Series 3 200tdi overheating

I have a Series 3 with a 200tdi in it. It ran ok for years but then started overheating. I’ve fitted an Ali rad, new Thermostat & water pump but still overheats after about 10 minutes. I’ve noticed the bottom rad hose seem tepid despite the top hose being red hot. Any suggestions welcome thanks

Welcome. Top hose should be hotter than the bottom hose, it shows the rad is working.
Do you have a fan, is the heater core blocked, air lock maybe.
Is it actually getting hot or is it just the temp gauge telling you it's hot?

Is that 10 minutes idling or 10 minutes driivng?
I have had a couple of new 200 stats that were crap. one would not open no matter what.
Top hose being red hot would suggest to me water is not circulating, stat would be first suspect.
Head gasket failure is not unknown, not a bad job on the 200 engines.

What is the heat out of cabin vents like, have you got a series 3 sender to match the S3 gauge
Could take the thermostat out , was it in right way

steve2286w said:

What is the heat out of cabin vents like, have you got a series 3 sender to match the S3 gauge
Could take the thermostat out , was it in right way

Click to expand...

Stat out can be a false indicator, as with no stat both the bypass hose and the main hose are open, so in theory coolant can miss the rad altogether.
If correct 200 stat, you cannot fit it the wrong way due to the extra lump that cuts off the bypass circuit as the stat opens.

An IR temperature gun is useful in diagnosing issues.