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Soaring temp gauge! Or could it be a GEMS problem?


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Posted

Typical! After me saying in another thread that i'd had the GEMS re-mapped and the car was running like a dream....i should have known life wasnt that easy!

Took the car out yest. Gee and i spent all day washing and polishing face-icon-small-happy.gifface-icon-small-cool.gifface-icon-small-happy.gif, then went for a spin...temperature gauge started to climb then shot thru the roof face-icon-small-shocked.gifface-icon-small-shocked.gifface-icon-small-confused.gif Was alright for about 10 mins then went climbing up. Blasted the heaters, make a small difference, but only just.

Straight back home, and got my brother to check over. He said nothing obvious. But the engine was ROASTING. Let it cool down then went back out again.

Had heaters blasting once temp gauge started to rise again. Cold air and no difference. Then just as we were heading home and the temp gauge was right at the top, heater started blasting hot air and temp gauge went back down to normal!

Anybody have any ideas???????? Baffled. Car felt fine. Apart from the obvious boiling engine and soaring temp gauge!

HELP! face-icon-small-sad.gif

Posted

Sorry to hear the Jacqui

If there is cold air blasting out the vents when it should be hot means there is no water in the heater matrix

Are the fans running when the temp goes above norm?

Has the expansion tank filled up or over flowed?

Is there any white goo in the oil?

Start the car with the expansion tank cap off and gently pump the hose at the bottom of the radiator, keep an eye on the temp and the temp of the bottomhose. If the temp on the dash goes above normal and the bottom pipe is cold....thermostat blocked!

Grant

Posted

<< Had heaters blasting once temp gauge started to rise again. Cold air and no difference >>

As grant says, it sounds like an airlock. what's the water level now?

Can't see how it's a GEMS problem if the car has been running fine up 'til now. Map doesn't change on its own.

Posted

J hope u don't mind me answering couple of questions.

Hi Grant

Did have probs with heater before.

Yeah fans are running.

No goo in oil, checked that for sign of head gasket gone.

Will leave the tech side to her bro to check thats his department, mines washing & polishing face-icon-small-blush.gifface-icon-small-smile.gif

Gee

Posted

Same as me!!

Car is up on axle stands and new thermostat going in tomorrow (hopefully)

P.S. are you wanting these pads or did you forget again? face-icon-small-wink.gif

Good luck anyway.

Posted

If the fans are running then the ECU is seeing the temp signal and trying to bring the temp down.

Good to hear there is no go in the oil and you have guessed my line of thinking.

I would aim my attention towards the heating system as the cold air out vents when engine is boiling is the classic sign of the water level being too low.

Grant

Posted

Ditto all the above. Don?t mean to point out the obvious but more horses equals more heat and high (or higher) BHP cars do suffer from high temp problems which leads to symptoms as you have described.

Once you get high 90 degree temps then we run the risk of the dreaded air locks caused by boiling and they are a true bitch to clear in a Scooby. Recently I have been suffering this problem after RCM and Bob Rawle worked their magic in Feb. With hard use and an up rated Sti rad cap, I would get tell tail signs of things getting rather hot and having suffered the lack of water pump prime and air locks with all three temp gauges (dash, defi & secs) going through the roof, literality face-icon-small-sad.gifface-icon-small-frown.gifface-icon-small-sad.gifface-icon-small-frown.gif

Spoke with Olly at Roger Clark Motorsport (RCM) and he recommended an up rated thermostat, which they had fitted to the Icelandic car; the 650 bhp one face-icon-small-shocked.gif and a few other big BHP cars. Brian Downie fitted the thermo only last week and I have been running the car over the weekend and also back and fore to work today. Both oil and water temps are down nicely. Water used to sit around 86 degrees for normal driving and it is now at 78 degrees. Fast road use on the way home tonight never saw me get above 92 on the water and the oil stayed below 100. Oil used to peak over 100 quite (maybe I should say very) often face-icon-small-wink.gif and I could have had several cups of tea to boot; if you like you tea made with an anti freeze mix face-icon-small-tongue.gif

So if you are changing the thermo, go for the RCM supplied one is my advice. It?s a proven product (as is all their gear) and I like that when spending dosh. It is a Japanese sourced Zero Sports Racing Development Thermo. Says EJ20 CL-CL-0003-0 on the box. I was 60 quid plus vat. Also go for the flush treatment if you are changing the thermo and run the minimum of anti freeze, within reason of course.

