Radiator flush stuff (engine)

[julianf]

The steamy shot at the end was after id just poured water over it from the kettle. There was no heat from the pan, just the water from the kettle, so a bit less than 100c.

I left it a while till my laser thermometer was reading 55c on the outside of the cast iron pan, and the gauge was back, under the red, but still on the hot side of centre.

Which would all imply a bad gauge. Or rather two bad gauges??

The gauges are not pocket change (over £50) else id just go out tomorrow and get another. It certainly seems that the gauge is wrong, but both gauges is the bit that has me confused!

They are AMR2631 with the black ring sender. The green ring sender reads too hot on an AMR2631. Both new and original senders are reading the same.


I guess ill wait for the thermowell to turn up and stick a sensor in that, and see what happens then?

 

[reb78]

Doesnt seem right. Not quite sure whats wrong though if the sender is definitely correct.

If you do end up changing the gauge i think I have this VDO gauge and correct sender for the 200tdi. https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p/vdo-water-temperature-gauge-310010002

its so much better for keeping a proper eye in things than relying on the innacurate thing LR put in. Its enabled me to spot duff stats easily and was interesting watching it get to 110 when my HG went on the big hill on the A30 after Oakhampton westbound near the A386 junction with a heavy trailer on the back! (It finished the last 20 miles but not sure I had coolant...)

 

[sako243]

The +12v is from the switched live, via fuse 3. This +ve voltage is then earthed, through the sender, to the housing, and the gauge measures the senders resistance. There's no earth required on the dash for this (other than for the illumination bulb, but that just slots in from the back anyway).

The gauge normally gets its earth through the housing if I remember correctly so you need to ensure that the gauge housing gets a good connection to the binnacle and then through to the dash earth which is somewhere on the bulkhead (sorry been a very long day so can't remember exactly where things are).

Gauges won't magically work without an earth somewhere - you need something to reference to.

 

[julianf]

The gauge normally gets its earth through the housing if I remember correctly so you need to ensure that the gauge housing gets a good connection to the binnacle and then through to the dash earth which is somewhere on the bulkhead (sorry been a very long day so can't remember exactly where things are).

Gauges won't magically work without an earth somewhere - you need something to reference to.

I replied, basically, saying you were wrong, and then went and tested in my pan of water...

If i earth the thread which you tighten up to install the gauge, then, sure enough, it floats back to the mid position again.


I looked at some photos on the web, and, sure enough, other people have grounds connected here also -

So it looks like you may have solved the issue. Ill see what can be done at the back of the gauges (why im missing that daisy chain ground line, who knows?) and report back - thank you!

 

[reb78]

Ed was right but you've just found that out. As he typed it i remembered that daisychain - thats why the dash earth is involved.

I had actually forgotten about the back of the gauge hence not mentioning it earlier- sorry!

 

[julianf]

I'm going in...

 

[julianf]

Its too late for me to bother going for a test drive now, but i have some confidence, based on the kitchen tests.

I have a dim memory of having one of those coolant system pressure testers somewhere. If i can find it, and if it has all the parts, i think it may be wise for me to give that a go, to get some quantitative results, so any pipes leaking subsequently can be determined as over-pressure, rather than just red herrings!

 

[reb78]

Well???!

 

[not done it yet]

I always start with measuring the true temperature with a situation like this. That could have saved a few pages on this thread.

 

[tom2207]

so is it sorted now ,,, was it actually overheating , or was it just a gauge in the end.

 

[julianf]

I didn't want to speak too soon -

Did a small trip yesterday and it seemed ok, but was a little inconclusive.

Did a longer trip today, and am pretty sure it was a gauge issue.

It's still weeping from a lot of the coolant pipe junctions but that could just be that I've not tightened it all up enough.

It's also got entirely unrelated issues going on, hence the reluctance to burn it up and down the motorway to 100% conclude.

The old radiator was missing enough fins that I could easily see though it, and the old stat was not as it should be, so it's not a bad thing that they were changed.

Next up -

How to get a 110 to stop veering into oncoming traffic.

Thanks to all so far... : )

 

[Blobber]

The gauge normally gets its earth through the housing if I remember correctly so you need to ensure that the gauge housing gets a good connection to the binnacle and then through to the dash earth which is somewhere on the bulkhead (sorry been a very long day so can't remember exactly where things are).

