Temperature Gauge + Engine Fan

Hi all,

Well just come back from an airshow about 30 miles away, airshow was great but thats another forum!

On way back, the temperature gauge crept right up, not quite to the top but near enough for me to have a heart attack! The fans came on..and the temp went down. Question is, i've never seen the gauge go above half way before, and dont know if this is 'normal' . I know in the wifes old tigra it was normal for the temp gauge to keep rising till it hit the limit, then fans would kick in and down it would go..is this the same in the freelander..in this heat at least? 1.8 FL1.

thanks
Ed

have you checked your coolant level any signs of leaks

matt1295 said:

have you checked your coolant level any signs of leaks

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hiya, well since posting that ive checked and yeah seems to have dumped loads of coolant somewhere, a litre! so, looks like a nice little problem we have! damn it!:doh:

Maybe its had a tiny leak somewhere for a while, and a litre drop was enough to make he cooling system struggle, the cooling system isn't that strong on a 1.8 at best..

I've had a rad do that before, the leak was so small it never left a trace, till it suddenly started to overheat..

Top it up and see how it runs, and keep an eye on the coolant level, and the exhaust for white smoke that stinks of coolant..

drturbo said:

Maybe its had a tiny leak somewhere for a while, and a litre drop was enough to make he cooling system struggle, the cooling system isn't that strong on a 1.8 at best..

I've had a rad do that before, the leak was so small it never left a trace, till it suddenly started to overheat..

Top it up and see how it runs, and keep an eye on the coolant level, and the exhaust for white smoke that stinks of coolant..

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It could be something simple like a sluggish thermostat or the expansion tank cap is failing or the expansion tank has some cracking around the filler neck. The radiator fitted to the 1.8 is more than up to the job, it has over twice the cooling capacity required for the 1.8

Thanks for the replys chaps, I've topped it up, been for a 20min run and seems ok, not lost any coolant. The expansion bottle does have cracks around the top although it doesn't look like water would escape from them? Ill order a new one anyway.

ftoed said:

Thanks for the replys chaps, I've topped it up, been for a 20min run and seems ok, not lost any coolant. The expansion bottle does have cracks around the top although it doesn't look like water would escape from them? Ill order a new one anyway.

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The cracking in the expansion tank normally shows up in warmer weather as the engine temperature is higher which increases the pressure in the tank causing the cracks to expand and loose coolant.

Nodge68 said:

The cracking in the expansion tank normally shows up in warmer weather as the engine temperature is higher which increases the pressure in the tank causing the cracks to expand and loose coolant.

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do the L Series suffer from the the tanks breaking aswell

matt1295 said:

do the L Series suffer from the the tanks breaking aswell

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Not really. The early small expansion tank fitted to the L series and early 1.8 were stronger than the large later tank, I believe the pressure cap was set at a lower pressure on the early tank.