Guys

I have an ongoing problem with my 98 UK Classic, The car runs fine but after I changed the rad and top hose about a year ago due to the old one springing a leak I have never been able to solve the following problem,

The bottom hose is stone cold even after driving 20 or 30 miles, the top hose is warm but not too hot to touch and can still be squeezed, adding to this is the fact the heater is stone cold all the time.

The car doesnt and has never overheated and will happily sit in traffic without a problem.

I'm thinking its an airlock but I've tried everything to try and get rid of it and have drained the system so many times its getting boring now, I'm also wondering if it could be a faulty thermostat that is stuck closed or if the water pump is not pumping around the engine.

Is there anywhere in Essex anyone would recommend to take the car to so I can get them to take a look and sort this problem out because if I'm honest I really dont have time to sort it if its going to be a lengthy fix.

Thanks

Mike

 

Have you tried back filling the system through the turbo water pipe that comes up to the header tank?

 

Have you tried taking the thermostat out and boiling a kettle and pouring this over the thermostat, you should be able to see this open and will give you a good indication to if this is the problem.

If your bottom hose is constantly cold then i would presume that either the thermostat is constantly shut closed or the water pump has become faulty.

 

It sounds more like the thermostat is stuck OPEN. If it were closed, the water would get very hot indeed, as it's effectively not circulating. Try a new 'stat. Your symptoms are the same as I had years ago with an Anglia: new stat and away it went.

When you refill, you HAVE got the heater controls to full hot haven't you? And you DO refill S L O W L Y not allowing it to gurgle?

 

Kettles no good, you need to microwave a bowl of water (without the stat in it)

when i was testing mine, using an LED temp sensor trigger gun thingy, the water STRAIGHT out of the kettle was 77,which is not enough to open the stat.i tried 3 kettles as well,presume a kettle boils and measures the steam not the water,dunno,took a good 90 seconds in the microwave to get to a good 85-90 to make the stat operate (if not faulty)

But does sound like its stuck open

whats the temp needle showing ?