[shandy92]

hey all,

this has been going on for a fair while now, thought i may have fixed it but no. it all started when my g16b vitara overheated, rad got flushed (80% blocked) new water pump and new hoses and brand new 82c GENUINE thermostat.

the issues im having is really only in -25c conditions, during summer +25c sits at 1/3rd all day and never gets hot. but in cooler conditions my temp gauge is screwd,

for example 1: in the morning leaving for work at 6am (roughly 12c) it will take a good 3-4 mins before the gauge starts to move, once it is actually rising (and about 1/4-1/3rd up) i might try put the heater on. the gauge will then start to fall and fall till the needle is horizontal (just above the C), if i turn the heater off it will generally start to rise. any ideas on that one??

2: some days it will be at full temp in 5 mins and some days i could get to work (32km, majority at 90-100kph) and the gauge only sit a few mm above the C. wouldnt the new thermostat make it get to full temp always???

3: once it does get to full temp (1/3rd) i can drive for a while and then the gauge will fall just a tad to about 1/4 or flat. happens often while 4wding, i have no idea on this one.

when i bought the car (30,000ks ago) for some reason it didnt have a thermostat in it (prob because of the blocked rad, cheap overheating fix), so i put one in (non-genuine 82c) it sat about 1/4 or just above all day. when i put a genuine 82c thermostat in, it sits slightly higher (about 1/3rd)

the only thing that has not been replaced in the cooling system is the temp sender in the thermostat housing, i was going to replace it recently with the thermo but got told that they dont need replacing very often/rarly.

cheers for ur help,
Mitch

[alien]

turning on the heater allows the water to travel further through the pipes, so its possible to cool the engine more this way. my little bunky holden astra had an overheating problem and driving around with the heater on was enough to keep it at a reasonable temp, if i turned the heater off it would overheat within minutes.

your bodylift might have something to do with under bonnet temps with the big gap in the front bumper allowing more cold air in? doubtful, but possible? dont forget how much mud gets rammed under there now compared to before the bodylift - same would apply to air.

[vl2dy4]

Just put a vitara fan on it and it will fix the prob. That is what i did.

[shandy92]

alien- yeah i no about that and have thought about it, but you would think that the hot air coming from the heater would get a lot colder wouldnt you?? well it doesnt really. b4 i would wait till it was at full temp then turn the heater on and it would stay there at full temp but the majority of times it will fall now.

i dont think im over cooling it, as good thermostat would stop over cooling.

vl2dy4- this is in a vitara, has a viscous hub already fitted. but that wouldnt help, its not getting hot so dont need to cool it anymore. but get it to stay at running temp is my main issue.

cheers

[alien]

you sure its not the guage or sender? didnt my temp gun give you some results as to what temperature it was really at vs. what the guage was saying?

[shandy92]

i think it could be. when i had ur gauge i only checked it when it was at full temp which was higher than what i was used to (1/3rd compared to 1/4). so wanted to see what it was reading.

anyone know where to get new senders from??

[alien]

repco / coventrys / veale would have them, or you could splurge on genuine through suzistore?

[shandy92]

yeah ok cool thanks. is there anything else (mechanically) that could cause these issues? (calling all trouble shooting mechanics)

when i fitted the thermo, it came with the gasket, a rubber ring and the thermo. i left the rubber ring off as i didnt think it needed to be there, was i correct in doing that? also i tried to get the dangly bleed thing off but couldnt.

[SuziBlu]

Without a temperature, its impossible to say what is going on.

Needle sits a 1/3rd or 1/4 or whatever means nothing, you need to know the temp, use the gun to find that, then you can start looking, IF its a problem, coz it might just be the gauge.

[shandy92]

ok well at 1/3rd it was at about 82-86c, when the needle was flat at was mid 60's.

this is the last of my issue now, went for a drive to the servo, filled with fuel walking back to the car i noticed a nice pool of coolant dripping off somewhere behind the water pump. i cant be bothered working on it anymore so im selling it ........KIDDING, going to hand it over to suzistore in the morning and hopefully they can fix it.

[alien]

maybe its a leak in a heater hose?

[shandy92]

alien wrote:

maybe its a leak in a heater hose?

nah cos that is at the back, near the dizzy, its hard to explain, but there is a tube that runs behind the water pump and i can see drips coming from that area. could be above it but not sure. just upgraded my RAC so i get FREEEEE towing anywhere......in the metro area.

[alien]

limited to 10km though isnt it? or did you pay the higher one to get the 100km towing?

Either way if you fill the rad right up you should make it to suzistore from your place? if it starts to act up then call the RAC, at least you'd save some $$$ on the additional cost if you're on the 10km plan.

[SuziBlu]

Leave the cap on first clik, do not close it fully. As the temp rises, the pressure rises, forcing the water to leak faster, with the cap on first clik, no pressure, less leak.

[shandy92]

alien wrote:

limited to 10km though isnt it? or did you pay the higher one to get the 100km towing?

Either way if you fill the rad right up you should make it to suzistore from your place? if it starts to act up then call the RAC, at least you'd save some $$$ on the additional cost if you're on the 10km plan.

i upgraded my membership so i get free towing to anywhere in the metro area, 2 tows per break down (tow home, then tow to mechanics if needed) plus a massive km rural breakdown assistance service which would always be handy, only $90, or $70 just to get a tow lol. well ill be going to work as usual tomorrow and organising the work and tow for tuesday.

SuziBlu wrote:

Leave the cap on first clik, do not close it fully. As the temp rises, the pressure rises, forcing the water to leak faster, with the cap on first clik, no pressure, less leak.

yeah thanks mate, used that method to get home when i blew a hose and had some 100mph tape holding the coolant in, worked well and didnt loose a drop