cliff.b Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 (edited) Took my Spitfire out for the first time in a few weeks yesterday, intending to give it a thorough warm up. However, even after 25 miles, some of which was at speed up the A1, the temp gauge barely went above the 1/4 mark. And when I got home the rad wasn't very hot at all. So I suppose since last Winter I cleaned out all the partially blocked water galleries in the head when changing the gasket, flushed the rad which happens to be a full width one, raised the bonnet about 5mm as it was hitting the bumper when opening, but that will have made the above bumper gap slightly bigger, fitted a smaller number plate as only 6 digits and it sits right in the airflow. Anyway, after all this it never ran hotter than 1/2 on the gauge, even in nearly 40C temperatures, but yesterday being only 5C and the heater on appears to now make it "overcooled". Maybe I should block some of the rad off if I go out when it's that cold again 🤔 Edited January 15 by cliff.b Add text Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 I took my Vitesse out last week and on the move the water temp read mid to high 70C. Warmed up in traffic but then I don't have a crank driven fan only an electric. It seems if your engine and cooling system are in good condition getting temperatures up to optimum in cold weather is an issue but I wouldn't get too worried about it. If we used our cars every day in very cold weather then perhaps. Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratton Jimmer Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 My old Landrover was capable of over cooling and I had a radiator blind fitted but the thermostat was the key thing really. During the very bitter winter of 81/2 I never had to use the blind as the thermostat was doing what it should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff.b Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 6 minutes ago, Iain T said: I took my Vitesse out last week and on the move the water temp read mid to high 70C. Warmed up in traffic but then I don't have a crank driven fan only an electric. It seems if your engine and cooling system are in good condition getting temperatures up to optimum in cold weather is an issue but I wouldn't get too worried about it. If we used our cars every day in very cold weather then perhaps. Iain I have carried out some rudimentary calibration of my gauge in the past and based on that, I would say my car was also reporting mid to high 70C and the rad felt a lot cooler than that. But I don't plan to go out in those sorts of temperatures on a regular basis. I even felt the need to keep the hood up 😱 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff.b Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 10 minutes ago, Stratton Jimmer said: My old Landrover was capable of over cooling and I had a radiator blind fitted but the thermostat was the key thing really. During the very bitter winter of 81/2 I never had to use the blind as the thermostat was doing what it should. Yes, I suspect the thermostat was barely opening which will restrict the flow so the coolant will take longer to pass through the rad and return to the engine even colder, keeping the engine cooler etc etc lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 2 minutes ago, cliff.b said: Yes, I suspect the thermostat was barely opening which will restrict the flow so the coolant will take longer to pass through the rad and return to the engine even colder, keeping the engine cooler etc etc lol What temperature thermostat is fitted? Low temperature summer thermostats are no good for cold winters. At mid 70s most thermostats are still closed so there will be no flow through the radiator. Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 There are Winter and Summer thermostats and also normal, I think? However most stick with summer in these days of global warming. Changing thermostats would require adjusting mixture and timing. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff.b Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Iain T said: 17 minutes ago, Iain T said: What temperature thermostat is fitted? Low temperature summer thermostats are no good for cold winters. At mid 70s most thermostats are still closed so there will be no flow through the radiator. Iain I've got an 82C thermostat fitted and I think a 1500 Spit is supposed to be 88C, but assumed that was to let it run hotter for emission control purposes. Edited January 15 by cliff.b Add text Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Sounds like you could do with winter and summer thermostats just like in the old days😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 However do also check that the viscous fan, if fitted, can spin freely... