1.6 Roadsport overheating??
Discussion
Just purchased my first Caterham. 1.6 K Series 135BHP,Fantastic.
But the temp gauge seems to be a reading a little high for my liking, sitting over 100 mark. When the fan cuts in it seems to fall back to around 80 but then increses rapidly once this has switched off. Tonight the gauge packed up and showed no reading, then came back on with the ignition turned on but went off again once I starter her back up. I had a look and she had been spraying a little water from the expansion bottle.Sender fault, Fan switch fault, gauge fault? I'm not sure.
Any suggestions would be appreciated
But the temp gauge seems to be a reading a little high for my liking, sitting over 100 mark. When the fan cuts in it seems to fall back to around 80 but then increses rapidly once this has switched off. Tonight the gauge packed up and showed no reading, then came back on with the ignition turned on but went off again once I starter her back up. I had a look and she had been spraying a little water from the expansion bottle.Sender fault, Fan switch fault, gauge fault? I'm not sure.
Any suggestions would be appreciated
The K Series Caterhams are renowned for being a b
h to bleed through.
After a long run, is the bottom house to the radiator hot? The stat housing is located drivers (non exhaust) side on a K Series. They can fail shut, this would cause over heating.
Some people take them out and drill 1 or 2 small holes in in the stat, this helps when filling the system.
h to bleed through. After a long run, is the bottom house to the radiator hot? The stat housing is located drivers (non exhaust) side on a K Series. They can fail shut, this would cause over heating.
Some people take them out and drill 1 or 2 small holes in in the stat, this helps when filling the system.
Hi and welcome to Caterham ownership 
Shame to hear about the problem with your new car. If you have recently bought it from Caterham, perhaps it would be best to take it back to them to be fixed?
It could be something simple like the radiator cap being faulty and a new 1bar cap from CC or Halfords will fix it or the system could need bleeding as GM suggests. Certainly the faulty cap will have the water level go up and down and your mention of a little evidance of seepage from the expansion could confirm a problem. Unfortunately it could be something worse that is pressuring the system and this is the best reason to speak to Caterham.
If you want to check the water temp gauge, remove the wire from the sender (water rail above exhaust manifolds) and touch it to earth with the ignition switched on. The gauge should deflect to max if its working ok. To check the fan switch, remove the two wires from the sender on the radiator and use a small wire to bridge them together. With the ignition on, the fan motor will be going.
HTH
T
Shame to hear about the problem with your new car. If you have recently bought it from Caterham, perhaps it would be best to take it back to them to be fixed?
It could be something simple like the radiator cap being faulty and a new 1bar cap from CC or Halfords will fix it or the system could need bleeding as GM suggests. Certainly the faulty cap will have the water level go up and down and your mention of a little evidance of seepage from the expansion could confirm a problem. Unfortunately it could be something worse that is pressuring the system and this is the best reason to speak to Caterham.
If you want to check the water temp gauge, remove the wire from the sender (water rail above exhaust manifolds) and touch it to earth with the ignition switched on. The gauge should deflect to max if its working ok. To check the fan switch, remove the two wires from the sender on the radiator and use a small wire to bridge them together. With the ignition on, the fan motor will be going.
HTH
T
Gingerbread Man said:
Some people take them out and drill 1 or 2 small holes in in the stat, this helps when filling the system.
Just had to replace a 74 stat with a 4 mm hole it. Worked fine with a standard radiator but when I fitted the large alloy one, the car wouldn't even warm up during summer road use with the nosecone covered with card. Gone back to a standard (88) without the hole and perfect temps again! Took a bit longer to bleed but not really a problem if you are carefulGeoff Martin said:
Thanks for the reply, I live in Sanderstead nr Croydon but work in Caterham where I bought the car from. To be fair, I didn't think of an air lock - but, that would make sense as the coolant level in the expansion bottle has been going up and down
I would take it back and ask them to check for combustibles in the coolant. Coolant level rising can be a sign of the cylinder pressure getting through to the water jacket. Unfortunately the K series has a history of head gaskets problems and you want them to fix this for you.I hope it's not but it is worth getting it checked out properly. If it gets worse the coolant will overflow or start getting into the cyl causing starting problems (damp cyl) and white smoke when it does start.
Thanks for all the replies.
I did take it into Caterham today and left it with them. They returned it with a new Temp sensor whicht seemed fine.