Gauges won't magically work without an earth somewhere - you need something to reference to.

That type of gauge does not need an earth, the sender unit is its earth which is variable resistance depending on temperature, the only time you need an earth on the gauge is possibly for illumination

 

[My Old Landy]

Next up -

How to get a 110 to stop veering into oncoming traffic.

Thanks to all so far... : )

Well, if its anything like my 90, I fired the parts Canon and replaced every component from the steering arm down to the ball joints. I also sorted the steering box with a rebuild kit.
It worked for me but was not the cheapest option!!

 

[julianf]

That type of gauge does not need an earth, the sender unit is its earth which is variable resistance depending on temperature, the only time you need an earth on the gauge is possibly for illumination

See, that's exactly what I thought, and is how the various videos on the web describe the operation also, however, as @sako243 said above, it does, indeed, need the ground.

The gauge works without the ground, however, the reading is offset. Now that I've applied the ground, the needle sits at the mid way point, as you would expect.

I have also googled photos of the dash panel, and, sure enough, other people have them grounded also.

The illumination is provided by a bulb that slots into the back of the gauge, and had its own wires going to it (ie is electronically independent from the gauge itself)

 

[julianf]

Well, if its anything like my 90, I fired the parts Canon and replaced every component from the steering arm down to the ball joints. I also sorted the steering box with a rebuild kit.
It worked for me but was not the cheapest option!!

It's got big off-road remould tyres on it at the moment, so I'm hoping it's a simple fix. I've got new rubber but the rims are not done yet.

I know people say polybush are not great, but I happen to have a full kit (accquire years ago) so, as I have that, I think I'll fit that.

I did the track rod ends etc prior to MOT.

Tester didn't fail it on play, so my hopes are that new tyres will change things a lot.

 

[My Old Landy]

It's got big off-road remould tyres on it at the moment, so I'm hoping it's a simple fix. I've got new rubber but the rims are not done yet.

I know people say polybush are not great, but I happen to have a full kit (accquire years ago) so, as I have that, I think I'll fit that.

I did the track rod ends etc prior to MOT.

Tester didn't fail it on play, so my hopes are that new tyres will change things a lot.

Mine has discoverer pro m/s tyres fairly chunky but my system was rubbish. I used the standard bushes but that's because they came with the complete kit from Paddocks.
Sounds like you already have the solution

 

[tom2207]

It's got big off-road remould tyres on it at the moment, so I'm hoping it's a simple fix. I've got new rubber but the rims are not done yet.

I know people say polybush are not great, but I happen to have a full kit (accquire years ago) so, as I have that, I think I'll fit that.

I did the track rod ends etc prior to MOT.

Tester didn't fail it on play, so my hopes are that new tyres will change things a lot.

big tires , especially cheap ones ,,, and the dreaded wheel spacers , to get the tires to fit are a tragic combination ...

 

[julianf]

It's got these on the front (some unknown that cost me £35 locally for a set of three?) bought simply as the Greenway anaconda (that it has on the rear) got a side wall bulge, and I needed something of similar diameter as a stop gap.

The Greenway anaconda are not made any more but it seems that the nearest alternative is the insa special. But, regardless, I have a new set of Cooper discovery (or discover - whatever they're called) to go on as soon as the rims are sorted.

(rims being the standard landrover "boost" alloys, that are rated for the 110 weight - they're at the local blaster now)

 

[tom2207]

View attachment 353941

It's got these on the front (some unknown that cost me £35 locally for a set of three?) bought simply as the Greenway anaconda (that it has on the rear) got a side wall bulge, and I needed something of similar diameter as a stop gap.

The Greenway anaconda are not made any more but it seems that the nearest alternative is the insa special. But, regardless, I have a new set of Cooper discovery (or discover - whatever they're called) to go on as soon as the rims are sorted.

(rims being the standard landrover "boost" alloys, that are rated for the 110 weight - they're at the local blaster now)

wonder why its not driving nice { well nice is a relative term}

the poor thing.

 

[julianf]

wonder why its not driving nice { well nice is a relative term}

the poor thing.

I drove the 101 for a long time on cross ply military bar grips, and, whist that was a while back now, I think this combination is even less controllable.

But, yes, obviously the first thing to do is the rubber, and go from there.