Radiator

[Yc86]

what's the symptoms for a 'sick' radiator? maybe something got stuck inside, obstructing the flow.. is there a water pressure gauge to tell if things are flowing well inside?

 

i ask this cos my water temp gauge suddenly reads an excess of 100deg, even during cruising, it reads 92+ when it should be at 86. at traffic lights, the temp goes up to 110. suspect things not moving smoothly in the radiator

 

this thing only happened today, right after i installed my oil temp/pressure gauge. i did not touch the coolatn or radiator at all..

 

initially i thought i didn't top up sufficient oil to cover the amount which had spilt out when i took out the oil filter. but after filling up, the problem still persists. could insufficient oil be the cause of the increased temp?

 

also, the thermoswitch doesn't switch on at 98deg anymore, instead.. it switches on at over 100 only. how come the switch can change by itself..

[Elfenstar]

It could just mean that ur thermostat is starting to spoil, if not get ur entire cooling system pressure checked... it also sounds like a possible leak somewhere... prolly too small for the naked eye coz the temp increase isn't that large.

[Dwoon]

Bro, you DIY the oil temp & pressure gauges ah?

[Yc86]

oh, any shop can check the cooling system pressure? thinking of going to bt merah to check later, but all are those normal workshops... see have time or not

 

there is a slow leak though, have to top up coolant every 2 weeks...

 

strangely, the higher operating temp seem to give slightly more power at night.. maybe imagining things ba

Edited February 16, 2006 by Yc86

[Yc86]

yupz... kinda scary/risky and very messy, but fun~

[Yeobh]

The coolant high pressure steam may have managed to get into to combustion chamber and in a way "compact the fuel"

 

Go to any Shell Autoserve they should have the radiator pressure tester to carry out the check.

Edited February 16, 2006 by Yeobh

[Yc86]

oki thanks!

 

should be free right..?

[Elfenstar]

since yeoh has told u where to get it done... all i can say is ur car feels more powerful as our engines run better hotter... only prob is metal fatigue

[Yc86]

yup... feels slightly more powerful, but quite heartpain to see the gauge in the red zone

 

what's the max and peak water temp a stock engine can sustain? 120deg?

[Elfenstar]

The engine can take much higher temps than that but... the headgasket usually can't coz the different expansion rates of the headgasket, block and head tend to warp or crack it thus theres no seal between the head and block. esp vital when theres a cast iron block and alloy head as most cars are.

 

If you are one of the luck few who's car comes with alloy head, block and headgasket, it can take higher temps than the cast iron alloy combo.