BUT, on the way home it got hot again, as I work nearby I took it back. The bottom of the rad was cold (thermostat?) temp gauge was reading 100deg and also there is a little metal pipe what connects the small hose to the top of the expansion bottle, aparently it's some kind of valve, this also wasn't letting water through. They say that they'll have it ready for Monday.
Interesting point on checking for combustibles, never heard of that before. But the technician did say that he didn't like the colour of the coolant. The coolant had that horrible burnt smell to it. I'll go back in there tomorrow and ask about the combustibles check, Thanks
My new toy, Garage needs cleaning though.
I did take it into Caterham today and left it with them. They returned it with a new Temp sensor whicht seemed fine.
BUT, on the way home it got hot again, as I work nearby I took it back. The bottom of the rad was cold (thermostat?) temp gauge was reading 100deg and also there is a little metal pipe what connects the small hose to the top of the expansion bottle, aparently it's some kind of valve, this also wasn't letting water through. They say that they'll have it ready for Monday.
Interesting point on checking for combustibles, never heard of that before. But the technician did say that he didn't like the colour of the coolant. The coolant had that horrible burnt smell to it. I'll go back in there tomorrow and ask about the combustibles check, Thanks
My new toy, Garage needs cleaning though.
Edited by Geoff Martin on Friday 12th February 19:10
Edited by Geoff Martin on Friday 12th February 19:11
Edited by Geoff Martin on Friday 12th February 19:15
I'm sure Caterham will get it sorted. The bottom of the tank is on the side of the thermostat when it opens so if the water temp is not hot enough, the bottom tank stays cold if the thermostat isn't up to temp to open. This can confuse folks as they see a problem with the cooling system when its just too cold ambient temperature.
Obviously at an indicated 100 degrees the system is more than hot enough to be open which may indicate a problem with the thermostat not opening or an airlock in the system in the thermostat causing it not to open.
Nice looking car BTW
Obviously at an indicated 100 degrees the system is more than hot enough to be open which may indicate a problem with the thermostat not opening or an airlock in the system in the thermostat causing it not to open.
Nice looking car BTW
I'm sure they will get it sorted for Monday.
I have obviously led a sheltered life what does BTW mean? I have a Freelander which has had Head Gasket problems, so I'm always looking at the temp gauge, it's worrying on the K series. I just want to be able to go out and trust it will be OK. Am I right in thinking that Caterham use a modified Gasket, If so can they be obtained for my freelander?
I have obviously led a sheltered life what does BTW mean? I have a Freelander which has had Head Gasket problems, so I'm always looking at the temp gauge, it's worrying on the K series. I just want to be able to go out and trust it will be OK. Am I right in thinking that Caterham use a modified Gasket, If so can they be obtained for my freelander?
Edited by Geoff Martin on Friday 12th February 19:30
The key to the K series is to get all the air out by bleeding with the nose really high (rad bleed screw above the heater circuit which is higher when horizontal) and then keep it out by careful attention to the coolant level and ensure no leaks - if it has lost coolant don't start it for a proper warmed up run until fixed and bleed.
Air can circulate round and causes hot spots in the head and this leads to head gasket failure.
It can take several months for a coolant loss (topped up later is too late) to manifest itself as head gasket failure.
Insist they check the coolant and if it is contaminated that they fix it properly, then it will be good as new
Air can circulate round and causes hot spots in the head and this leads to head gasket failure.
It can take several months for a coolant loss (topped up later is too late) to manifest itself as head gasket failure.
Insist they check the coolant and if it is contaminated that they fix it properly, then it will be good as new
Not to cast aspersions on caterham as I am sure that they will do a thorough job, but there are quite a lot of bases to cover with regard to the cause of HGF. You don't need to get too stressed, but if it were me, I'd want to know that they had diagnosed the cause rather than just whip of the head, put a new HG on and put it back together. Others will chime in I'm sure on possible causes, but if the head is warped or the liners aren't the right height, you could well have continued problems.
So I'd say to them you want to know the cause and that you want to know what they had checked on the way.
Bert
So I'd say to them you want to know the cause and that you want to know what they had checked on the way.
Bert
Geoff Martin said:
Went into Caterham today, and they informed me that they were going to cahange the head gasket as there was contaminants in the coolant. So looking forward to getting it back all fixed.
Good stuff.Yep lining heights and dowels are the minimum + what caused the air to get in there in the first place to locate and fix. There's loads of info on Blatchat if you do a search on the the Techtalk and probably a full FAQ on this.
Edited by Yellow 7 on Sunday 14th February 20:51
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