Club 80-90 Forums

after thinking id sorted my overheating problem ive got another pinhole in my header tank oh well a new one from brick werks will sort that but i have a question does anyone know why when i slide the temp control from hot to cold on heater controls the temp guage moves over halfway ? thanks in advance jeff

the heater matrix bypasses the radiator and the thermostat, so when you remove the matrix, the engine is relying on the thermostat opening fully and the radiator to supply cooled coolant to the engine.

If it stuggles to maintain the temp then it would suggest the thermostat is faulty or the radiator is either blocked to some degree with sludge... or both.

I would do a system bleed first to ensure there is no air trapped in the radiator, reducing it's cooling capacity

I might add this happens to my engine when I cruise at 70 mph, the needle creeps over half way and the oil pressure drops alarmingly.
Opening the heater matrix returns the temp gauge to just below half way and the oil pressure returns to 40 psi
So my first job will be a thermostat change to a better quality oneas a system bleed {brickwerks method} has had no effect.
I have to suspect a sludged up radiator due to it's age.

thanks kev i changed the thermostat with one i got from brickwerks so it looks like rad out then

jeffdub - just to give you some comfort, I had similar and saw a definate improvement once I de-sludged the rad - there was a fair bit in there...

thanks for your advice lads its much appreciated jeff

No worries, let us know how you get on - it's nice to get a bit of closure...