overheating !!!!!!!!!!!!!!in english summer!!!!

[davesopener]

my cars heat has started getting to 3/4s on gauge recently
fitted with a now working pacet fan incidentally
is she telling me she needs coolant change and service
or am i missing something
ty dave[8D]

[Beans]

Check temp gauge and sender and of course coolant level.
Also the temp switch for the fan, what temperaturedoes it work?
And of course check the thermostat (sticking in closed position?)

If the above are all OK I'd start to worry ...

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1981 TR7 DHC (not very well known yet, but back on the road)
Also a 1980 TR7 DHC, 1980 TR7 DHC FI, 1981 TR7 FHC
http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="blue"></center>

[bmcecosse]

Maybe that electric fan just can't cope in hot weather. The standard fan is big and many bladed for a good reason! Does it cool down if you put the heater on full blast ? Otherwise - I suggest you fit a 74 degree thermostat - and switch the engine off when stuck in traffic.

[davesopener]

ok
beans
when you say worry
do you mean a resolveable worry?
or pack up and buy another car type of worry?
ill shall try and check though
[8D]

[bmcecosse]

Well - if you overheat the engine even just once - it's often bad news for the head/head gasket. Best to avoid the overheating! Does it only get above the middle of the gauge in v hot weather, or all the time ?

[Hasbeen]

Dave, have you checked your radiator is not partially blocked?

If a 7 has been left for some time without inhibitor in the cooling
system, the alloy in the water passages in the head will corrode.
The corrosion producte are, by volume, about 62 times greater, than
the alloy thats corroded.

This stuf will quickly block some, or even most of the tubes in your
radiator. To check, next time you have the car at operating
temperature, turn the engine off, then run your hands all over the
radiator.

Any area which is cool to touch is not getting a flow of water, & is
not working to cool your engine.

If you find some blockage, back flushing may help, but if there is
much of it, the radiator generally has to come to bit to be cleaned out.

Hasbeen

[PeterTR7V8]

Dave, is this related to the fan switch problem you were having? Now that the fan is working is the temp back to normal?

Otherwise, check water level - are you losing coolant? Possible blown headgasket or maybe just a leak. Cheack oil filler cap for emulsified oil.

[FI Spyder]

Check to make sure someone hasn't put the wrong thermostat in it. It should have what I call the "Triumph foot" to block the coolant bypass when open. Make sure rad is clean inside. My gauge doesn't go over half way even in hot stop and go driving up steep hills. A club member drove his TR7 home from Portland, Oregon to Nanaimo, BC (using Port Angeles ferry) with fan belt off because clutch crapped out with no over heating.

TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[davesopener]

hi,
radiator not blocked using ,car quite regularly recently
one of the hoses to the radiator was loose slightly and leaking
just needed reconnecting up
temp gets up to halfway point or just over when stationary even when just started from cold now fan is working ok
ill change the coolant and see if that helps
which will be the first time ive done this
as ive got to refit the internal blower/heater anyway
(ps uk summers are cool 15 c is prob temp today here )
ty all[:)]

[davesopener]

hi,
having tinkered a little this morning
temp now stays below quarter point at moment!!!!!!!!!
so hopefully this should be ok now
thanks all for advice
much appreciated
[8D]
dave

[bmcecosse]

Well - that's a bit low - what did you do to sort the problem ??

[gaz]

i agree about been a bit low mine sits just slightly above the 1/2 way mark and iv'e just had a re-con cylinderhead

It rides again

[PeterTR7V8]

Bending the temp gauge needle is not a fix! [:D]

[Beans]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by davesopener</i>

...when you say worry
do you mean a resolveable worry?...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
BMC and Hasbeen answered that pretty coorectly.
I've nothing to add to it.

B.t.w. the avarage TR7 with everything in original, good working, order should read just under the half way mark when on temperature and under normal load.

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1981 TR7 DHC (not very well known yet, but back on the road)
Also a 1980 TR7 DHC, 1980 TR7 DHC FI, 1981 TR7 FHC
http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="blue"></center>

[davesopener]

hi,
well didnt bend or contort anything!honest!
just checked and cleaned the contacts for the fan
checked the hose connections
one was loose leaking a little
topped up coolant
cars never gone beyond 1/4 really since i bought it last november time
so what does temp being too low indicate?
fan on too high a setting?
not sure what this means.

ty
dave[8D]