9 replies to this topic

[Liam Shannon]

Hi Guys,

 

Bit of a newbie to the world of Mini's so please excuse the nature of my answers I know it makes your job at helping me a thousand times harder so I apologies in advance.

 

 

I have come across a problem of my engine running extremely hot (on gauge), that can exceed 130 degrees at it's worse point. Some times, it can be at 130 degrees on the gauge so I pull over, only to find the water level in the radiator is fine, whereas other times, I can find all the water in the radiator has gone! 

 

I expected a leak, so have bought some RadWeld to try and seal up any, however that brings me to following questions:

 

1.) Is there a way to correctly identify, or does anybody know the max water capacity in a 1.1 litre engine? 

2.) Is there any reason that the gauge would tell me it's running ridiculously hot, and yet the water level be fine some times and others not?

 

Any help, as always, much appreciated.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Liam 

 

[jakejakejake1]

Don't put rad weld in! 

 

I made that mistake, now I can't get rid of it and the car now gets much hotter, try and find the leak in another way.

 

And it may be worth back flushing through the radiator and heater to try and clear them out as a build up of crap will hinder their performance.

On that note how hot is the air coming out of the heater? At those temperatures it should be pretty hot! 

[dennismini93]

is there steam out the exhaust and a milky substance in the rocker cap or dipstick? could be head gasket? how long does it take to get hot etc etc etc

[carbon]

130C would be hot enough to blow off steam even with a 15psi radiator cap.

 

If you have been taking the radiator cap off when the gauge is showing this temperature and there has not been clouds of steam and water shooting out, then either you have very little water left (ie none in the cylinder head) or the temp gauge is reading well high.

 

Temp gauge can read high if the wire shorts to earth, could be worth checking for any damage to the wire (green with blue tracer)

[Liam Shannon]

Thanks for all the help guys :) All much appreciated.

 

The air coming out of the heater is not as hot as you'd think. It's warm, more than anything. If not RadWeld, do you have any suggestions of alternatives? :)

 

The colour of the steam out of the exhaust is white, and that is when starting on a cold day. When up to temperature, there is no steam coming out of the exhaust (that's visible). There is also no milky substances on either the dipstick or the rocker cap, both seem fine.

 

I have never taken the radiator cap off when it's been at these temperatures, only when it has cooled down. Considering the guy who did the electrics, it's a high possibility that the gauge is wired badly.

 

Thanks for all the answers, friends :)

[Liam Shannon]

To add, I have only ever had steam come out of the radiator on one occasion. On the occasion that it did steam, the gauge was in it's usual position of 120-130 degrees, and the steam seem to be coming from the top of the radiator.

[dennismini93]

id try and find the leak rather than plug it with stuff.

look at the water pump, mine leaked from there, it may be damp underneath it if leaking. also leave it for a few days if you can and see if there is a puddle or damp patch under the car to indicate a leak.

check all your hoses for splits as well, if they are split you might not see it untill there is pressure in the system but look for any damp marks on them and then this may show a split. You could do a pressure test if you can get the equipment?

if its overheating and only occasionally looses the water though then i would do a compression check and if you can a cylinder leak test. my headgasket went but lost no water or oil once so you may find its only a small blow in it, no harm in looking.

if its overheating though i wouldnt drive it untill you have found and fixed the fault as you may end up with some very costly damage

[dennismini93]

if the car isnt over heating and its just the gauge then you wouldnt be loosing water so i would suggest there is a fault with the car. check the wiring though as well, again no harm in checking things. helps you to find the fault before spending money on bits you dont really need. 

another place that you could check for a leak is the heater matrix and the radiator itself.

[Liam Shannon]

Excellent. Thank you Dennismini, and everyone. I will take your advice and do some more checking before adding stuff :) 

[jaydee]

When gauge reads that high, its time to get out the infrared gun:

http://www.ebay.co.u...-/261237511429?

Better to know whats the actual temp.

Of course, if loosing water you must check for leaks.