Dunlop
Active Member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2019
- Messages
- 139
- Reaction score
- 26
- Points
- 28
- Age
- 68
- Location
- Beechworth
- Members Ride
- 1993 VR Commodore Acclaim
After noticing that the engine didn't seem to be warming up after driving up to the main street (850 metres) but that the top radiator hose seemed to be warm, I decided to buy a 91C high flow Tridon thermostat to see if I could fix the issue. Put it in last night with some high temp silicon and drove it up the street a short time ago after idling it for some minutes.
Drove up 850 metres to the main street and parked the car with the engine running. Opened the hood to check the engine temp - engine had warmed up nicely and the top hose was still cold - much better than yesterday when the engine was still cold and the top hose was warm - not hot. Air temp is about 30C now and I have to drive up a short rise of 80 metres on the road.
But when I looked at the gauge, it was nearly on half whereas in that situation it's normally only on less than a quarter... As you know, VR 3800's normally sit on a quarter on the gauge unless - in my case - I'm driving up a hill in warm weather. Drove out on the highway a few kms and the gauge dropped very slightly below half. I stopped and opened the bleed valve - that was ok - then drove off again back home - the highway goes uphill on two stages.
When I checked the engine block, it seemed to be really quite hot although the car was running pretty well - no uneven idle which can indicate running overly high.
When I called Dayco last year, I'm sure the tech told me that their thermostats are designed to 'crack' open before the engine reaches normal operating temp - probably a saftey feature. Thing is though in this area it gets damn cold in winter, so the car has been using up excessive fuel and this has affected the heater core which needs flushing anyway and also has a slight leak. Fortunately I don't drive very far so the amout of petrol I've used excessively could be worse...
The staff member at Supercheap told me the new thermostat only cracks open at 91C - not before.
So, does it sound like the engine is running too hot? Or could my radiator need flushing even though there's no indication of any gunk at all in the top - it's just clean green coolant?
Any advice much appreciated.
This is the new Tridon - curious thing is that the Dayco high flow is $28 and the Tridon is $36...https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/tridon-tridon-high-flow-thermostat---tt2003-195/299465.html
Drove up 850 metres to the main street and parked the car with the engine running. Opened the hood to check the engine temp - engine had warmed up nicely and the top hose was still cold - much better than yesterday when the engine was still cold and the top hose was warm - not hot. Air temp is about 30C now and I have to drive up a short rise of 80 metres on the road.
But when I looked at the gauge, it was nearly on half whereas in that situation it's normally only on less than a quarter... As you know, VR 3800's normally sit on a quarter on the gauge unless - in my case - I'm driving up a hill in warm weather. Drove out on the highway a few kms and the gauge dropped very slightly below half. I stopped and opened the bleed valve - that was ok - then drove off again back home - the highway goes uphill on two stages.
When I checked the engine block, it seemed to be really quite hot although the car was running pretty well - no uneven idle which can indicate running overly high.
When I called Dayco last year, I'm sure the tech told me that their thermostats are designed to 'crack' open before the engine reaches normal operating temp - probably a saftey feature. Thing is though in this area it gets damn cold in winter, so the car has been using up excessive fuel and this has affected the heater core which needs flushing anyway and also has a slight leak. Fortunately I don't drive very far so the amout of petrol I've used excessively could be worse...
The staff member at Supercheap told me the new thermostat only cracks open at 91C - not before.
So, does it sound like the engine is running too hot? Or could my radiator need flushing even though there's no indication of any gunk at all in the top - it's just clean green coolant?
Any advice much appreciated.
This is the new Tridon - curious thing is that the Dayco high flow is $28 and the Tridon is $36...https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/tridon-tridon-high-flow-thermostat---tt2003-195/299465.html