I have a rover 416 1997 brought cheap two weeks ago and I have some questions about the coolant etc.
Ok When driving the car the temp gauge sits at about a 1/3rd the way up the gauge but when I am stuck in traffic the gauge does not move any higher even thought I know the engine is getting hot as after a while the cooling fan cuts in and out as it should I have checked the gauge is working as it deflects when tested so should I replace the temp gauge sender unit?.
After driving the car the coolant level sits about one inch above the max line in the coolant expansion tank but if I sit in the car and wait for the cooling fan to cut in the coolant level is at the top of the expansion tank with no air to be seen in the tank but it drops down if I drive the car a few miles back to about one inch above the max line is this right.
I have also noticed that there is no hot air coming out of the heater even thought the water pipe leading to the heater is hot I have moved the dial from hot to cold to hot again but it has no effect. If I drive the car hot air will come out of the heater after a while but it is not very hot and it will go cold after a while once you stop moving. should I replace the thermostat even though I sure its working as the top rad hose becomes hot before the bottom rad hose.
There is no mayo in the engine or water.
Mike
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It souns to me like you have several air bubbles in the coolant system - the heater/temperature guage and coolant expanion all suggest air in the system.
Try bleeding air from it - when cold - by gently opening the clips on the top hose. I am unsure whether there are any bleed points on the cooling sytem - perhaps someone more knowledgeable?
madf
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Check to see if the lever on the heater valve is moving when the dial is turned (will need an assistant)If the lever does not move you will need a new valve.If its working you may have an air lock in the matrix.Some but not all,have a bleed valve on the return pipe to the right of the block.If you have no idea when the coolant was last replaced,it will be a good idea to replace along with a new thermostat.as it is critical this is done every 2 years regardless of mileage
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Steve
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Hi thanks for the help so far.. Ok the heater valve moves with the heating dial so I assume that it is working ok. The thermostat appears to be working ok as the coolant is flowing around the engine as it should after the thermostat opens but I will replace it with new anitfreeze. My local rover dealer suggested looking at the coolant expansion cap to see if it is leaking presure as if there is coolant on the expansion tank and around the cap then this suggest the cap is faulty. My dealer said do the following once the car is cold undo the pressure cap and note what happerns to the coolant level if it rises then the cap is working and pressure is being held ok if the coolant drops then the cap is letting the pressure that builds up escape until there is no air left and the coolant starts to leak out as the expasion tank, as the engine cools down and the coolant returns to the engine the air that has been lost due to the cap fault is then sucked back in to the coolant tank slowly until the pressure that the cap can hold is reached and once you undo the cap the remain pressure held by the cap releases letting air back in and the coolant drops to its normal level he also said that air being sucked back in could leak to trapped bubbles and suggest bleeding the system after replacing the cap. He said that the cap fault is the main reason for the HGF on thses engines. What do you guys think
Mike
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I wont say all that was said is incorrect,but main reason for hgf is the thermostat and problems with cylinder head waterways.Plus the anti freeze breaks down a little faster than the 2 year recommended and thermostat should be changed at the same time.It is a design fault which should have been sorted,though I gather you can get a modified stat/housing which is located in a different position,along with pipework
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Steve
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I had very similar symptoms on my Rover 820 Turbo when the coolant cap failed and the system was no longer presurising. The caps are really cheap, so try replacing that first. Cap failure is a common problem.
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Thanks for all the replys I do appreate it...
Ok UPDATE.... I have now replaced the temp gauge sender unit which if I am correct is the sensor that is screwed in to the bottom of the top hose junstion outlet from the engine case and the one screwed in to the side and points towards the cooling fan..
There has been no change to the temp gauge after replacing it still sits the 1/3 mark regardless of the fact the thermostat has opened and coolant is traverling from the top hose through the rad and out the bottom hose and the main cooling fan is cutting in and out.
I have replaced the pressure cap on the expansion tank and now coolant is not rising to the top and pressure is being held by the cap I also have no coolant leaking from the cap or around the base of it.
The heater is still cold until you drive the car then it comes out hot until you slow down or get stuck in traffic then the temp slow drops to warm until you drive off.
I have brought unipart antifreeze unmixed from rover as it was cheaper than halfords who were charging £15.00 for unmixed 2lt bottles.
Any thoughts on the heater and temp gauge also I will flush the coolant system but I will wait to see what ideas you guys have.
Mike
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The caps are really cheap, so try replacing that first. Cap failure is a common problem.
But there aren't many Rover dealers left to sell them - I had to go to scrapyard!
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Relax, it`s a Rover!
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Hi Chris S
My local rover dealer said he that parts are not a problem and he will always have parts as the rover parts devision has been brought out and now parts are made by a company called xcat lucas as there 3 million rover cars on the road parts are still big business.
mike
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Thanks for that - it will save me risking my neck in future. Metros are small so scrapyards always put them on top of two or three other cars.
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Ok today I flushed the coolant system and refilled the system with new unipart anitfreeze at 50/50 mix. Ran the engine until the cooling fan cut in and the engine was up to normal temp. Let it cool down and then topped up the coolant system to the max level. Drove car to pick up partner and found coolant had risen to just below the top of the expansion tank and some had ecasped from the new cap. Once car had cooled down removed the cap and I could air bubbling up from the engine I then undid the bleed screw and air came out of it until it bubbled and then just antifreeze ran out. Started car again and let it warm up until the cooling fan cut in while watching coolant level which climed to about 1cm above the max level. I have left the car to cool down and will rebleed the system and top up if needed. I Feel that as there is no oil in the coolant and no coolant in the oil that it must be down to trapped air still but maybe it is the head gasket warning me, strange though as the car drives very well it has power, idles well and the coolant that came out was very green slighty thinker than I would have thought but it seemed clean.
Does any of this seem possible.
Mike
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im sorry to have to tell you this but its your head gaskett it will blow, this as happened to me about a month ago and mine blew tonight all the same symptons no hot air ect ect.......
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>>im sorry to have to tell you this but its your head gaskett it will blow,
Not always the case,if a problem is sorted in time.H/G failure can be prevented,if you have had problems and did not sort in time you expect H/G failure,in most cases this is what happens
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Steve
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The problem is catching it in time. The K has a comparitively small coolant capacity, so any leak can quickly lead to problems.
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