Overheating

[Guest Peter353]

2.0 lts carb Pinto:

Using supplied radiator:

Engine keeps overheating:

Head gasket changed: water flows freely.

Overheats in 20 minutes.

Electric fan running continuously.

Ignition timing makes no difference.

Tried 2 carbs same result.

 

Exhaust wrapped(double)

Ive even tried a brand new Capri 2ltr rad to no effect.

 

Anyone any ideas ?

Oh no water/oil mix.

 

PC

[Guest SEgan]

Thermostat? Is it opening? Is it the right way round?

Fan? Sucking or blowing?

[Guest nightracer35]

Thermostat? Is it opening? Is it the right way round?

Fan? Sucking or blowing?

 

 

have you tried flushing the engine?? try it with no thermostat in?? have you replaced head gasket?? if so have you checked the water holes in gasket to block line up ok?? . hope these may help. ron

[Guest chris brown]

Are you sure it is overheating or is it just blowing off the excess? Have you got an overflow bottle so it can suck back the extra when it cools again?

[Guest Peter353]

Thermostat? Is it opening? Is it the right way round?

Fan? Sucking or blowing?

 

I removed that and it still overheats.

 

Re: blowing off excess: Even the guage(tried two) and the temperature sender has been changed.

The fan blows from the front and still has the visous fan fitted sucking from the rear.

 

The temperature guage reads just under Red , however it does take a little longer if driven at a constant speed;

accelerating etc reduces the time to get to red.

 

Only one of the chokes on the carb opens at present ( too bloody fast if both open ,,quick enough with one)

 

The engine is definatley overheating as an infra red temperature guage was used to check the dash guage was working properly. it read 120 degs within 10 minutes.

The strange thing is it will run for ages at this temperature and start straight after its switched off with no problems.

[johnlrichardson]

If you have it running for ages does it chuck water out. If so it could be the thermostat = Take it out or it may be air trapped in the system=Pipes or Heater.

 

john

[Guest Peter353]

If you have it running for ages does it chuck water out. If so it could be the thermostat = Take it out or it may be air trapped in the system=Pipes or Heater.

 

john

The thermostat was the first thing i tried. its been out for ages now.

The water circulates quite well looking into the rad filler.

 

there isnt a heater fitted as i went for aero screens.(its bloody murder on the feet the heat build up in the footwells is tremendous.)

 

Im toying with the idea of fitting another engine to see if the problem lies elsewhere in the system.

Has anyone had any problems apart from fitting a a rediculous angle the supplied radiator.

Are there any other rads that fit better ?

 

I was even going to trailer the whole car to a show and throw in a toolbox and the usual lubricants and see if the club could fix it in a day with the public viewing but thought better of it ..... bad press etc...

 

Still it wont beat me....................well not for a while.

PC

[Guest Dan_Beeston]

Only one of the chokes on the carb opens at present ( too bloody fast if both open ,,quick enough with one)

 

Is the other choke being prevented from opening (or is it broke?!?)

If it should be opening then the engine will run lean from the point at which it should open, which can also make it run hot..........

[Guest Peter353]

Is the other choke being prevented from opening (or is it broke?!?)

If it should be opening then the engine will run lean from the point at which it should open, which can also make it run hot..........

 

The second choke is not broken or being prevented from opening ( see Below)

 

From day one the accelerater travel was limited to open half way so the carb works correctly to a point and is then stopped from opening further. A bit like not planting your right foot to the floor.

The car /engine works and sound fine pulls like a tank and will cruise easily/comfortably.

 

The Jets/tubes in the carb have been checked and double checked and are as spot on as they can be without rolling road which cant be completed until the overheating is sorted without being mega expensive.

 

I even had the dizzy to bits yesterday to make sute all the moving parts were free.

I think ive just come across a bad engine and will never find the cause of the problem.

 

Anyone know of a 2.0 ltr Pinto going ?

[Guest salty_monk]

Do you have your fan cowled in to the radiator? How restrictive is the grill you have on it?

