Rad problems maybe?

[GlenJ]

Hey all

Hope your all enjoying the weather, while preparing my grasser today for the weekend, i started it up and let it run idle for around 5mins prob more without the fan on, while checking all the pipes are warming up i noticed the bottom of the rad still fairly cold compared to top of rad and hoses, after leaving for a few more mins still the same, i bottled it and turned the fan on just in case i had a air lock (rad as been off in the past) or bad rad.

How long on idle should all the rad warm up?

Any thoughts

 

[davyboy]

How longs a piece of string ????? Seriously, if you had the car running that long with an air lock you would have blown a head gasket more like. Rad should be colder at the bottom, quite normal.

 

[GlenJ]

Cheers for the reply bud

 

[frank]

any temp gauge fitted glen ?

 

[GlenJ]

No buddy all off feel, top hose was pretty hot as was the rad apart from bottom right corner

 

[frank]

i would fit a gauge personally glen (or a k12 warning light) because you wont get full power if its too hot or too cold eh
and there wont be a lot of heat transfer while stationary (hence the fitment of radfans eh) so the whole rad should be hot within minutes in this weather i would have thought

 

[GlenJ]

yeah, will look into something like that me thinks, what u reckon rad knackered or air in the system

 

[frank]

you can easily check the rad with a garden hose eh i would check that its flowing ok first mate (top hose off, and into a bowl or bucket)

 

[GlenJ]

bottom hose off and just run the hose pipe into header or leave on and let it go through the whole system?

 

[frank]

bottom hose off and just run the hose pipe into header or leave on and let it go through the whole system?

nah remove the rad, and lay it flat to check its not blocked with a hose, but that is very unlikely, so check the coolant is circulating properly first

 

[GlenJ]

so to check the system i take top hose off and hosepipe into header and wait till water comes out of the top hose?

 

[frank]

let the top hose run into a bucket mate, it,ll only trickle till the thermostat opens, then when it opens it,ll empty the rad into the bucket

 

[GlenJ]

ah so let the car run until thermo opens, will go try now and report back cheers frank

 

[GlenJ]

ok had the trickle but nothing else came out bottom hose got hot this time...Thermo out?

 

[frank]

ok had the trickle but nothing else came out bottom hose got hot this time...Thermo out?

i guess so
you have this pipe fitted right ? and the heater pipes blocked ?

 

[GlenJ]

no bud not blocked off, put a pipe all the way around back of inlet

 

[frank]

no bud not blocked off, put a pipe all the way around back of inlet

same difference eh

 

[GlenJ]

yeah thought it might be better that way also, due to the distance travelled? if thermo is shot why would the rad get hot? does it trickle in cos i could still feel hot water on the trickle

 

[frank]

if the thermo is stuck shut the flow will be very slow eh glen, and a slow flow will give a very hot top hose

 

[GlenJ]

ok cheers bud gonna remove thermo now, rad seems to flow ok, only done on car tho again cheers for the help

 

[GlenJ]

hmmm thermo seems to be working ok (pan test) thinking air lock in rad maybe from when did HG, when bleeding last time i just followed Haynes fill up run car and squeeze pipes

 

[frank]

i would try it without the thermo glen, and if its not flowing there,s probably a pipe of pump issue maybe ?

 

[GlenJ]

ok bud tried that should it gush out, cos it didnt it kind of flowed out then back then flowed again

 

[frank]

it should gush out when revved yeh, here,s mine when it was,nt pumping right (the heater hose flow)

 

[GlenJ]

ok bud yeah it gushed out under revs, any more thoughts?

 

[frank]

you should still have some flow at idle mate, else the car will overheat while stationary eh

 

[GlenJ]

yeah did have some flow bud, (looking at the time )not to sure what to do next apart from see how it goes now its had a good flush new coolant and prob a better bleeding than before, cheers again bud

 

[GlenJ]

all seemed fine today looks like i was a little paranoid, ah well bit of piece of mind with the test i did at least, cheers guys again for the input