Hot engine and handbrake, temperature gauge normal!

[Printer]

Hi all

We are driving through Europe at the moment and staying in some very hot places. When we got off the ferry yesterday the handbrake and under the passenger seat was very hot. We opened out everything and the engine under the handbrake was really hot, also the place you put in the oil and the coolant etc was all very hot (we only drove about 40minutes but it was 40 degrees!)

Today it has cooled down and it is ok. Is there anything to worry about? there is enough coolant in the tank and the temperature gauge never went above middle on the dashboard.

Thanks

[jaylee]

Do you have a modified temperature gauge?? If not it wont tell you anything until it gets too late..

Did you leave the engine running a little while when you stopped to lift the seats?? This keeps the coolant moving reducing heat soak...

Personally, it sounds from your description like normal heat soak up from the mid placed engine... Might be worth checking to see if your scav fan is coming on & working though...!

The real techies will be along later...

[Printer]

Hi

Thanks for the advice. We are in Italy at the moment and got a "friend" of the campsite to have a look at it in his garage. I think (hope) he was a real mechanic. He looked over and checked the temperature gauge etc and everything else around the engine... he seemed to do a lot of revving of the engine and not much more to be honest!

But he did look at it for 30 minutes or so and he said it was fine, nothing to worry about. Probably just the insane heat we are having here. We drove it 5 hours today after that in blistering heat and it was a bit hot again when we arrived at the campsite but not as bad as yesterday.

The van does have a history of overheating, the last owner has countless proof of various bits and pieces he did for overheating. it seems he got them all fixed though, including new head gasket and low coolant alarm fitted in 2010. We have driven it a lot since buying it in May 2011 and so far this is the only issue.

Is there any way we can tell is the temperature gauge has been modified as you say?

Might be worth checking to see if your scav fan is coming on & working though...!

how can I check this? I can see a fan in there alright near the engine and when the mechanic was looking at it, it didnt seem to be working or operating. i thought maybe its a fan that only kicks in when it goes over a certain temp or something.

Thanks again for the advice.

[missfixit70]

If the temp gauge is standard, ie unmodified, it will sit at around 11 oclock once warmed up & will not move from there until it is starting to overheat, if it's been modified, it'll be going up & down from 11 oclock to near the end of the scale depending on road conditions etc. Rad fans should kick in just before the end of the scale on a modified gauge or if the ac is used, the scavenge fan, the one underneath will very rarely come on it's activated by a sensor in the console above the engine when it gets above 108 degrees, some people have modified it to be able to switch it on at will, but shouldn't be necessary.
If you are relying solely on an unmodifed gauge I would recommend at least fitting an LCA & a temp alarm or modifying the existing temp gauge with a mason alarm or if you are hand with a soldering iron, there's a cheaper mod , there is a fact sheet in the members area or there's loads of info on the forum if you do a search.

[Printer]

Our temp gauge hasnt been modified then, it starts cold and gradually rises when we drive, settling at 11 o clock for remainder of all journeys. The last owner had a low coolant alarm fitted and so far no problems at all.

Any other ideas?

[Printer]

Oh and while we are here, where on earth do we put water in??? I cant find anywhere to top up the water, only the coolant... (im guessing this is probably a really stupid question)

[missfixit70]

Water for what?

[Printer]

Water for what?

Eh... for the engine?? (I think). In my last car (Subaru Legacy) I had to check the oil and water all the time, and when it overheated I had to constantly top it up with water where the coolant is. In a Bongo is it just coolant that goes in there or do you have to top it up with water?

Im feeling really stupid asking this.... (sorry)

[tomsk]

Hi Printer
Isn't technology really good. I am in eastern Germany and you are in Italy?
Anyway your heat problem is not a problem I think, I slog around europe every year and mine gets really hot too.
As for the coolant, that is exactly what you put in. I only put coolant in, never pure water, and have had some happy motoring for nearly five years.

Have fun, hope this helps.

Tom

[missfixit70]

Coolant is coolant (in any vehicle), which is usually a mix of concentrated coolant & water to @50/50 (depending on the instructions on the coolant). Sometimes coolant is premixed If you just put water in you'll be diluting the coolant (ok in an emergency, but the concentration needs to be increased again asap) , which means it reduces the cooling, antifreeze & anticorrosion properties. If you are having to top up, then you need to find out where it's going as it's a sealed pressurised system & shouldn't need to be topped up ordinarily.
Make sure you know what coolant is in there already, you don't want to be mixing coolants that may cause issues such as sludging up. If you're not sure what coolant is in there, then get it flushed thoroughly as soon as is practical, & then start from scratch, ensuring it's bled properly. Loads on the forum about coolant types etc, & in the paid up members area factsheets.

[Printer]

Hi guys

You are all awesome! Thank you and that helps a lot. The problem we had of black smoke is also gone now thanks to the advice to heat the glow plugs a few times so thank you all!

[jaylee]

Just to add... I found the T10 capless filament bulb under the ashtray was prone to putting out a bit of heat too... I just replaced with an LED. A lot less heat!!

[Velocette]

Just to add... I found the T10 capless filament bulb under the ashtray was prone to putting out a bit of heat too... I just replaced with an LED. A lot less heat!!

did you need to use a series resistor?

[jaylee]

Just to add... I found the T10 capless filament bulb under the ashtray was prone to putting out a bit of heat too... I just replaced with an LED. A lot less heat!!

did you need to use a series resistor?

No, just got a set of white T10 capless LEDs... Did my rear numberplate lights too. just a straight fit & if they don't work turn the other way.. 50/50 chance of fitting em right the first time.

[Velocette]

Just to add... I found the T10 capless filament bulb under the ashtray was prone to putting out a bit of heat too... I just replaced with an LED. A lot less heat!!

did you need to use a series resistor?

No, just got a set of white T10 capless LEDs... Did my rear numberplate lights too. just a straight fit & if they don't work turn the other way.. 50/50 chance of fitting em right the first time.

I will have to have a prowl around Maplins,