VR Acclaim temperature mystery

[Dunlop]

I'd noticed over the past few days that the top hose of my '93 VR Acclaim 6 seemed rather hot even though the temp gauge indicated the usual quarter reading and the car hadn't been driven far. Yesterday I decided to check again - the temp gauge read just over a quarter, I know the thermostat's working, and much of coolant has been replaced due to a slow leak. Thought I'd check the temp of the bottom radiator hose and was surprised to find it felt nearly as hot as the top hose! I'd fixed the hvac leak by using a bottle of Rislone stop leak https://rislone.com/au/product/liquid-aluminum-stop-leak/ and it fixed the leak within about ten minutes, saving me just under $800 in replacing the heater core. This additive has a chemical in it that is designed to reduce the surface tension of the coolant to transfer heat more effectively to the radiator and I'm wondering if this might be the reason the hoses seem hotter? The external air temp was around 32C.

 

[ephect]

Does using the rislone coinside with the extra hose heat?

It may be that it's sealed some other leaking points and it's running normally. I must admit, it's not something I normally check regarding the hoses

 

[Dunlop]

Yes I think it does coincide with the increased heat. Normally when I check the bottom hose (mainly for condition - beats blowing the head if it fails) it's usually noticeably cooler than the top hose obviously due to the coolant being cooled by the radiator. Going to be interesting when I drive up a winding gap road nearby when the temp is over 35C - the temp always goes up then.

 

[Lex]

I'd noticed over the past few days that the top hose of my '93 VR Acclaim 6 seemed rather hot even though the temp gauge indicated the usual quarter reading and the car hadn't been driven far. Yesterday I decided to check again - the temp gauge read just over a quarter, I know the thermostat's working, and much of coolant has been replaced due to a slow leak. Thought I'd check the temp of the bottom radiator hose and was surprised to find it felt nearly as hot as the top hose! I'd fixed the hvac leak by using a bottle of Rislone stop leak https://rislone.com/au/product/liquid-aluminum-stop-leak/ and it fixed the leak within about ten minutes, saving me just under $800 in replacing the heater core. This additive has a chemical in it that is designed to reduce the surface tension of the coolant to transfer heat more effectively to the radiator and I'm wondering if this might be the reason the hoses seem hotter? The external air temp was around 32C.

Once the repair was completed, did you bleed the air out of the system with heater on full?

 

[Dunlop]

Once the repair was completed, did you bleed the air out of the system with heater on full?

Good point - I did bleed the system but I forgot to open the heater tap... my guess is that as it's now summer the coolant would just circulate independently but thanks for this.

 

[Lex]

Good point - I did bleed the system but I forgot to open the heater tap... my guess is that as it's now summer the coolant would just circulate independently but thanks for this.

Cost nothing to try.