Any idea which is the ideal temperature for the engine? I mean, working temperature, not ambiental.
Currently, the sequence for my car is the following: engine is warming up to 110 degrees Celsius (last major mark before the one for 130 C), then the ventilator kicks in, cools it to 90 degrees (temperature gauge needle is vertical), then it warms up again (especially in heavy traffic), then it goes down again, after the ventilator kicks in.
A colleague told me the normal temperature is 90 degrees and it shouldn't have much variation. Could you please confirm/infirm that?
Engine temperature
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cris
Re: Engine temperature
Hi,
my car sits between 50 -90 pretty steady, only in traffic jams does it move to the halfway mark. could be a screwy thermostat?
cris
my car sits between 50 -90 pretty steady, only in traffic jams does it move to the halfway mark. could be a screwy thermostat?
cris
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Karsten
Re: Engine temperature
The needle our car is pointing completely up almost no mater what (as far as I remember that's 90?)
Doesn't really matter if its driving at slow or higher speeds or if its stuck in a traffic jam. Only on the hottest summerdays the needle went slightly above the middle mark.
A note about the 20VT is that it's not running on regular coolant fluid. I have no idea if that goes for the 16VT also (or any other turbocharged car for that matter)? Maybe it's just because that this particular turbo (and most others maybe) is cooled by the coolant fluid on one side.
Doesn't really matter if its driving at slow or higher speeds or if its stuck in a traffic jam. Only on the hottest summerdays the needle went slightly above the middle mark.
A note about the 20VT is that it's not running on regular coolant fluid. I have no idea if that goes for the 16VT also (or any other turbocharged car for that matter)? Maybe it's just because that this particular turbo (and most others maybe) is cooled by the coolant fluid on one side.
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Angle Grinder
Re: Engine temperature
I don't want to insult your intelligence, but have you checked that there are no signs of a blown head gasket?
The overheating, fan kick-in, overheat cycle sounds like a possible symptom and i'd be looking at the oil filler cap and expansion tank for signs of the dreaded sludge!
The overheating, fan kick-in, overheat cycle sounds like a possible symptom and i'd be looking at the oil filler cap and expansion tank for signs of the dreaded sludge!
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Adrian
Re: Engine temperature
I'm almost nil when it comes to mechanics.
Car is in service at the moment, the mechanic called me today and informed me that I have a water leak. He said he needs to replace some part (not sure which one, as I don't really speak the local language) and that will fix it.
As for the expansion tank, here's what happened the other day: I discovered that the expansion tank was nearly empty - like just some water on its bottom. I added some distilled water, drove for like 30 km and then discovered that the fresh distilled water I had added had turned almost... black. I panicked and took the car straight to the shop. The "black water" didn't seem oily, is there any remote chance that I have escaped the big bad head gasket failure and the "blackness" had been caused only by dirt (rust etc) inside the cooling system?
As for the temperature, the mechanic told me that he can only provide feedback when the cooling apparatus will be filled properly - it is possible that the sensor had been out of the coolant, thus indicating wrong temperatures.
A buddy had a head gasket failure on an Alfa 156 and he told me the car broke down almost instantly, with the temperature needle going all the way to the 130C mark - this hasn't happened to me yet.
Angle Grinder, excuse my ignorance, what should I be looking for around the oil filler cap? By "oil filler cap" I guess you mean "the thing which covers the hole where you pour oil into the engine", right? It might sound stupid, but I'm not a native English speaker - and not a native mechanic, by any means.
Many thanks to all the people who have replied.
Car is in service at the moment, the mechanic called me today and informed me that I have a water leak. He said he needs to replace some part (not sure which one, as I don't really speak the local language) and that will fix it.
As for the expansion tank, here's what happened the other day: I discovered that the expansion tank was nearly empty - like just some water on its bottom. I added some distilled water, drove for like 30 km and then discovered that the fresh distilled water I had added had turned almost... black. I panicked and took the car straight to the shop. The "black water" didn't seem oily, is there any remote chance that I have escaped the big bad head gasket failure and the "blackness" had been caused only by dirt (rust etc) inside the cooling system?
As for the temperature, the mechanic told me that he can only provide feedback when the cooling apparatus will be filled properly - it is possible that the sensor had been out of the coolant, thus indicating wrong temperatures.
A buddy had a head gasket failure on an Alfa 156 and he told me the car broke down almost instantly, with the temperature needle going all the way to the 130C mark - this hasn't happened to me yet.
Angle Grinder, excuse my ignorance, what should I be looking for around the oil filler cap? By "oil filler cap" I guess you mean "the thing which covers the hole where you pour oil into the engine", right? It might sound stupid, but I'm not a native English speaker - and not a native mechanic, by any means.
Many thanks to all the people who have replied.
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Angle Grinder
Re: Engine temperature
Adrian,
Sorry for the slow response.
Yes the oil filler cap is where you pour oil into the engine. If a head gasket has failed you may see an accummulation under the cap of a milky coffee coloured substance with the texture of margarine.
Water turning black is unusual, but it may be a sign of exhaust gas getting into the coolant. If a head gasket was this badly gone I would expect that you would know by the drop in performance.
Depending upon the severity of the gasket leak, you may be able to drive for many miles with a blown head gasket. If it is severe the oil and coolant will contaminate each other and you may even lose so much coolant into the pistons that the engine goes into the temperature danger zone.