 

Neither viscous or electric work well enough without a cowl. You also need to make sure all air passing through the grill is going through the rad & not around, underneath or over it! Take a look at what I had to do with my first one....

 

Fitting a heater increases the volume of water substantially & really helps.

 

I'm 99% sure it's not your engine!

 

1st one

 

 

2nd one

 

 

Also check your fan blades are turning the right way. A "sucker" with polarity reversed is worse than useless as a "blower"....

[Bob Tucker]

Have you removed & checked the water pump?

I see that water is circulating, but its impossible to guess if its enough.

 

The vanes on the back of the pump can be broken/worn away/rusted off.

Worth undoing a couple? of bolts to check...

Bob

[Guest salty_monk]

Good idea Bob, I've definitely seen that one before or where the propeller is slipping on the shaft or something.

 

Dan

[Guest Peter353]

Good idea Bob, I've definitely seen that one before or where the propeller is slipping on the shaft or something.

 

Dan

The electric fan is pushing a load of air.

 

The water is circulating , you can see it moving when looking through the filler cap.

Never thought above the volume re:heater.

 

The grill is just that a grill giving little restriction.

 

Good point about the water pump though. ill have that off at the weekend and at the price for a new one may even just swap it over.

 

Does anyone know if there is an off the shelf bottom hose. I had to make mine up from two with a connecting pipe.

This maybe causing some restriction and id love to get rid of it if possible.

 

One further point that is more of an anoyance. Do I really need the large cup ''washer'' on the gearbox mount ?

I hit every speedbump I go over with it even though the ride hieght is ''high''

 

Many thanks for all the feed back i'll try the above and hopefully be able to drive it more than 20miles before having to stop to cool down....

 

PC

[Big Jim]

For an engine to overheat, usually it's a problem about getting enough air through the radiator to cool it.

 

It can possibly be;...................

 

1) The timing is retarded = but you say that you've checked this. What cam? if it has a "fast" cam, then the timing will need advancing, (check out Dave Andrews website - link from ours) otherwise as Haynes manual.

2) Waterpump faulty. Worth just changing for a new one.

3) Incorrect sender for the gauges. The sender should match the gauges, not neccesarily the engine. Often the RH gauges are ex Escort.

4) Water hoses are "sucking in" or restricting the flow of water. I personally dislike those convoluted things.

5) The thermostat is either faulty or fitted the wrong way round = but you say that you've removed it, It should run OK with one fitted, but.......never mind.

6) You have a cylinder head gasket problem, but that would show up by pumping water out of the radiator.

 

BUT IT'S MORE LIKELY TO BE;............

 

6) NOT ENOUGH AIR BEING PUSHED THROUGH THE RADIATOR TO COOL THE WATER.

 

6a) The air must be made to go through the radiator, either by cowling and channeling the air, or by blocking the gaps around the rad.

6b) The electric fan must be able to push enough air through. The Rover fans supplied previously by RH, are at the best, barely adequate for toutling along,

IMHO they should be binned! I recommend a Citroen BX fan.

6c) The fan should be fitted as close to the radiator as possible.

 

PS, If your rad is mounted upright, in a similar position to how it would have been in the Sierra, the hoses and part numbers are on our website.

[Guest AWhite]

One thing no one has mentioned so far is air locks. I've seen several cars have this problem. When i first got the car I flushed the system and didnt get all the air out. It boiled up and spat water out after a few miles. I now have some copper tube with a radiator bleed valve in the highest part of the system so i can start the car after a flush with this open and close it as soon as it pushes fluid out.

 

Also as previously mentioned the plumbing of your expansion bottle etc is critical and easy to get wrong. Can you knock up a quick drawing or post a pic of how it is set up and we can tell you if its right. i.e. Most people find that a non presurised expansion bottle level or higher than the radiator cap connected from the radiator neck works best.

 

Personally on mine the supplied rad was not up to the job so i went for the Coolman rad which is bigger has more cores and obviously holds more water. I never have cooling problems anymore and there is a fair amount of heat generated by my engine.

 

Andy