Hi All,
I took My Alfa Out For A Drive Today (5 Mins) In 32 Degree Weather And The Temp Guage Was Sitting On 110 Degrees And Wouldnt Even Go Down With the Heater On.
Does Anyone Else Get This With Their Cars In The Heat?
I last Drove The Car 2 Weeks Ago For Over 1 Hour And It Was Running So Nicely.
How Do I Fix It Because I Would Love To Drive Her In This Weather.
There Is Plenty Of Coolant And The Fan Seems To Come On Temporarily.
Thanks
Joe
A few things,
Coolant flush, make sure the system doesn't have any blockades, check that the thermostat is actually tripping and the fan comes on, have the car running at idle with the bonnet up and look under the hood, should trip and turn the fan on. If its not that'll be an issue that needs sorting. Check the fan works properly, etc...
Is the gauge accurate/faulty? Even if the fan wasn't working you should still be able to regulate the temp with some open road driving. I'd test the thermostat (remove and stick in a pot on the stove) and if that works then check the water pump by removing the belt and spinning it by hand. It should spin freely and easily.
Cheers
Check polarity on fan connection. Is the fan working backwards?
Check water pump belt tension.
Is the radiator cap the correct pressure rating?
Is you ignition timing correct?
Is your mixture too lean?
And even possibly check both under your oil filler cap and the dip stick to make certain you don't have a blown head gasket on the way.
In both instances when my Alfettas (GT and Sedan) had an overheating issue, it was the head gasket.
If all that checks out, remove radiator, get tanks removed and the tubes cleaned. 99% of the time this is the core problem.
After reinstall, flush system with distilled water and ad a corrosion inhibitor to the water ( or a glycol based additive if you need anti freeze).
If that doesn't fix it, have a fire sale and claim the insurance... ;D
Hey guys,
Thanks for all your comments.
It seems as though I was wrong about the fan. After some testing today in cooler weather, it seems as though the fan does not come on.
I will need to do some further investigation, but so far the fan spins freely and it seems as though it is connected properly.
There are no blown fuses so will check the alfetta service manual and try find a multimeter and see if it gets any power.
Thanks
Joe
Joe,
Easy check is that on the RHS of radiator is the power and earth, as you know.
All you need to do is then jump the two connectors on fan thermo switch on the lower LHS of radiator. The fan should come on.
Blown head gasket might be a good guess, you puttering around in cool temperatures being all fine, once hotter weather comes on, the ever so tiny leakage of combustion gas into the water jacket will heat up your coolant in no time and hence your 110 degree reading. Also how old is the head gasket, probably original?
Hi Neil,
Thanks for the reply.
What do you mean by jump the two connectors?
Do I just unplug the temp sensor cables and the fan should come on?
I am going to repco tomorrow to replace the relay incase that is faulty.
There is no milkiness under the oil cap or on the dip stick plus there is no smoke when I drive (even if it is short).
The engine was rebuilt in 2007 or something so I am assuming it was done then but the previous owner was a little sketchy on details.
Thanks
Joe
Joe,
QuoteDo I just unplug the temp sensor cables and the fan should come on?
What Neil is saying to you is this. Yes remove the connections to the thermoswitch that is located half way down the RHS of the radiator. However you need to join them together while the ignition is "on". This should start the fan operation and you should try to feel that the fan is pulling air into the engine bay. Once done, turn ignition off and replace the connector to the thermoswitch if it all works. If the fan does not run, well you need to diagnose why.
Hope I got that right for ya Neil.. ;D
Joe,
Pull those two connectors off the thermoswitch and link them with a bit of wire (paperclip is fine) and the fan will run, assuming there is power to the fan on the RHS. You can supply another power source to the RHS just to be sure in case the original wiring is not supplying any, use a multimeter to check for power on the RHS first.
You don't need to see milkiness in oil or oil in water, it could be the ever so tiny leakage and the combustion gas is acting as a cappucino machine on your coolant. That said you can buy a test kit from auto stores to test for combustion gases, mainly carbon monooxide.
In my case, my car was running fine on all test runs but take it out on race day on the Friday practice and qualification, it heated up as I was using it at the extreme and that little leakage showed up badly. Inspection of the head gasket where the metal seal on the cylinder showed a few tiny black radial lines less than 1mm thick.
i believe the thermoswitch is the LHS one. I also believe we might has an orientation misinterpretation.
LHS of car as sitting in the car facing forward, does this clarify it?
Or on the side of the radiator near the exhaust and alternator.
