gooner1 Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Hi Guys In the not so cold months my 7 regularly overheats, we changed the thermostat and the radiator (larger version) to try and solve the problem. This did not work so in the end we removed the thermostat entirely. Not sure whether this was a sensible solution to the problem and now worried that this could cause other problems. If you have any advice on this it would be gratefully received. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxseven Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Gooner1, When does it overheat? all the time only when in traffic (stop/start) is the fan cutting in ok? have you replaced the water pump? Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner1 Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 thanks Simon. Not replaced the water pump. Only in traffic or stationary. Fan cutting in ok. Not great with the mechanical side as the 7 was passed down from my father, should I get a garage to look at the wpump? or is this something I can check easily? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DohNut Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Is the fan connected the right way? It is possible to connect my similar age fan up to blow air the wrong way. not that I have ever done that of cource You could try some radiator flush (basically an acid) to try to remove some corrosion from the water ways in the head. It could be that there is insufficient presusure in the system. my expansion tank cap was not seating with enough force to maintain pressure as tabs holding it in place had bent over time, tweaking them allowed it to maintain pressure such that several hours after using the car there was a distinct release of air releasing the cap. If all else fails the water pump is one the front of the engine held on by three bolts 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ryan Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Hi Goonert! You're quite close to me, I'm in Princes Risborough. Just a couple of thoughts - Is it really overheating?, i.e steam escaping etc? The issue might be the sender being faulty, as they have a habit of doing. - Is the fan belt tight enough? However, in my opinion the problem will probably be the water pump. They are dead east to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner1 Posted November 15, 2007 Author Share Posted November 15, 2007 thanks guys. I will have a look at the water pump over the next few weeks. No steam escapes but water bubbles etc.. so I don't think its the sender. The fan is on the right way round and I did a flush and it dislodged lots of brown stuff and I added some coolent etc.. when replacing the water. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusCat Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 I ran my car (also an x-flow) for about a year without a thermostat, after removing it, as air was getting into the system and causing an airlock behind the thermostat causing periodic overheating. It did not appear to cause any ill effects and cured the problem until the real cause became evident when the water pump gave out and dumped all the coolant out of the car. So if removing the thermostat has stopped the overheating you may have air getting in somewhere (worst case cracked cylinder head!) but you've only dealt with the symptoms, not the disease. If removing the thermostat makes no difference then your cooling system is not functioning properly due to blockage/old radiator/poor fan performance etc. Edited by - MusCat on 15 Nov 2007 17:55:53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 In the archive there is loads on crossflow cooling, as in standard form they were always a tricky car to keep to a sensible temperature. Possibly the most successful trick is to convert them to a sealed system with a header tank like a modern car, but even then they can get hot in traffic. Given your declared experience level it might be best to pass the car to a seven specialist to do. There is plenty in the archive about various other things folks have done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alextangent Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 What is a sensible temp? Mine runs at Alex McDonald A loud 1700 SS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Alex your sounds about right Mine regulary used to go to over 105 degrees when stationery or after coming to a halt after a spirited drive. I now rarely see over 95 degrees, but mine is now a long way from standard. Roger King said to me years ago that the cooler you can get them to run of a rolling road the better the power they put out. I think somewhere in the archive he may have mentioned at some time what the exact optimum temperature for a crossflow is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorgen Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Hi Alex I would put the thermostat back in especially if your car runs as low as between 60 and 70 deg. In my opinion your car is not overheating if you can keep it at 85 deg when stationary. Graham is probably right in saying that the xflow engine produces more power when running cold but going up to 85 or 90 deg in trafic or when stationary is not a problem. Good luck with the car. Jorgen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhodgson Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 Just had an overheating when stationary issue with my HPC VX 2.0i, and had the problem solved by moving the fan switch out of the top of the rad, and into the top hose. Now have an adjustable switch set to start the fan at 92 degrees, and switch off at 87 degrees and all seems to be well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DohNut Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 I must have a good set-up, I know I have a larger radiator and the header tank arrangement, mine runs at just under 80 degrees, rock solid, in traffic it slowly rises to 90 when the fan cuts in. and thats it So it is possible to get a x-flow to run with around 150 hp cooled on the road with no drama - I have not however thrashed it round a track in the height of summer. [/Touch Wood] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner1 Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 great advice by all, thanks. The car runs at 70 on the road and 110+ in traffic so it sounds like I have haulted the problem for now by taking the thermostat out but as rightly stated the disease will continue. Car will be passed to a Caterham specialist. Cheers guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elie boone Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 A ford thermostat normally has a little hole in the side of the flange to avoid airlocks, you can always drill another 2mm hole in the flange to avoid airlocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 gooner1 How much anti freeze are you putting in? Helping and encouraging others rather than putting them down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner1 Posted November 18, 2007 Author Share Posted November 18, 2007 umm, not too sure. What the bottle recommended! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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