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff.b Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 2 hours ago, johny said: However do also check that the viscous fan, if fitted, can spin freely... Fan not viscous, and also I think it might have an older style pump. It needs maximum adjustment to stop the fan belt slipping which I think is due to the pump pulley being smaller. Which would make the pump and fan turn faster, I suppose. Maybe this is a contributory factor 🤔 Anyway, I don't intend to make a habit of driving around in these temperatures regularly so it is more a matter of interest than an issue to sort out lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 most of the 1500 spitty spec a 88c stat for uk/euro if yours is barely moving the gauge it suggests to thermostat is stuffed an 82c will show as a reduced gauge reading Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff.b Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 7 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said: most of the 1500 spitty spec a 88c stat for uk/euro if yours is barely moving the gauge it suggests to thermostat is stuffed an 82c will show as a reduced gauge reading Pete Well the gauge was reading just over 1/4 yesterday but the heater was hot. Am I correct in thinking you still get flow to the heater before the thermostat opens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Yes there is a flow to the heater even if the thermostat isn't open. I rely on double set of pants and then natural Triumph engine bay heating 🥵 Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 17 minutes ago, Iain T said: Yes there is a flow to the heater even if the thermostat isn't open. I rely on double set of pants and then natural Triumph engine bay heating 🥵 Iain Not the multiple layers of "nylon" tights then?.😁 ( as allegedly favoured by our "boys from Hereford" in cold climates) Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Get a GT6, you don't need a heater! The air vents on the dash only blow cold, they aren't connected to the heater, a vain attempt to overcome the GT6's cabin heating problems. A unique feature to the GT6 I think. I've read that the heater was an extra on mk1s, I've often thought of bypassing it all together, but the last desperate attempt to avoid boiling up in a sweltering summer traffic jam is to turn the heater on full bore. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 35 minutes ago, dougbgt6 said: I've often thought of bypassing it all together, but the last desperate attempt to avoid boiling up in a sweltering summer traffic jam is to turn the heater on full bore. The other way of looking at it Doug is that any coolant stopped from going to the manifold/heater is sent to the radiator for cooling👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 52 minutes ago, PeteH said: boys from Hereford I went there once as we were given a very active demonstration of their Land Rover prior to being asked to quote for an updated version. A very odd place and wouldn't have asked about their preference of which denier they use! Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 2 hours ago, cliff.b said: Am I correct in thinking Yes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 And dont forget temp gauge isnt linear, far from it, so 1/4 could be 75º and half 85º for example. Could be worth having a visual check of the thermostat.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 And remember the position of the needle on the gauge can be altered with the variation in resistance from the senders offered today. I did some tests on my Herald when I put a new engine in it. The car has an ally rad as well. I bought 3 senders of the same part number from different suppliers and measured them cold, they varied from 550 ohms to 760 ohms, I fitted the lower one and it gives a hot reading on the gauge of just under half and never goes above half. The others gave a higher needle on the gauge, the heater is toasty btw so no issues. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff.b Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 2 minutes ago, johny said: And dont forget temp gauge isnt linear, far from it, so 1/4 could be 75º and half 85º for example. Could be worth having a visual check of the thermostat.... Last summer I ran it on the drive with the rad cap off and digital thermometer poked in there. As it warmed up I saw the coolant flow increase when the thermostat opened and at that point, the thermometer read 84C and the temp gauge in the dash read midway between 1/4 & 1/2. When I next take her out it will probably be warmer do I will see what happens & investigate further if anything seems abnormal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff.b Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 5 minutes ago, Steve P said: And remember the position of the needle on the gauge can be altered with the variation in resistance from the senders offered today. I did some tests on my Herald when I put a new engine in it. The car has an ally rad as well. I bought 3 senders of the same part number from different suppliers and measured them cold, they varied from 550 ohms to 760 ohms, I fitted the lower one and it gives a hot reading on the gauge of just under half and never goes above half. The others gave a higher needle on the gauge, the heater is toasty btw so no issues. Steve Yes, when I got the car the sender was faulty and the one I replaced it with, although sold as the correct part, read high. I then sourced another one which usually shows just under 1/2 and which I validated as correct with a thermometer, as described in the other post I have just made. It's only differences to usual readings that matter, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 15 hours ago, cliff.b said: It's only differences to usual readings that matter, I suppose. My GT6 ran at about 1/4 along the gauge, if it reached halfway I started to worry. The engine was fine, no sign of overcooling so I just put it down to the ancient electronics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 dont forget on stabilised bi metal gauges the voltage stabiliser has everything to do with where the needle sits its there to keep gauges stable otherwise as the charge voltage varies so would your readings Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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