Clear as mud?
Hi Neil & MD,
Thanks for the explanation.
I understand now. I just need to connect the purple and black wire that I removed from the thermoswitch with a cable.
If this works, does this mean the thermoswitch is faulty?
I am going to replace the relay as well as I have a strange suspicion that it might be faulty.
I will let you know how I go tomorrow - I will also get one of those radiator test kits as well.
Joe
Hi All,
I connected the thermoswitch wires together and the fan did not spin.
I then replaced the relay and the fan started to spin.
I am hoping that it was as simple as that and I didn't cause any problems with the head gasket.
I tried to get a head gasket tester from Repco and they didn't have any so I guess it will need to wait until I get my hands on one unless someone can recommend where I get them from.
Also, the relay I put in was a 5 pin 12v 30a. The one I took out didn't have an amp rating on it. There was only 12v 8c with 5 pins on it.
Will the 30a be too much?
Thanks
Joe
The 30 Amp relay should be fine, the 5 pin has 2 outputs for fans or driving lights, terminals number 87, the 4 pin relays, usually have 15 amps, with one output terminal, number 87, Colin.
Cool. Thanks for that Colin.
Hopefully that's the end of my overheating issue then.
Joe
Good work Joe.
Heres hoping no head gasket issues
Joe, if you still have an issue, take your car to a mechanic mate!
Hey guys - just a quick update - took the car out again and it's doing it again!
Looks like the can isn't kicking in. I ended up taping the two cables from the temperature sender together to get home, but the car was still very hot.
Where can I get a new temperature sender from locally? Is it a big job to do?
Thanks
Joe
Hi all my gtv just started doing the same thing fan isn't kicking in at lights but when driving it cools down
Thermostat is new
New coolant
I have a ignition barrel issue at thelmentcmy guess is maybe not enough current going through all electrical system and may prevent fan kicking in when required
Joe check your thermostat first for safe measure thermostat fan switch I'm sure milano spares or Turin imports could source one
Yes the problem is most likely the thermo switch on the radiator.
Monza Motors will definitely have a thermo switch.
9720 4442
Thanks guys.
Are we all talking about the same thing here? Is the thermoswitch on the bottom left of the radiator if your looking at it from the drivers seat( not that you can actually see it from there but in that same direction)?
Is it a job I can do in my driveway or does it require special mechanical skills?
Thanks all
Joe
Yes, left hand side, 1/3 up of rad, 2 wires plugged into it.
yes, can easily be done by home mechanic, just do it properly, high pressure coolant, etc, so you'll need to ensure a tight seal. Should be a how to guide on youtube, just search for:
How to change thermostat RADIATOR.
These might not be the particular radiators Joe had in mind, Nate.... :o
This one might help a little ?
Alright you buggers :)
Dump the coolant out of your coolant system, uncouple the lowest most hose, this will lead to copious amounts of (hopefully!!!) green fluid making a royal mess all over your garage floor, if you haven't put a container down to catch it, when the rad is empty, disconnect, the thermostat, its on the radiator, left hand side, take an appropriate sized tool (not a hammer, well, not at first) unscrew the old thermostat, clean the hole its going into, don't damage the threads but clean them, take your new thermostat, ensure its clean, wrap the thread with plumbers tape, a few layers, you'll want a good (very good) seal on it, screw it back in place. reconnect the new thermostat, fill up radiator with coolant (good as time as any to have done a flush), run the engine, should cycle water through the system, top up till full, watch temp rise, make sure thermostate trips at appropriate temp.
Capiche?
The thermostat is the thing that is on the intake manifold near the top of the motor, right?
The thermofan switch is the thing that is on the lower left side of the radiator, right?
Exactly!
Quote from: Neil Choi on February 21, 2014, 06:40:26 PM
The thermostat is the thing that is on the intake manifold near the top of the motor, right?
The thermofan switch is the thing that is on the lower left side of the radiator, right?
Yep,
Mentioned that in first post :) didn't want to have to write it out 4 times :)
But yes, thats correct.
Not being pedantic, but I was correcting your error in your description of fitment.
You mentioned the thermostat on the radiator!!! Which isn't. That is the switch.
It does cause confusion when one uses the incorrect description and the OP and others will wonder.
Ok,
fair point, Thermostat switch.
Hi all I know this is a old thread but just wondering if anyone has ever run a cooler thermostat in these engines? I suspect for Europe the original rating was find but in Australia we get super hot summers. Has anyone used a cooler thermostat with a 105 housing with success?