can do that it may be the season of good will, but i dont like my car that much to waste lager on it!
Sounds just like MkIMatt's car - His got hot in traffic and stuff, but as soon as he drove it on the open road the temp guage went back down again.
This is an odd one. There are only a few components in a cooling system. Radiator Water pump Thermostat Heater Core Hoses Temp sender If all of these check out ok, then the only thing I can suggest is to modify your thermostat. If you drill a hole about 3mm in the thermostat opening plate, it should effectively raise the tempurature at which the thermostat opens fully. The thermostats work off of water pressure as well as temp, by driling a hole you reduce pressure on the thermostat causing it to open later. Clever trick really. -XMechanic
The thermostat doesn't work off water pressure at all - the trick you describe is used to avoid airlocks in the system. And it's not applicable to engines like the VW big-blocks where the thermostat is at the bottom of the engine, either.
Yes it does. The cooling system does use the pressure to help open the thermostat. Try running the car with the expansion tank cap off. WHat happens? It overheats!! Why is that? IF the thermostat was only opened by temperature the car wouldnt overheat with cap off. All I can say is try it if you dont believe me. It works! I know from experience on my own VW BIG BLOCK CARS as well as countless amount of customer vehicles I have worked on over the past 17 years. -XMechanic Edited by: XMechanic
It overheats with the expansion tank cap off because you have no pressure in the system, so the coolant boils at normal operating temperature. It has nothing to do with drilling holes in the thermostat. Where were you a mechanic, a lawnmower garage?
bwahahaha On electric flymo lawnmowers i heard Go boil a thermostat in a pan of water, it'll open, of its own accord at the set 87degc or whatever the spec is. Unless of course, my mind control was exerting a pressure on the water
No. It overheats to over 110C. with cap off. Thats not normal operating tempurature. And now your becoming insulting because I am challenging your opinion. So if you must know, I have worked in various car repair garages including VW dealers since i was 16. If you like I can give you the contact number for the Head Mechanic for Golf magazine who can confirm that the system indeed does need and use coolant pressure to open the thermostat. Many a 2E engine came in the shops I worked at with over heating problems. Many times all I needed to do was replace the expansion tank cap to fix problem. Keep your ignorance coming.... -XMechainc
Of course it will. It is still a thermostat using the same thermo-reactive wax that all thermostats use, But the SYSTEM in the car will not flow properly with cap off or with reduced pressure in the SYSTEM. Try it. -Xmechanic
Yes, replacing a faulty expansion tank cap can fix an overheating car. But that's because without the pressure in the system, the coolant boils. And boiling coolant doesn't pump too well. So it doesn't cool an engine very well. So the engine overheats. to over 110c, or whatever temperature you let it reach. It has nothing to do with the fact that the system does or does not need the pressure in the cooling system to open the thermostat. Which it doesn't. Despite what the "head mechanic" at Golf magazine (BWAHAHAHAHA!) might tell you. It's basic car mechanics......
I does still flow propely with the cap off. But when the cap is on the system and it becomes sealed the boiling point of the collant is raised due to the pressure. You do know that the boiling points of liquids riase with increased pressure do you not?
NO It will still open, as per the stat in a pan. The pressure is equal on both sides of it anyway, so is totally irrelevant The system still needs to be sealed to raise the boiling point
So have you managed to find any evidence to back up your claim? Or are you just going to sit there and keep tellig yourself "I'm right".......?
