Club 80-90 Forums

no loss of water in either tank
system bled a la baxter
right anti freeze in place -
recently - slight overheating accompanied by red coolant light on dash staying on all the time -
where should i be looking before the big cold season draws in?
all ideas appreciated -
edoh

Bypass the coolant level sensor (disconnect the plug then short the two pins).
If the light still stays on, then it's probably the dash electronics, assuming the temp gauge needle's sitting right.
If the light goes out, then you probably just need to remove and clean the sensor pins.

Next question has to be why did it "slightly" overheat...? Fan switch not working? Rad clogged?

thanks for the quick response -
will try the sensor pins test and clean up -
will also check out and make sure the radiator fan comes on -
(seemed to be OK a few weeks ago in the warmer weather -
but who knows the timing of when things work and suddenly stop working on these great old vans ?
clogged radiator sounds like a big flush out and refill job - so will keep that option til last!
Thanks again for your comment -

ok -
threw the kitchen sink at it -
err.. as the saying goes -
rad fan working - after standing w engine running for a good while -
assuming switch good -
temp sensor under thermostat - changed
coolant sensor going into coolant tank - changed
thermostat n seal - renewed
system bled again - anti freeze topped up
coolant light blinks - goes out - doesn't come on again - like it should -
result!
BUT...........
temp gauge needle on dash - always read 'midday' on the scale over last few years -
Now reads -more like 2 o clock - to 3 o clock -
hangs steady in that position -
but unfamiliar to me...
engine not overheating - no loss of coolant -
indicative of something more serious?
or learn to live with?
..........................

Hi, My red light was coming on when switching between full and dipped beam! Turned out to be no earth due to radio being removed and wires not joined together. So I would check out earth connections.praps you should post this in electrics, they seem to know whats what.

thanks for that
will av a look at dash wiring / earths/ crown behind fuse box /

edoh wrote:BUT...........
temp gauge needle on dash - always read 'midday' on the scale over last few years -
Now reads -more like 2 o clock - to 3 o clock -

You replaced the sender for the gauge, and you replaced the thermostat. Both of those could/will affect the position of the gauge needle.

If the new 'stat is a higher temp than the old one, it'll cause the engine to sit a bit warmer. So long as it's not too warm, and the fan switch isn't too close, no problem at all.
If the new sender's a slightly different resistance curve than the old one, it'll show a different position to the old one. Again, no problem.

thanks for the info -
really useful -