Another big plus is less activity from the Knocklink; in fact I was thinking it was not working on Saturday morning as I headed to Turriff from Inveruire. So all in all a wee mod that saves lots of heart burn....for you and the scoob face-icon-small-happy.gif

Hope this helps.

Posted

The Zero Sports Thermo is an essential addition to any seriously modded Scoob ......IMHO

I believe it opens at 71o celsius thus getting the fliud through the radiator earlier

David Hendry Cars are the authorized UK dealer for the Zerosports gear

Grant

Posted

When i first ran my new engine i felt my temps were on the high side and also fluctuated to a degree that caused me concern. i.e. wide swings of temperature. What was happening was the (uprated) radiator would eventually have water so cold, it was shutting in the thermostat, yet the water on the engine side was hot. This caused water temps on the gauge to be quite high, then when the stat did open (as the rad heated up) , there was a rush of cold water which brought the temp down on the gauge. Basically it cycled like this constantly.

Running a drilled thermostat allows there to always be a flow of water through the radiator irrespective of thermostat setting and so water temps remain fairly even throughout the system. Some have mentioned concern about warm up time but with the stat i have just now, it heats up as quick as i would expect a std car.

I tried a couple of thermostats with different number and size of holes and what i have now has given me no issues at all and responds as a std car would despite the power the car is giving just now. I also don't have any overflow problems as yet, though i'm only running 1.65 bar. We'll see what happens when the boost is upped to 1.85/2.0 bar.

Posted

I ended up with one hole in the stat drilled 3/16" Grant. This is on a 78 degree stat. Yes, 2.5 face-icon-small-smile.gif

Passengers tend to end up in the back seat at 1.6 bar, let alone 2 bar!! face-icon-small-happy.gif I'm just grateful i've got a steering wheel to hold on to!! lol H*ll knows what the passenger does when the pedals floored. I need all my concentration elsewhere!

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

BIG thanx to everyone who replied with advice - thank you face-icon-small-smile.gif

Sorry i havent replied b4 now, just havent had the chance.

Have ordered today the Zero Sports Cool Thermo and Cool Rad. Yep, more shopping lol face-icon-small-happy.gifface-icon-small-happy.gifface-icon-small-happy.gif

Will keep u's posted on the results...

Cheers again,

J (who's getting sore from keeping her fingers crossed that this will work!)

face-icon-small-smile.gif

Posted

my commander seems to be telling me that my water temp runs at between 86-92 ( has reached 96 a couple of times ) does this sound a bit high then if you guys are quoting 78 for normal use??

i want a fancy thermo too, will have to add it to my wish list!

Posted

78 is only the *opening* temperature of the thermostat, not running temperature. Zero sports 'stat opens earlier at 71 degrees.

I wouldn't have said the 96 degrees was excessive. It all depends on when you are seeing 96 degrees..

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

An update for anyone who posted in this thread...

Had the Zero Sports Therm & Cool Rad fitted on Sunday (Cheers Tango and Gee WR1 face-icon-small-happy.gif )......result = SUCCESS!!! face-icon-small-happy.gif

Car seems to be running fine, temp gauge doesnt move anywhere past middle of the gauge. Mucho relieve!

Car hasnt had too much use since Sunday, but i'm sure Knockhill at the end of Sept will be the ultimate test face-icon-small-shocked.gif

For everyone who posted with advice, cheers very much face-icon-small-smile.gif I'm a happy bunny again!

Cheers.

J

face-icon-small-smile.gif

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