What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[ChrisP]

The temperature guage on the dashboard keeps going to the top of the red line as if it's over heating, and I don't know why.

It mean on Saturday in the heat I had to drive home (a 3 hour journey) with the windows right down and the heating on full heat and full blast to keep the temperature of the engine down.

I know it needs to go to the garage, but i dont want to be taken for a ride there, so thought I would ask here first if anyone had any ideas why this is happening?

Thanks

[Space Chick]

Have you checked the water levels in the radiator?

 

Takes me back to my student days I had a little mini that used to overheat, and it was always the radiator, it had a slow leak. I even learnt how to change parts myself and replaced the radiator when I could get the pennies together for a new one

[ChrisP]

Yeah, I checked it when I got to where I was going on saturday and there was water in there still, but by the time I was going later that day there was none, so filled it up again. Don't know why it still said it was overheating on the way home?

I think I need to learn how to change parts myself too

[Space Chick]

I'd say you have a slow leak, and as the water starts leaking out the temperature rises and it can't keep the engine cool.

[ChrisP]

Hmm ok, guess I btetter go to a garage then Thank you!

[chickencam]

Our Volvo had a slow leak in the radiator and we had to keep topping it up, until we eventually got it replaced. That is the most likely cause of the overheating. Don't let it run dry otherwise it will destroy the engine. Try to get a recommendation for a garage, a lot of small ones are quite cheap, but you have to have someone who can recommend you a good one. We have had a couple of excellent local garages looking after our cars over the years, if you get to know someone, you get much better service and it tends to be tons cheaper than main dealers or national companies.

[Christian]

I had this last week sitting in traffic and wondered what the red light meant having owned an old Mini (several in fact) I immediately put the heating on to draw the hot air from the engine and cool it down. Works a treat every time.

 

The garage tested my water reservoir and found no leaks - they put the tank under pressure and check, so it must have been the fact that there was no coolant in the car. Despite a full service 3 weeks before

 

Ask the garage to pressure check it and if that is fine, then it is most likely the thermostat.

[The Dogmother]

I'd check

 

Thermostat

Water pump

Coolant levels

 

In that order.

[Joojoo]

This happened on my Vectra this time last year and it was the cylinder head gasket so I would be very very careful about driving it anywhere as you can do some serious damage if that goes. Make sure you keep plenty of water in containers in the boot if you do drive it and if it starts to go up stop the engine and let it cool down. It's not good for the engine if it's going up to the red line.

[WarrensWorld]

Just check the radiator and hoses for a leak with the engine running. If it is a head gasket you should see steam or a dribble of water coming out of the cylinder head engine block joint. If the gasket has blown on the cylinder side the car will be running very rough. Just disregard the next paragraph it was written before I re-read the post properly.

I'll leave it there someone may find it of use.

 

Have you checked your radiator fan is working it may just be a fuse. If you've been topping up the system on a regular basis, then you have a leak somewhere. I know it sounds a bit obvious, but it's best to work on the KISS principle. If you haven't then flush the system, a build up of gunk in the radiator or engine waterways will cause the engine to overheat. Just undo the bottom hose (just the end attached to the radiator) and stick a hose pipe in the radiator filler (with the water turned on and the radiator is full at all times:whistle: ). You should then hose the dead insects and detritis out of the radiator core, just to make sure you have a good airflow through the radiator. Replace the bottom hose back on the radiator, then refill the system make sure you don't have an AIRLOCK or the engine will overheat!. If the motor still overheats then go see your friendly mechanic.

A screwdriver, hosepipe and half hour or so may save you a good few quid.