Club 80-90 Forums

I've just fitted a new thermostat to my 2.1 injection engine and whilst checking around I have discovered that the radiator warms up from below. Can this be right? Is it possible that the hoses are connected the wrong way round? The hot water feed from the engine goes into the radiator via a straight hose, the return is from the base of the radiator via a curved hose.

I've been seeing a tendancy to overheat for ages, as shown by the gauge, but I've also read all the threads on dodgy gauges! The radiator is about 5 years old and the coolant was changed by my local garage last year, but the engine seems to get hot unpredictably, although it's never actually boiled.

Thanks for any comments!
Richard

Richard,
Have a look here.......... go to page 5 of 18 for a view of the hoses at the radiator.......

http://www.club80-90.co.uk/pages/downlo ... %20Sys.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Don't forget top up the 'header tank' to brimfull ( in the engine compartment, not the one behind the numberplate flap), and bleed the system (if you have not already done this).

The feed pipe to the top of the rad is a vertical pipe made of metal and forms part of the rad itself, so perhaps that is what you have felt getting hot from the bottom.

Mike

Thanks Mike,
Looking at the diagrams,the feedpipe to the top of my radiator is plastic integral with the radiator, otherwise same layout. I'm convinced that the hot feed is to the base of the radiator which must be wrong. However, the hoses are neatly lined up parallel to each other so I don't see how to swap them round without making it 'look' wrong... if this is in fact the case several professionals have worked on this van over the years without noticing. The temp gauge is right at the top, red light sometimes flashing, but the hoses etc are not unbearably hot so I think the gauge or maybe the coolant level voltage stabliser is also dodgy.
Cheers
Richard

Found the right picture! Page 12 shows my system exactly. The hoses are NOT connected wrongly on my van! Must just be the gauge problem, fingers crossed.
Thanks
Richard

On all three t25s I have owned (two petrol, one diesel) the rad has heated from bottom to top.

my 2.1 dj caravelle rad heats from the bottom to the top also !!!

think about it folks... as long as the water flows from front to back (i.e. it's getting through the rad and back to the donkey) it wont really make much difference to which way it warms up - the air flow through the rad is force down and under the van so hot down or hot up wont make any difference. The only thing you could state if you wanted to be picky is that the fan switch might come on earlier or later.. but really your only talking a couple of minutes tops (if that)