Club 80-90 Forums

morning all, should the radiator get hot [when warming up obviously ] from the bottom first? as mine does,i'm having cooling problems,the rad fan comes on [first stage] on the motorway [50-60mph] and stays on for 5to10mins,any ideas?.
ta barry.

Are the hoses on the right way round?? should be getting hot at the top first.... coolant passes accross the top part of the rad first then down the side and accross the bottom half then hits the fan switch... if it hasnt cooled enough by then the fan comes on... sounds like the hoses are on the wrong way (rad end or engine end if poss...) and the hot is going in at the bottom...

Or have I lost the plot....

thanks,will check. my austin 7 definatly got hot at the top first!.i thought that maybe the syncro is diferent...
ta.

There is no way the fan should come on on the motorway, 60mph of wind through it should cool it fine. If the hoses are on the right way around then I would have thought you have a blocked radiator or a malfunctioning rad temp switch. You can tell that the fan is on, on the motorway?

What does the temp gauge show?

Have you moved the hoses lately?

There is a difference between late and early rad switches, the early ones tend to cycle more frequently, ie go on-off-on-off, where the later ones stay on for longer over fewer times. if I have got that right.

toomanytoys wrote: Or have I lost the plot....

There's a plot?? Where!!!???? You learn sommat new every day....


As you were

Em
x

Having fitted a new switch t'other day it's not possible to fit the 3 way plug the wrong way round ... it's idiot-proof shaped

Ian.

thanks all, Simon,the temp gauge shows two pointers width above the led when the fan comes on [ i have a volt meter fitted so i can see the fan come on].i had the rad out [the day before yesterday] and flushed it out [very little grit came out, no rust] the outside was very dusty!.Some history; i rebuilt the engine 10,000miles ago, and when first rebuilt the fan came on and off for shorter times [at 50-60mph] .the other point is the ambiant temp is 25-30deg c !!,how do i tell if the rad is blocked?.
ta barry.

My best guess would be thermoswitch, then thermostat.

Whip it out (Thermoswitch) and see if a lump of snot is stuck to it's delicate surface, if there were it would upset the readings.

Simon.

yes there was some crap on the thermo switch and i've fitted an 80deg c thermostat, i've not fully bled the system since re-fitting the rad.will report back later.

Thanks everyone, it was the radiator, i bought a new one from Simon[brickwerks] the temp gauge pointer now sits over the led[ slightly towards the cold side], the fan has come on once [on a second gear full power hill with the ambient temp at 37deg c !! ].
thanks again barry.

They do get warm from the bottom upwards.

dave friday wrote:Thanks everyone, it was the radiator, i bought a new one from Simon[brickwerks] .

How much is a radiator ?

I think it looks like I am going to need one as I have leak

£154 ish from "Brickwerks", your welcome to my old one [as a temporary measure] but I'm in Spain.

dave friday wrote:£154 ish from "Brickwerks", your welcome to my old one [as a temporary measure] but I'm in Spain.

Thanks Dave but I put some "K-Seal" sealant in and it seems to have done the trick, at least for now

I had better get saving for a new rad sometime in the future though I guess.

I