Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 06:59 pm, by: Mike Bradberry(Halflife)
I'm concerned that in the summer the temp could come up too much. What I have done is to use more of the air coming in the front, but by doing this I have slightly blocked the air getting to the radiator. Today I drove to Brisbane and back with the temperature right on normal (dead centre), whereas in the past it would alternate between the sector before and dead centre. If I needed to lower the temperature for summer, could I use a lower pressure radiator cap to achieve this? My thinking is 'lower pressure, lower temperatue'.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - 07:09 pm, by: Daniel Clarke(Dieseltrain)
Mike, Lower pressure means Lower boiling point of coolant . The more pressure its under the higher resistance to boiling . Running hotter isnt necessarily the issue... Boiling causes steam which is what blows headgaskets and engines .
So i guess in fact you would maybe want a higher pressure cap to help stop it boiling if its having heat issues.
However , the temp guage should be in the middle. The fact you see it fluctuating could possibly just mean your thermostat is opening and closing , or you may have a lower than normal thermostat ?
Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 02:03 am, by: Peter Nitschke(Pen)
What Damian said. It's not uncommon for V8 thermostats to leak as they get old meaning that under light driving and in cool conditions, the gauge will sit usually one point lower than centre.
Mike, whatever the mod is that you have done, it seems to be simply compensating a bit for the dodgy thermo, but it's unlikely to cause problems in summer unless it's a really severe cool air impediment. Have a look at how big that radiator really is! And notice how the fan almost never comes on except with the A/C. Plenty of capability in reserve.
Guys, find a big long downhill run and let the car coast down on a cold night. If the gauge drops more, then replace your thermostat.
I have no idea if the TT thermo has similar issues.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 08:52 am, by: Rob Rojo(Rob_tt)
The temp in the UZZ31 that we just bought always sits one or two bars below halfway so I will be replacing the Thermostat soon. Should help with fuel economy as well.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 10:24 am, by: Mike Bradberry(Halflife)
Thanks for your responses guys. I think I'll just leave it till summer. There probably won't be any issues in any case. The cap is only about a year old, but I don't know if it's standard pressure.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 07:34 pm, by: Sean Routledge(Stircrazy)
Rob, the car in your profile is probably the best looking Soarer i've seen. I've always thought a gun metal greyish sorta colour would look the part, and with those rims....NICE!!!
Rob Rojo Goo Roo NSW Soarer TT & UZZ31 & another UZZ31
Previous
