Section : Cooling

Overheating 13/60? 

Posted By : Mike Peake, 27-Dec-2003, 12:20pm

Hi All

Hope you all had a good Christmas!

Just picked up my 13/60 from the lock up and took it for a spin. After about 10 miles the temp guage went off the scale but when I stopped and opened up the bonnet there were no split pipes, no tell tale clouds of steam infact nothing even felt that hot to the touch! ( well No blisters were raised anyway) The radiator felt quite cool infact so I removed the filler cap (I know perhaps foolishly) but this meerly resulted in a gentle hiss and revealed a radiator filled to normal levels.

I'm thinking mayby the sender has gone. anyone got any other ideas?

by the way, if you think opening the radiator cap on a car who's temp guage is off the scale is a tad foolish, thats nothing!!! I bought my 8 & 5 year old kids a drum kit for christmas!!!!!!!!!!!

• Overheating 13/60? 

  Posted By : Ben Ferguson, 27-Dec-2003, 09:52pm

  Haha, noisy move!
  
  I'm thinking it's your sender too, mine only goes off the scale to tell me that I didnt do a jubilee clip up tight enough and that there is only high pressure steam left in the rad! Quite practised at this recently! Just out of interest, normally, does the temp needle usually read past half way on the scale when warmed up? Coz' mine does!
  
  Ben,
  
  68, white 13/60 conv

  • Overheating 13/60? 

    Posted By : John Davies, 27-Dec-2003, 11:02pm

    Or the gauge (unlikely if it does show full scale), or the voltage stabiliser, if the fuel gauge is wonky too.
    John

    • Overheating 13/60? 

      Posted By : Mike Peake, 28-Dec-2003, 10:31am

      Thanks Guys! in answer to Ben, Yes it used read stable at just over the half way mark.
      
      Temp gauge starts and stays at cold until the engine starts to warm (been out this am to look to see if problem had solved itself!!!!!) then goes straight off the top of the scale. My Fuel guage has never worked, always reads completely empty. so if the sender doesm't solve the problem I'll shech the voltage stabaliser then (where's that then?)
      
      Thanks again guys
      
      Mike 1970 13/60 conv.

      • Overheating 13/60? 

        Posted By : Ben Ferguson, 28-Dec-2003, 01:46pm

        Hi again!
        
        The voltage regulator (stabiliser) is locatd next to the battery, its a small black box- thats where my knowledge of them ends though, I've never touched mine, mainly because the previous owner of the car converted it to run on an alternator, so the regulator was disconnected. I presume you're running a standard dynamo? If not, its a worthwhile conversion if you use the car regularly
        
        Ben
        68 white 1360 conv

        • Overheating 13/60? 

          Posted By : Darren Groves, 28-Dec-2003, 04:20pm

          Mike,
          
          The voltage stabiliser is on the back of the Speedo, and controls the volts for both the temp & fuel gauge, you can normally tell if that's had it because both gauges go haywire.....but as you say your fuel gauge has never worked.
          
          I had a similar problem (both gauges reading high), and I had to run seperate earth wire from the back of the speedo to fix it.
          
          Hope that helps.
          
          Darren

          • Overheating 13/60? 

            Posted By : Ben Ferguson, 28-Dec-2003, 05:32pm

            I stand corrected!
            
            Ben

• Overheating 13/60? 

  Posted By : William Davies, 28-Dec-2003, 05:45pm

  Hi Mike,
  Symptoms could indicate a thermostat stuck in the closed position. This heats the engine quickly but the water won't be circulating around the radiator. It's surprising how hot an engine has to get before you can feel it under the bonnet.
  A sudden failure of the gauge or sender to read full scale isn't something I've ever encountered, though of course anything is possible. As others have suggested the voltage stabiliser it would be worth checking that the voltage output from that device is around 10V, but I am doubtful as this is quite untypical of normal sender failure symptoms,
  Cheers,
  Bill.
  
  

• Overheating 13/60? 

  Posted By : Steve Cureton, 31-Dec-2003, 09:31am

  Mike
  
  The most likely reason is your thermostat stuck in the closed position. An easy test is to simply remove it and try again without it. If it is the thermostat your engine should run for ages and probably never reach normal runing temperature. Thius will be fine for a short-term fix. 'Stats are not expensive and can be changed in minutes. I would suggest changing it anyway as they become less reliable with age.
  
  Another possibility is a blocked core, has the engine been flushed through recently to remove all the sludge that can accumulate? I have seen an engine in a similar postion many years ago but hours of flushing and back-flushing cleared it.
  
  Good luck