Your mechanic will no doubt be checking for signs of head gasket failure by either compression testing the cylinders or looking for gas pressure build up in the coolant expansion tank.
Sorry for the slow response.
Yes the oil filler cap is where you pour oil into the engine. If a head gasket has failed you may see an accummulation under the cap of a milky coffee coloured substance with the texture of margarine.
Water turning black is unusual, but it may be a sign of exhaust gas getting into the coolant. If a head gasket was this badly gone I would expect that you would know by the drop in performance.
Depending upon the severity of the gasket leak, you may be able to drive for many miles with a blown head gasket. If it is severe the oil and coolant will contaminate each other and you may even lose so much coolant into the pistons that the engine goes into the temperature danger zone.
Your mechanic will no doubt be checking for signs of head gasket failure by either compression testing the cylinders or looking for gas pressure build up in the coolant expansion tank.
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Adrian
Re: Engine temperature
Hey Angle Grinder,
I just picked up the car from the shop today, total cost of repair about 450 EUR (including replacement of final exhaust). Apparently, the broken "thing" was the heater (not sure if it's the right word, it's the "thing" used to heat the air coming into the car, placed somewhere between the engine and the steering wheel) - it was replaced and the car appears to be working fine now. I checked this while parking this evening - the temperature needle had only gone a little bit above the middle point (90 degrees) and the ventilator kicked in, cooling it down to about 80 degrees. I have yet to verify my theory in hotter weather or under repeated stop-and-go conditions, such as in city traffic. It even looks like the replacement of that part improved the performance of the A/C.
I checked the water in the expansion tank, it is still pretty dark-colored, but a buddy told me that he washed the main radiator on his car using some high-pressure water pump and he took out about one pound of dirt, so this might be the cause.
Question: the level of the liquid in the expansion tank is right below the MIN mark (with engine cold). Is it normal (I reckon it needs some space to expand when it gets hotter)?
Thanks everyone for their answers. I realize I'm quite an ignorant in this field, that's why I'm asking so many (stupid) questions.
Adrian
I just picked up the car from the shop today, total cost of repair about 450 EUR (including replacement of final exhaust). Apparently, the broken "thing" was the heater (not sure if it's the right word, it's the "thing" used to heat the air coming into the car, placed somewhere between the engine and the steering wheel) - it was replaced and the car appears to be working fine now. I checked this while parking this evening - the temperature needle had only gone a little bit above the middle point (90 degrees) and the ventilator kicked in, cooling it down to about 80 degrees. I have yet to verify my theory in hotter weather or under repeated stop-and-go conditions, such as in city traffic. It even looks like the replacement of that part improved the performance of the A/C.
I checked the water in the expansion tank, it is still pretty dark-colored, but a buddy told me that he washed the main radiator on his car using some high-pressure water pump and he took out about one pound of dirt, so this might be the cause.
Question: the level of the liquid in the expansion tank is right below the MIN mark (with engine cold). Is it normal (I reckon it needs some space to expand when it gets hotter)?
Thanks everyone for their answers. I realize I'm quite an ignorant in this field, that's why I'm asking so many (stupid) questions.
Adrian
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Karsten
Re: Engine temperature
Hey Adrian
Nice to read that your mechanic might have fixed a major problem!
The coolant fluid in the expansion tank should be somewhere between "MIN" and "MAX"... Better to be near MAX in case you suddently get a leak somewhere - gives you more time!
Nice to read that your mechanic might have fixed a major problem!
The coolant fluid in the expansion tank should be somewhere between "MIN" and "MAX"... Better to be near MAX in case you suddently get a leak somewhere - gives you more time!
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justin
Re: Engine temperature
Hi
The colour of the coolant isn't just anti-freeze colouring, is it?
If your heater matrix has been replaced, the coolant will have been drained and replaced (hopefully) with the correct amount of said anti-freeze/summer coolant.
Jus
The colour of the coolant isn't just anti-freeze colouring, is it?
If your heater matrix has been replaced, the coolant will have been drained and replaced (hopefully) with the correct amount of said anti-freeze/summer coolant.
Jus
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Adrian
Re: Engine temperature
I took my car for a longer run today, about 200 km of various roads, no overheating issues at all, car was fine. However, the moment I got back into my current home town, it appeared to have a certain loss of power whenever moving from a stationary position (e.g. traffic light) - I needed to press the acceleration pretty hard to get it going. Apart from that, no issues yet.
Question: where is the hose which evacuates the condensed water from the A/C? I became pretty paranoid about coolant leaks and I noticed two spots underneath the car - a small one underneath the engine and a bigger one halfway between the front and the end of the car (I'd say, somewhere underneath the handbrake). Moreover, the strange noises which occur after waiting in a parking lot, with handbrake and engine on, occurred again, sounding like a clang-clang-clang in the front-left area - should I worry?
Question: where is the hose which evacuates the condensed water from the A/C? I became pretty paranoid about coolant leaks and I noticed two spots underneath the car - a small one underneath the engine and a bigger one halfway between the front and the end of the car (I'd say, somewhere underneath the handbrake). Moreover, the strange noises which occur after waiting in a parking lot, with handbrake and engine on, occurred again, sounding like a clang-clang-clang in the front-left area - should I worry?