Running Hot any ideas?

[Flem]

Just got myself a Devon converstion 1.9 1988 with an LPG converstion .

Bit crusty in places but i love it dearly already.

However some of the joy is mixed with fear as it is always running hot. It seems even hotter when on petrol. The dial goes past the three quaters mark even when driving normal. Seems cooler when on the motor way but i am worred that it will blow if i get caught in a jam. I have recently drained the system down and bleed the radiator a few time on ramps to lift the front end etc but no change.

Any ideas, any one.

Many thanks

[HarryMann]

Did you backflush the rad and hose the fins to clean?

Try a new thermostat, you never know...

[Flem]

Ah, No i didnt flush the rad .................right time to drain it down again then.

Thanks

[HarryMann]

Others will know specific areas of the 1.9 cooling system that might be causing this... any steel pipework or ally fitments around the engine might be responsible, corrosion and partial blocking.

[Flem]

right. i did have to replace the main steel water pipe (hense the need to drain the system) as it was V badly corroded. perhaps this has shead some in to the system?

[HarryMann]

Try to wash through whole system then? See what comes out... until water clear.

[Flem]

Brill thanks Mate.

so thats my weekend sorted then

[HarryMann]

Both ways...

Another weekend flies past...

[Ivor Brownun]

http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm . Was it overheating before you did the work? Is the red light on the clock still flashing after you have started the engine? (low water level) Could be an air lock, if you follow the link above and scroll down the page there is a whole section on the cooling system, interestingly he says to jack up the rear, this goes against what everyone else says but it works for him.

[Flem]

Hi
Yes it was running hot before the replacement pipe.

the red light goes off stright after start up. but did come on last week when driving so i stopped let it cool and tryed to limp home but since then it hasent got that hot again?

Thanks For the link

[Mocki]

please note that the above web page is dealing with a 2.1, which has the later type cooling system.
however it is not recommended to raise the rear to bleed the wbx ( 1.9 or 2.1)engine, either with late or early water system, as the shape of the pipework means you cannot possibly get all of the air out this way, and to get the header tank above the top of the radiator means you will need to jack the rear up in the region of 30 inches, so the front bumper will be on the ground before the header tank is above the rad top...


also, close the heater taps ( set to cold) unless you want to drain the heater matrix as well.

[Flem]

Thanks Mocki

I will stick with the front up version as per the haynes manual gods.

[Mariner Man]

Is it actually getting that hot. Ive the same problem on my 82 1.6 deisel, tried everything, bleeding,new rad sensors,thermostat, etc. Just however completed a 250 mile round trip, inc roadwork holdups on the M5, and the guage stayed the same, didn't overheat or smell hot. It has however got a soldered joint on the copper strip which runs the dial, under the dash board clock cover, and if you move it will stop the guage working altogether, so ive put it down to that. Am looking for a replacement at the moment. Maybe worth a look if yours is the same set up.

[Flem]

Hi

Yes when the red light came on it smelt hot but it mite be worth a gander at the dial.

Thanks

[Mocki]

VW say, that "normal" is anywhere from the center edge of the lower temp white box to the center edge of the higher temp box the other end, so anywhere within is "normal"

most run about level with the LeD which is deemed 1/2 way.

its quite common to get false reading from the temp sender, as it is a long way from the instrument panel, with numerous connectors to travel thro, and remember the sender is in the engine bay, not the radiator, which is just the cooling fan switch, and is 17liters of coolant away from the engine.