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Warm GQ

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 10:16 am
by Shorty40
Hey guys,

With Brisbanes warmer weather lately I decided to do some maintenance on the GQ (92 EFI running straight LPG).

I emptied the radiator and refilled it with new coolant.

When I was driving yesterday I noticed the car ran warmer on the freeway (1/3 on the guage) than it did around town (1/4 on the guage) :? Obviously these temps are not really a concern. However, does this sound normal or is something wrong ? I would have thought more airflow at higher freeway speeds would keep it cooler :?

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:26 pm
by fnqcairns
Mine does and reads exactly the same and it is in good condition, a short while ago I ran the engine without the thermostat and it ran too cool (compared to thermostat in)at all unloaded speeds town 1/8 and highway a needle width or two higher both with the aircon on full.

cheers

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:51 pm
by G_loomis
I dont know if it would effect the temps too much...but maybe going highway speed with nothing but extremely hot air (which it has been lately) hitting the radiator that may increase temp a little.

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:10 pm
by mickyd555
ive recently had the same problem, TD42 in a GU. after cleaning the engine bay and radiator down it seems to be running cooler, i didnt think such a simple thing could make a difference but now i assume the engine acts as a heatsink, so now its clean dissapates more heat straight off the block..... :D :D

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:27 pm
by BigQQQie
Did you drain the entire cooling system, (eg remove Plug from side of engine block) or just take of bottom radiator hose.
It is very unlikely due to the positioning of the radiator in the gq's but you may also have an air blockage check that.

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:01 am
by shakes
dont mix ya coolants either, you wont notice it now but alota coolants dont like each other and start attackin your motor

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:14 am
by meiamaro
Is there a special way of bleeding the cooling system?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 12:03 am
by Shorty40
Thanks guys - but Im still none the wiser :?

To drain - I took out the bung at the bottom of the radiator. And then ran the engine for a little bit with the heater on full (recirculate).

Refilled with the same coolant (10 litres :roll: )

To 'flush' the system I put the garden hose in the radiator cap and ran on high for about 5 minutes.

I have been told I may need a proper flush :?

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 12:34 am
by bogged
Shorty40 wrote:I have been told I may need a proper flush :?
you can get a system flush at a radiator place, which maybe worth doing, just to get it sorted.

has your radiator been tested properly yet? EG removed by radiator place and checked...

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 7:59 am
by Shorty40
bogged wrote:
Shorty40 wrote:I have been told I may need a proper flush :?
you can get a system flush at a radiator place, which maybe worth doing, just to get it sorted.

has your radiator been tested properly yet? EG removed by radiator place and checked...
No not yet. Only because the temperatures were not a major concern.

Just thought I would try a few things before getting the experts in ;)

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 6:19 pm
by awill4x4
Just a thought. Did you undo the "bleed screw" on top of the efi plenum to reduce the chance of an airlock.
Regards Andrew.

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:54 pm
by bilby
shakes wrote:dont mix ya coolants either, you wont notice it now but alota coolants dont like each other and start attackin your motor
stick a multimeter into the coolant and see if it reads any voltage ;)

if it reads over so many volts ( aint sure on how many is too many ) its getting electrolisis ( ? )
and its time to flush and re-fill

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 8:56 am
by Shorty40
awill4x4 wrote:Just a thought. Did you undo the "bleed screw" on top of the efi plenum to reduce the chance of an airlock.
Regards Andrew.
Ummm, no :?

If I do that now (well after I change the fluids) can it / will it help ?

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 10:15 am
by chimpboy
How is your air/fuel mixture? This could make the engine run hotter.

How is the airflow around the radiator? Are there any gaps making an easy bypass for airflow so that it can avoid passing through the radiator at speed?

How is the water pump? It might be causing enough coolant to flow at idle, but be too shagged to drive enough coolant flow when the engine is running harder (and therefore generating more heat.)

Is the thermostat working? Maybe you flushed some goop out of the radiator and it travelled around and blocked the thermostat. The thermostat could be stuck partially closed and be opening just enough for idle, but not be able to open enough to allow adequate coolant flow when the engine is making power and heat. Or, actually, since your gauge is reading too low at both idle and speed, the thermostat may in fact be stuck open. Remember running too cool is better than running too hot, but it's still not as good as running at the correct temperature.

Jason

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:53 pm
by jessie928
you have an airlock

you can crack your head if you keep driving


Jes

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:31 pm
by awill4x4
Shorty40 wrote:
awill4x4 wrote:Just a thought. Did you undo the "bleed screw" on top of the efi plenum to reduce the chance of an airlock.
Regards Andrew.
Ummm, no :?

If I do that now (well after I change the fluids) can it / will it help ?
Yes, you can still do it. It is located on the top and at the front of the inlet plenum directly opposite where the breather tube comes in from the rocker cover. It's about 40mm 1 1/2" from the end of the breather tube.
Just undo the bleed screw a few turns, don't undo it completely as it's a bugger trying to screw it back in when there's a fountain of coolant spraying upwards. When I do mine, I start the engine then unscrew it until coolant comes out then do it up, let it warm up a little and do it again for good measure.
Regards Andrew.

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:51 pm
by chimpboy
awill4x4 wrote:
Shorty40 wrote:
awill4x4 wrote:Just a thought. Did you undo the "bleed screw" on top of the efi plenum to reduce the chance of an airlock.
Regards Andrew.
Ummm, no :?

If I do that now (well after I change the fluids) can it / will it help ?
Yes, you can still do it. It is located on the top and at the front of the inlet plenum directly opposite where the breather tube comes in from the rocker cover. It's about 40mm 1 1/2" from the end of the breather tube.
Just undo the bleed screw a few turns, don't undo it completely as it's a bugger trying to screw it back in when there's a fountain of coolant spraying upwards. When I do mine, I start the engine then unscrew it until coolant comes out then do it up, let it warm up a little and do it again for good measure.
Regards Andrew.
I take it this is only on the EFI models?

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:26 am
by coke
your stressing about NOTHING. If it is running at about 1/3 or 1/2 on the guage in BRISBANE in the last week or so then there's no issue.

You may benefit from a system flush, and they are worth about $80 for and ENGINE and RADIATOR flush. Useless doing one without the other IMHO. All the gunk from the block will just go back into the radiator if that's all you get flushed!

If your system is running around 1/4 in town (slow speeds) then that's great! Your fan is working well and cooling the car adequately with little actual natural (at speed) airflow.

Andrew