Overheating

[Guest Peter353]

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.

 

Ive an electric fan pushing from the front and the viscous pulling from the rear of the radiator (supplied).

Air is getting through the rad . I can feel warm/hot air from the rear of the rad when running..

 

The top hose is one of the convoluted things as it was the only one i could find that would make the bend without kinking.

The bottom hose is made from the sierra bottom hose cut and extended (ive not been exactly happy with the joining of hoses but needs must at the time.)

 

The electric fan is of the kenlowe type and pushes a truckload of air. i cant remember the CF/m but i do remember it push loads more than the supplied fan.

 

There is not loass of water when running apart from blow off from the rad cap.

As for the Cam ive no idea of the duration profile etc as it cam with the engine. I rebuilt the engine prior to fitting and brushed out all of the water gantries/flushed with the off the shelf flushing kits(twice).

Fitting a 2 ltr Capri rad had no effect on cooling.

It may be ive got to get the Electric fan closer to the rad but there's a bloody great crossmember in the way .

Ive cowled the electric fan and little or no air gets round the radiator.

 

Can you tell me where on the website the hose details can be found

[Steve Walker]

Since you have no heater fitted, have you looped the hoses together or blocked them off?

 

Although I have heard that blocking them doesn't cause a problem, I'm suspicious of this, as a fair quantity of coolant normally flows this way and without it I'd suspect localised overheating and/or airlocks.

 

SteveW

[Guest Peter353]

Since you have no heater fitted, have you looped the hoses together or blocked them off?

 

Although I have heard that blocking them doesn't cause a problem, I'm suspicious of this, as a fair quantity of coolant normally flows this way and without it I'd suspect localised overheating and/or airlocks.

 

SteveW

The pipe is looped. I agree with problems in blocking them off seeing as it flows into the head via the manifold.

 

Rgds

PC

[johnlrichardson]

There are 2 water pumps that fit the pinto blocks. The difference is the size where it fits the bottom hose, I think the small diameter one was for the 1600cc block and the larger one for the 2000cc believe the guts are the same, just the diameter is different. Not sure if the restriction of the smaller one could cause problems.

 

 

john

[enforcer]

For the record I have used flexible 'convoluted' hoses top and bottom and have no cooling problems whatsoever. I use a Coolman double-core radiator and a mini heater permanently plumbed in.

 

I have a viscous fan fitted and an electric one but I have never needed to use it.

 

I have no cowling around the radiator at all.

 

The only overheating problem I ever had was when I first ran the engine, and that was because I had made the schoolboy error of fitting the thermostat the wrong way round.

[Big Jim]

Ive an electric fan pushing from the front and the viscous pulling from the rear of the radiator (supplied).

Air is getting through the rad . I can feel warm/hot air from the rear of the rad when running..

 

The top hose is one of the convoluted things as it was the only one i could find that would make the bend without kinking.

The bottom hose is made from the sierra bottom hose cut and extended (ive not been exactly happy with the joining of hoses but needs must at the time.)

 

The electric fan is of the kenlowe type and pushes a truckload of air. i cant remember the CF/m but i do remember it push loads more than the supplied fan.

 

There is not loass of water when running apart from blow off from the rad cap.

As for the Cam ive no idea of the duration profile etc as it cam with the engine. I rebuilt the engine prior to fitting and brushed out all of the water gantries/flushed with the off the shelf flushing kits(twice).

Fitting a 2 ltr Capri rad had no effect on cooling.

It may be ive got to get the Electric fan closer to the rad but there's a bloody great crossmember in the way .

Ive cowled the electric fan and little or no air gets round the radiator.

 

Can you tell me where on the website the hose details can be found

 

Well you seem to have covered everything, I would however check the sender is the correct one for the gauges. Ford have 8 or more different senders that will fit, you MUST find the one that paires up with your gauges, even if you have to get the gauge part number and ask the Ford parts man (if he's up to it) for a "where used" then get the sender for the same vehicle.

 

To cool an engine, it's simply a matter of getting the water through the rad, and then getting enough air blown through the radiator to cool said water.

 

Hoses etc on This page

[Guest Peter353]

Well you seem to have covered everything, I would however check the sender is the correct one for the gauges. Ford have 8 or more different senders that will fit, you MUST find the one that paires up with your gauges, even if you have to get the gauge part number and ask the Ford parts man (if he's up to it) for a "where used" then get the sender for the same vehicle.

 

To cool an engine, it's simply a matter of getting the water through the rad, and then getting enough air blown through the radiator to cool said water.

 

Hoses etc on This page

Boy dont i know there are 8 senders. The Ford Part ''boy'' didnt know which engine was for which car.

I had to point out the correct ''guages'' to sender and argued for nearly an hour trying to put the point that the engine didnt matter.

 

Still after trying ''a few'' im sure ive got the right one now....... Sierra for Sierra. The Transit one was fun though.

 

Many thanks for all the ideas/solutions.

Im going to replacethe pump for new as a starting point and move from there through hoses rad etc.

The engine is flushing as I write so there should be nothing left to stop water moving around the engine after its finished.

 

PC