Temp Headache

[Jakee]

Hey everyone

So driving home tonight, I noticed my temp gauge was acting a bit odd, first it was sitting about two bars above where it usually does and then suddenly when to max so I immediately pulled over and turned the engine off and popped the hood. But when opening the hood, I found that the engine wasn't hot at all, the top drivers side radiator hose was hot but it didnt burn me when I touched it, the reservoir was okay, I the radiator itself was cool to the touch and the intake manifold on top was only warm?

This had happened before and I was told that the thermostat was poked and that was causing the weird reading so I put the key in the ignition to check the temp and it had come down far enough I was comfortable to start it and drive again. I turned the heater on full bore just as an added precaution but the air coming out was completely cold, like it was my AC.

I have a new thermostat (big thanks to BNT for sorting me out with dads trade account) which is 'high flow' and some nice new coolant to put in when I get enough sun and time to change it over but is this going to stop the problem of my retarded temp gauge?

Also, can someone please give me a dummies guide to bleeding the cooling system of a BG5 TS-R for when I do this because I don't want to mess around with air locking.

Thanks in advance.

Edit. Why did all the words change to skank whistle and nek minnit?

[G-unit]

was the bottom hose warm as well?

[Jakee]

Car is too low to reach under it. The last time I think, it was cold. But thats a rough guess I really can't remember too well.

[G-unit]

u should be able 2 reach down from the engine bay to feel the hose

[gazzy2000]

To bleed the system, take off the small hose off the nozzle on the radiator that goes to the filler/header tank (there are two, one is the over flow) then fill with water in the filler tank while car is running and heater is on hot setting.

Water will piss out the nozzle (will lose some coolent doing this method) on the radiator when you do this but it works like a bleeder so let it piss out for a good while to let it bleed the air out (you will see when the bubbly water has finished bleeding coz the water starts to run smooth i.e. no bubbles) ,then put the hose on again. Leave the radiator cap off to let further bleed air bubbles out, top up as as needed, use yr finger to feel when the water gets hot-ish this means the thermostat has opened, fit the cap and it it should be sweet.

[Jakee]

 G-unit']

u should be able 2 reach down from the engine bay to feel the hose

What would it mean if it were hot or cold? Just so I can get an idea of whether I will need to tow it home or not.

[quote name='gazzy2000 said:

To bleed the system, take off the small hose off the nozzle on the radiator that goes to the filler/header tank (there are two, one is the over flow) then fill with water in the filler tank while car is running and heater is on hot setting.

Water will piss out the nozzle (will lose some coolent doing this method) on the radiator when you do this but it works like a bleeder so let it piss out for a good while to let it bleed the air out (you will see when the bubbly water has finished bleeding coz the water starts to run smooth i.e. no bubbles) ,then put the hose on again. Leave the radiator cap off to let further bleed air bubbles out, top up as as needed, use yr finger to feel when the water gets hot-ish this means the thermostat has opened, fit the cap and it it should be sweet.

Do I need to jack the front of the car up so that the radiator height is ab0ve the heater core? Or the radiator cap is the highest point?

*Edit - Forgot about the skank whistle thing

[G-unit]

na just on a level ground works fine also , done mine twice like that, if the top hose is hot and bottom cold after a decent drive the thermostat hasnt opened

[Guest]

Heater was cold eh, could be a blocked heater core. . but yeah make sure its bled properly

[Jakee]

 CIutch Nade said:

Heater was cold eh, could be a blocked heater core. . but yeah make sure its bled properly

My heater has always run average but not that cold. Thermostat should fix my retarded gauge?

[G-unit]

should do, my old car never got to normal temp on the way to work 20min drive, new thermostat and its sweet and nice heater

[Jakee]

 G-unit said:

should do, my old car never got to normal temp on the way to work 20min drive, new thermostat and its sweet and nice heater

I have had enough of sticking my head out the window to drive home at 10pm after work haha.

[mr.fix.it]

sounds like ur heater core tbh

[Jakee]

 mr.fix.it said:

sounds like ur heater core tbh

Elaborate?

[Jakee]

So updating. I discovered the problem! (I think). There was a small hose on the top of the motor underneath the intake manifold and that was fizzing out water. Thinking it was rusted out I pulled the hose clamp off, and miraculously, the hose and the pipe were fine so I deduct that the hose clamp (was one of those pliers ones and not a screw one) has lost it's spring. So I bled it and filled the radiator up and got the car home from Greenlane. On the way home the temp gauge was reading fine and the heater actually worked.

Will take some pictures later on when I change the clamp over and so forth.

[Jakee]

And the problem gets worse. Turns out the underside of the inlet has rusted out and has split, I couldn't feel it earlier but I can now. Getting another clamp as we speak so that we can attempt to solve the problem without having to replace the whole unit which looks stupidly expensive and fidgity. If anyone knows what this part does please enlighten me. It is on the top of the motor, in the middle just off to the drivers side where the intake pipe meets the manifold. Attaching pictures.

[Jakee]

Does anyone know what this part is and where to get it for how much? I need to replace the whole thing.

[Jakee]

So the part has been acquired thanks to Dad and Strongs. It is an engine cold start valve fast idle or something to that effect. Will update with pics when commencing the swap.

[gazzy2000]

good stuff man, although you gota ask yourself what state the entire cooling system is in with that kind of rust... potentially a corroded water pump and/or blocked radiator/ heater core.

I would tend to spend some $$ now in the name of being proactive i.e. dont just wait for a problem to arrise

thats my fiddy

[Jakee]

 gazzy2000 said:

good stuff man, although you gota ask yourself what state the entire cooling system is in with that kind of rust... potentially a corroded water pump and/or blocked radiator/ heater core.

I would tend to spend some $$ now in the name of being proactive i.e. dont just wait for a problem to arrise

thats my fiddy

Yup have already taken that into account. The one that is on it is from the original motor but I am going to flush the entire cooling system out, flush the radiator, replace the thermostat and put nice new coolant into it I will clean the whole engine while I am at it and when I get time after exams I am going to do a full service plus plugs and leads.