New girl on the block

Hi
Just been having a wee poke around the site and have read stuff on 'Britpart' surprise surprise Ive just put a 'Britpart' thermostat in my car, are the chances its faulty ?
Couldnt get the thermostat locally so had to get it online and it didnt state it was Britpart .
Do you think I should try another stat?
When the car had hgf symptoms in july I put kseal in the car because it was suggested online but that was before I had it repaired surely the mechanic wouldve flushed the system or could this possibly be where the problems lie with coolant circulation.:doh:
Have I just answered my own question ?

linette said:

Hi
Just been having a wee poke around the site and have read stuff on 'Britpart' surprise surprise Ive just put a 'Britpart' thermostat in my car, are the chances its faulty ?
Couldnt get the thermostat locally so had to get it online and it didnt state it was Britpart .
Do you think I should try another stat?
When the car had hgf symptoms in july I put kseal in the car because it was suggested online but that was before I had it repaired surely the mechanic wouldve flushed the system or could this possibly be where the problems lie with coolant circulation.:doh:
Have I just answered my own question ?

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My ex bought a car that seemed ok. Day we picked it up, went out to see her mate and it overheated. dumped it at the garage got it from and told them what happened. They said it had had hgf repaired befor it was traded in to them. It turned out whoever did the repair never flushed the system out properly, only did header tank, and a quick blow through. So never assume anything. I have been told a cheap way to break up any oil deposits is to lob washing up liquid in the system, as it cuts through grease when doing the dishes. Dont know if it a good idea, but suppose as a quick set you home type bodge, may be ok.

I know that soap powder had been flushed through cos he was still doing it when I went to collect the car but surely it would take a few flushes to get all crap out. I didnt have oil water mix and no mayo. but could it be that kseal has blocked the radiator? how do I check its not blocked ...... rad doesnt get hot at all top nor bottom

linette said:

I know that soap powder had been flushed through cos he was still doing it when I went to collect the car but surely it would take a few flushes to get all crap out. I didnt have oil water mix and no mayo. but could it be that kseal has blocked the radiator? how do I check its not blocked ...... rad doesnt get hot at all top nor bottom

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soap powder?
SOAP POWDER!!!! ffs - dont you have a washing machine? Have you seen the crud it leaves?

NEVER USE SOAP POWDER!!!!!
you can use dishwasher liquid tho. Better still any of the proprietory coolant flushes on the market - Forte is a known good one.

I think the best thing you can do is completely flush the system as many times as you can justify, then reverse flush it some more. Freelanders have very fine coolant passages and it is possibly that the powder crud has blocked something again.
You have bought from a cowboy - check EVERYTHING!.

First off I am not a mechanic, everything I can do is completly self taught, but am a gas and heating fitter by trade, so I work in ways that I would trace a prob on a heating system, so bear with me. I would pop the top hose off and have a look down that and in the top of rad. then do same for bottom hose. If can get rad out try flushing it through with a hose pipe, or as my mate did other day with the shower. Hot water can sometimes loosen things off. Have you tryed to bleed the system to make sure there is no air in it? Also is the system still under pressure when it is cold?

Soap powder wasn't me !!!! I was kinda questioning that at the time he said it would be fine!
The car has ran ok from July until now even through the winter weather.

I was going to start at the bottom rad hose as thats where the probs seem to be, not heating up but the hose that joins the top hose was really hot at the top and cold at the bottom where it joins on to the stat . Will see how I get on really want to get this going so I can get a new car. Also bit of a vendetta now I will not be beaten !!

linette said:

Soap powder wasn't me !!!! I was kinda questioning that at the time he said it would be fine!
The car has ran ok from July until now even through the winter weather.

I was going to start at the bottom rad hose as thats where the probs seem to be, not heating up but the hose that joins the top hose was really hot at the top and cold at the bottom where it joins on to the stat . Will see how I get on really want to get this going so I can get a new car. Also bit of a vendetta now I will not be beaten !!

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good luck with it. I would say it sounds like the rad may be clogged up

has the car got a VCU (big round lump half way along prop shafts)?

i didnt think yu had used powder - just trying to explain why its a big no-no!.

"he said it would be fine" - that wouldnt be coz he was trying to sell it?

with help from here yu will get it fixed, but dont take risks - the petrol Gaylanders have crap cooling systems at the best of times, let alone when mucked about with.
:search: for "remote thermostat" - see if you have one.

A good start would be to remove as much of the cooling system as you can (rad/pipes etc) and flush them through in both directions until water runs easily, fast and clear. Then do the same with wots left on the car (engine/heater matrix etc).

no pressure in system when cold ! have bled it but only through the back bleed screw for heaters as a guy at my husbands work told him not to let me play about with the bleed nipples , dont know if this because Im a woman or because I will do some damage. Im no mechanic either but will have a go at most things !

Got to try everything.

Linette.

Likewise, I'm not a mechanic, but I do have a lot of experience with DIY repairs.

I don't wish to sound chauvinistic nor patronising, but well done on having a go at it yourself, I always encourage my daughter to do as much as she can for her car too.

Now, if I were in your position, the first thing I would do is remove the thermostat and take the car for a drive, without any flushing agent first. By doing this you are removing the suspect part from the system and giving the coolant every opportunity to circulate freely. It also means that if coolant is circulating properly, the temperature gauge will never rise above mildly warm.

