Temp under 80 degrees

[Guest]

Hi

I commute in my GT3 in stop start motorway traffic... not ideal ! during this recent hot weather in the UK I have been keeping an eye on my temp gauge. ..

And noticed it never goes over 80 degrees !

 

Surely that cannot be right ... please let me know and possible rectification or tests

[Sparky]

This and your stalling issue both need looking at with Freescan!

[Escape]

First of all, check the actual temperature with Freescan or Espritmon. The gauge isn't always that accurate. A bad connection to the sender will also cause a low reading. The ECM (and thus the readings in Freescan/Espritmon) uses a different sensor.

The thermostat opens at 82°C, so under normal running conditions you'd expect temperature around 82°C. Which is exactly what mine did. Once in traffic for some time (you're not the only one commuting in your Esprit ) it rises, till you start moving again or the fans come on. If you have the A/C on, the fans will also run, and this could/should be enough to keep temperature down. If you don't have A/C, I'd check to make sure the fans aren't running all the time. Otherwise, just be happy she's running nice and cool and keep enjoying her!

Don't want to hijack your thread, but lately my temperature has been behaving a bit strangely. Both the gauge and values in Espritmon. When running at any speed, temp stays just under 80°C, instead of the usual 82°C. Once in traffic, it seems to rise faster than it did, and take longer to come down when the fans kick in. We are having some hot weather, but nothing extreme. It almost seems the thermostat isn't fully closing or opening, but stuck halfway. I wonder if this could be related to the few temperature spikes I had a few months ago. Those were due to steam pockets, because I had a (hard to find) leak in the hose between manifold and water pump. Oil temperature never rose much and since replacing the hose no water loss whatsoever, so I'm convinced no damage was done. But could it have caused the thermostat to stick?

Greetz,

Filip 

[CarBuff]

I've replaced my Esprit's thermostat many times!

 

(Not a few, not several, but MANY.)  I've used different brands same results.

 

 

After a few years they don't close all the way. (At least, the engine doesn't overheat.)

[Escape]

Yeah, I've thought about just replacing the thermostat to be sure. But not really in the mood to drain, refill and bleed coolant again...

And I don't think an open thermostat could account for the low temperature the OP has in traffic.

[jonwat]

1 hour ago, Escape said:

Yeah, I've thought about just replacing the thermostat to be sure. But not really in the mood to drain, refill and bleed coolant again...

You don't need to as it's at the highest point of the engine, just unbolt the housing & you'll loose no more than a cup full. 

[DaKa]

Run it for a while without a thermostatic valve in place and see if it makes a difference - you won't notice much change while the weather warm, and put a low temperature valve in place say, September?

[CarBuff]

^^^ Don't do that.

 

The Esprit T-stat incorporates a block for a coolant bypass circuit.  (that plate on the bottom of the 'stat)  When the 'stat opens, it blocks the coolant at the bottom.

 

The better thermostats have a 'jiggle pin' in their shrouds, which lets air bubbles escape.

[Escape]

Totally agree @CarBuff

My Excel came without a thermostat, definitely a bad idea! Not only did it take too long to warm up, with little or no heater, cooling was also inadequate at low speeds because of the reduced coolant flow through the radiator (a lot being lost through the bypass that remains open).

Filip

[Escape]

Just wanted to add, today I finally got round to fitting a new thermostat. With the weather getting colder, I figured the engine could only benefit from getting up to proper operating temperature and I wont mind the heater being a bit more effective either (nor will my missus!). Result, normal temperature back to before the overheating, just above 80°C. 🙂

I did struggle a bit to get to the bolts without disturbing the cambelt. And despite putting the front as high as it would go (front axle on the lift, rear on the floor), I did loose quite a bit of coolant. But little or no air could get in, so I don't expect it will need more than a little top-up in the morning.

Filip

[Guest]

Freescan is showing temp is 80... dash temp is 65ish

 

I found the ecm coolant temp sensor A910E6928F. Where is the dash temp sender ? I looked in the parts manual and it is referred to as 03a/A082N6075F but isn't shown in any diagrams!

[Barrykearley]

Is it not the one on the thermostat housing ?

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Barrykearley said:

Is it not the one on the thermostat housing ?

Yes ! It is in the diagrams as "refer to 17.07" which is the page for dashboard dials !

 

A bit "dan brown" in tracking it down... at least i didn't have to run around an Italian city.

[Guest]

Haven't got around to fixing this yet... but noticed last month that the heater is not as hot as it should be...  could it be related ?

[drdoom]

Inadequate engine temperature will certainly produce sub-par heater output. Other reasons for reduced heater output include water valve operating cable fault, air pocket in the heater core ( beware low coolant level overall !! ), and blockage in some portion of the heater flow path.

 

[Escape]

Did you ever check/replace the thermostat? As said, if it sticks open that will explain both the low engine temperature and (related) poor heater output.

Filip

[Guest]

Ahaaaa.. I missed that, will get on that after my suspension refresh !

[Escape]

9 hours ago, Laika said:

Ahaaaa.. I missed that, will get on that after my suspension refresh !

It's been a while since the thermostat was mentioned, and we got a little side tracked as well. 😉 

80°C on Freescan is about right, but it should rise if you let the car idle long enough, especially after taking it for a run up to temperature. Eventually the fans will kick in at around 90°C. For the low reading on the dash I'd double check the wiring and connectors before actually replacing the sender.

Filip

[Guest]

finished the suspension yesterday so moved on to the thermostat.

took out a fresh looking thermostat and put in a new one from SWL with new gasket too.

not being able to go for a drive, all i can manage is an idle, dash gauge now reads 80 and the fans kick a bit later and it goes just below 80.

i tested the old thermostat and it opens at 82... then closes fine...cant find anything wrong with it, but the gauge is now 15 degrees warmer !

[CarBuff]

Did the new 'stat have a 'jiggle pin' in its support casing?

 

If not it could be trapping air. Some folks just drill a tiny hole in the casing if they use a thermostat without a jiggle pin or hole.

[drdoom]

Low coolant now remedied?

[Guest]

so the thermostat replacement (including a jiggler) made no difference, the temp stayed at 80, including in standing traffic, with aircon off.

so I replaced the sender

still no difference

maybe my GT3 is just a cool car ?

[Bibs]

On 08/07/2018 at 20:51, Escape said:

First of all, check the actual temperature with Freescan or Espritmon. The gauge isn't always that accurate

^ Did you do that or are you relying on the not entirely accurate dash gauge?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Bibs said:

^ Did you do that or are you relying on the not entirely accurate dash gauge?

that reminds me i need to get the in-cabin port working... at the moment i have to leave my laptop in boot !

freescan says 82, but i now need to do some spirited driving to see what it says in standing traffic

[CarBuff]

If Freescan says 82C. then simply accept that the gauge reads 2C. low.

 

Even driving spiritedly, it should maintain a steady indication in traffic. And I believe it is doing that.

 

PS: Good luck getting the cabin ALDL port working reliably... 🙄 If you succeed, tell us how!