Suburu motor the sender will likely have a different spec, so the gauge is likely getting a falsely low signal voltage, perhaps
Same as with Jim (is that your real name ?) the temp might be correct but the sender might be duff and sending too high a signal. Jim, have you checked the 10 Volt feed to the gauge ? If out, that could also cause a false reading.
chapperss wrote:and the gauge never even gets to the midpoint
That's not necessarily a good thing. Running too cool is as bad for an engine as running too hot.
Aye, but on his van with the Suburu motor the sender will likely have a different spec, so the gauge is likely getting a falsely low signal voltage, perhaps
Good point, hadn't noticed that...
One of the ten quid ebay IR thermometers can be REALLY useful in diagnosing cooling system woes. Just point it at any hose or the rad or whatever, and you're going to get a very close approximation of the coolant temp within.
AdrianC wrote:
One of the ten quid ebay IR thermometers can be REALLY useful in diagnosing cooling system woes. Just point it at any hose or the rad or whatever, and you're going to get a very close approximation of the coolant temp within.
Aye, been meaning to get one of those for a while, and an exhaust gas analyser (though they look a bit pricey) for testing/checking/playing with by LPG BLOS
Yes, not sure how accurate my gauge will be given the engine, but the rad fan is controlled by the engine management not by the stat in the rad. so I guess its all good? I Just submitted my info as I dont think "Jim's" problem is due to the rad size. Steve
Mine would have exploded by the time the needle got to that position!!
Ok - mine - 3 vans, all 2.1 running carb and LPG
but that is mine, for whom normal appears to be sitting on the edge of cold....even in traffic with the fan cutting in and out). Going up the local hill, it climbs to a needle width above the edge of cold. Heater is throwing out hot hot hot so I don't think its running cool
T'other van has the later dash being a 1990 and has the temp guage laying on the side. Normal for that van is about halfway between the edge of cold and the LED. Rising to the LED in traffic with fan cutting in and out. I knew something was very very wrong when it was heading out of the LED....stopped just as the heater went cold!
finally, the syncro will drive between the cold and LED, and the fan comes on just as the needle heads to the right of the LED.
Johns van drives dead on 12 oclock pretty much all the time!!
Em
xx
2.1 DJ 1990 Caravelle (died and gone to heaven)
2.0 AGG (1997 ish) 1984 transporter LPG
They do seem to vary a lot. The 1988 DG powered Hi-Top we recently sold sat just slightly left of 12 o'clock. Our "main" van, the 86 DG Tin-Top always has sat only about a quarter the way up, like half way between cold and the LED. In traffic the fan comes on when my needle gets up to the LED. A good while ago I changed the stat (with one from Brickwerks) because I thought it had to be that, but it made no difference, some time later I also changed the sender, again no difference. My 10 Volt feed is spot on. Like you Em, the heater works fine and it gets up to it's steady state reading quickly, so on mine I reckon it is just the gauge reading a bit low. However, with Jim's reading so high a "real world" check on what is going on might be in order.
E D I T, Just noticed :-
ermie571 wrote:the syncro will drive between the cold and LED, and the fan comes on just as the needle heads to the right of the LED
I will dig out my Infrared thermometer when I get back and point it at the thermostat housing and report back. I'm hoping there is nothing to worry about. On my previous 1.9 DG the thermostat had been bodged by the previous owner so it was permanently open thus only giving readings in the white box when driving and travelling up to the red LED in traffic. The fan used to come on just past the led which confuses me as its the same rad switch??
Since being a 2.1 it has had a new thermostat, thermostat housing and temp sender (both blue and black).
Here is my thinking.....if the thermostat opens sooner it will let hot coolant travel to the radiator sooner to be cooled thus giving a lower temp on the temp gauge. No??
My name is Rob 1_eyed_jim is a family joke really because there is only one i in Jim