Run it for a good few miles (or even a few days under normal conditions like this) and see how she re-acts. If everything seems to be working as normal (though a lot cooler,) then, while it is still warm, be carefull of getting hot water scalding you, drain the system out as best you can, paying attention to how dirty the coolant is when it comes out, re-fill it and do the same for a few more days. Repeat this as many times as you are willing to try or until the coolant starts to come out reasonably clean, then give it some flushing agent to clean any residue gunk which might be lurking in the nooks and crannies - it won't hurt to do this a couple of times too. Then, once you are happy re-fit your thermostat and see if things are any better.

If all is well, re-drain the system and put in anti-freeze, put the antifreeze in before too much water goes in so that it is washed out of the header tank and into the system properly (over filling the header tank at this stage will not do any harm.) Make sure you have no loose clothing or long hair dangling near moving parts, be wary of scalding yourself with hot water and have a supply of hot water handy. Then with the engine running and reasonably warmed up, slacken off any and all bleed nipples one at a time starting with the lowest one you can find. Have someone rev the engine a bit while the nipple is open and if air comes out all the better, close the nipple while the engine is still revving a little, top up the header tank while the engine is still ticking over then move on to the next bleed nipple. Using this routine, work your way to the highest bleed nipple in the system. With luck this will clear out all the air in the system which might be causing an airlock. Do all the nipples, I don't know how many there are or where they are located on your car, but I'm sure someone on here will be able to advise you on that bit.

If the above doesn't cure your problem, then I'd advise checking all your hoses as one of them may have collapsed internally and be blocking the system, then try having the water pump replaced (or checked out.) Then finally have the radiator removed and checked or replaced. I'm fairly certain the radiator will be more expensive than the water pump which is why I suggest you follow that route, but check out their individual prices for yourself first if your budget is limited.

I hope this helps.

P.S. Also, make sure your heater is switched on to the hot air position so that coolant circulates through the entire system whilst bleeding the air out.

not sure yu can remove the thermostat - you certainly cant on the KV6, cos it is a moulded housing integral to the cooling flow.

not flush it? - why? - it cant do any harm, but it can do a lot of good.

As said before - download the Rave, get a copy of the Haynes manual - coz you will need them both. Bleeding freelanders o) is a complicated and critical job - it must be done correctly.

The Mad Hat Man said:

not sure yu can remove the thermostat - you certainly cant on the KV6, cos it is a moulded housing integral to the cooling flow.

not flush it? - why? - it cant do any harm, but it can do a lot of good.

As said before - download the Rave, get a copy of the Haynes manual - coz you will need them both. Bleeding freelanders o) is a complicated and critical job - it must be done correctly.

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Ahhh - If that is the case then I'd try to get hold of an old one and knacker it as best I could to allow the coolant to pass through it as freely as possible.

The only reason I say not to flush it for the first couple of tries is to wash out the loose crap then flush it with a cleaning agent, in the days when I did this sort of thing, I was used to working within a very tight budget so would flush with clean water a few times then some cleaning agents.

Linette,

Give me a shout if you are in need of any help I'm fairly local to you, I work in Loanhead and live in the Borders so run the A68. I have a copy of Rave and a haynes manual for the Freelander.

What year is yours?

linette said:

Freelander 1.8GS 51 plate hgf july last year skimmed pressure tested and new style head gasket put on, modified thermostat. Had problem lately of rising temp gauge, no loss of coolant, no oil in water or mayo in oil, bottom hose to radiator cold and radiator fans on, in car heater blowing cool air when idle hot when driving. Was suggested new thermostat , not been using the car didnt want to risk hgf again, put thermostat on yesterday , temp fine , heater blowing hot air when idle , took car for 1 mile spin temp gauge crept up to 3/4 mark reduced when slowing down , home safe , fans on full pelt bottom rad hose still cold, rad cold , coolant just about filling expansion tank with only little bubbling, top rad hose hot didnt want to touch, extension from top rad hose that connects to stat really hot at the top near the join but cooler nearer the bottom at stat joint could actually hold it and could feel water bubbling inside. inside car heater blowing cold air again while idle when fans where still running obviously this was the heat coming from the engine or rather lack of it. Was going check the inlet manifold valve but water trickles into expansion tank when running normally and spurts when accelerator pressed so thought the pivot valve was ok. Bleed screw at back of car to the heaters flows fine . Could it be the water pump ?? I'm no mechanic by the way just a woman who is fed up without her car and cant be bothered waiting on mechanic friends fitting me in so thought I'd tackle what I thought could be an easy job, any suggestions would be welcomed !

Thanks

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There ya go minidod

Bromsgrove Defender said:

There ya go minidod

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Ok just been looking at the rest of the posts myself.


Linette,

Just to rule out the thermostat from being a problem take it out and put it in a pan of cold water making sure the whole thing is covered, bring the water to the boil and the thermostat should open as it would in the car. If it doesn't move then there's another ****part failure.

Thanks for the advice been a busy weekend so not been able to get under the car again. gonna take all hoses off and clean them out, will try the thermostat test in pan , and been recommended to flush system although my guts telling me its the water pump .
another week without my car but at least im saving money on petrol !!
Will keep you posted

Have seen on another thread that the water pump impellor blades can break up.

well I have tried everything I could do myself and had no luck
Although car is now away hopefully getting fixed , bought a new water pump just incase and car is getting a thorough check. i did manage to drive her today for 10 miles without any overheating or temp guage rising and the top of the radiator was hot but bottom hose still cold no fans on but car hadnt really been out for a run since Thursday so no sitting idle in the drive to heat up the water prior to driving which is what had been done previously to try and get shot of any airlocks. Will give you an update when I get her back hopefully working and ready for selling... shame too I really like the car its the engine probs that have put me off.