I don't think its a head gasket but....

[Sambomonkee]

... I get no warm air from the blower, I bleed the rad and the heater matrix, both had air in them, this didn't work though.

The fan comes on and the rads feel quite cold at that point, I can touch the water coming out of the bleed point, is warm but not blindly hot, I would expect it to be steaming if the fan was on.

I am guessing this is a thermostat issue, what do you reckon.

PS the oil is clean and the header tank is clean.

[darrenzs]

Faulty temp sensor- activating fan before necessary?

[Sambomonkee]

Don't think so, as the engine temp gauge in the car is correct, so I;m guessing that there is no water getting to the rad and heater matrix, which I would have thought was an air lock or a thermostat.

[darrenzs]

How many sensors does the car have?
I had trouble with my 214 a couple of years ago, then I found out: it has two sensors one for the gauge, and another for the ECU.

Wondering why the fan is coming on- if the engine is only warm?

[Sambomonkee]

I think the engine is hot (the head tank is boliing if you take the cap off), but there's as no water is flow around the rad, it just overheats.

And you are right there two sensors one for the ECU and one for the Gauge, still its worth swapping them off the donor car as I know they work on it.

But my money is on the thermostat, which is a pig to get to in the tf160.

[Rich]

Water pump?

[Sambomonkee]

Could be, as I did notice when I was bleeding the heater matrix, it pulsates in pressure, Ie dribbles out then squirts out etc.

Needs a cam belt change so would do it as part of that, but want to check easier things first.

[Tony]

Does the F have a bender valve to control flow through the heater matrix? Check the cables between this and the temperature control on the dash.

[Matt Parker]

If the radiator is not really getting warm then you are not getting circulation therefore the usual culprits are a faulty water pump, faulty thermostat(but should still get sufficient flow to warm rad) or you have a blockage in the pipes.

I would as you will have to drain off the coolant for any task, check the pipes to make sure they are free of blockages and then check the water pump. If you don't want to remove the camblet and take the pump off you can check the pump from the rear by removing the rear engine coolant rain pipe and thermostat housing, you can then 'just' get in to feel the pump impellar and you may find that it has broken off the shaft or feel play in it.

Have you held the revs up at 3k rpm and also fluctuate them(blip the throttle on and off) in the high rpm's to help get circulation by speeding up the water pump? If you have or if you try this and it makes no difference then most likely it will be the pump at fault.

[Sambomonkee]

Cheers Mat, I will give it ago at the weekend.

[Nick]

I have heard of a few cases on .org of blocked oil coolers presenting similar problems, it's a long shot, but I guess if all other ideas fail it may be worth bypassing that and seeing if that works? Best of luck with it mate....

[Matt Parker]

Im sure you will, keep us posted on this.

Well at the weekend I may assist my dad on his MGF with a little related task, as on the way home tonight from work he noticed the temp gauge sits about 3/5 when at idle and then with the revs raised it suddenly drops to 1/2, classic water pump failing

This pump hasn't been too good but not bad either as its lasted about 3-4 years and its had alot of miles on it.

[Sambomonkee]

Right, had a quick look today, reved the engine and it pumps more water around so pump seems to be OK.

I bleed the heater and horrible goo (oily water came out for a few seconds), but header tank and oil are clean. So I am guessing the radiator and heater matrix are blocked with oil from the last HGF 2000 miles ago.

Sooo, should I just disconnect the hoses that end and try forcing water around it, or is there a special chemical method to flush the system.

Or should I just take the matrix and radiator from the F, as they are in good clean condition.

[Matt Parker]

One of my F's I had last year I had to spend about 3 hours in total cleaning out the coolant system due to a previous HGF. I drained off the coolant and blew through all of the coolant pipes and hoses with an air blower to help force out the larger blockages, then put in a coolant flush and pure water, ran the engine for about 45mins so it got hot and had full circulation(fan cycle on and off) several times, drained off, then did the same with a coolant flush and water and then used the car for a couple of days to make sure the flush could get around the entire system to attack the parts that were still stuck in the system, drained off and refilled with anti freeze.
This did the trick and the car has worked fine over the past year with the new owner, how ever I am waiting for them to bring it back as I told them in August at the MoT that it was due the final flush and fresh anti freeze as some build up had gatherd in the expansion tank, which was expected with having day to day use.

[Sambomonkee]

coolant flush ??? which one and where do you get it from?

[Matt Parker]

Any type of coolant flush will be fine, think the most common one I use is Wynns and any motor spares store and even super markets etc wil stock it.

[Sambomonkee]

Cheers Matt, one question do you bleed the system with the engine on or off. I have to do it with engine on, otherwise I getting nought out of the heater matrix bleed point, but I have read elsewhere you do it with engine off.

[Matt Parker]

Always bleed with engine OFF, you can bleed with it running but if the system is clear and everything working as it should then you shouldn't have to.

If its just the heated bleed you struggle on then I would say that this will be blocking up/breaking down or worse case it may be leaking inside the car. Also before bleeding check that the heater valve itself under the dash(drivers footwell) is working fully when you operate the heater control as these valves can fail and if it has it may be almost fully closed which will stop/restrict the coolant flow into the heater matrix.

[Sambomonkee]

And she's fixed

He bypassed the oil cooler to make sure it was not that. It turned out that in the end, that new pipe that I had been told had been put on had been put on the wrong way round!!!!


Ie, cold to hot and hot to cold, hence no cooling, all fixed for pricley sum of 80 pounds.

He just advised me flush the system with rinse aid the get rid of the last oil traces.

Now the declas

[Matt Parker]

Nice one, simple fix the way we like them

[Rich]

Excellent news Lee. I'll try to get some photoshopped pics over to you this week some time. I also need to get over to pick that bonnet up...

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