Temperature Gauge

[Quicksilver]

Have trawled through the threads but still not sure .......
on way home through traffic car warms up, fans kick in around 80, fans hold temp at 90 - everything as usual....
suddenly temp gauge flicks down to 70, then back to 90 etc then settles at 70 - but no change in idle speed and fans still kicking in so fairly sure the temp is really still being held at 90...
this morning everything back to normal...
Would I be wrong just to assume a new temp sender required ?? - or could there be some other explanation?

thanks for any advice offered

[RichB]

Sounds normal to me...

[simpo two]

Quicksilver said:

flicks down to 70, then back to 90 etc

The temp can't change that fast - must be a loose connection surely?

[Quicksilver]

If it was a loose connection why would it stop at 70 and hold there ? - or am I being

[pete]

It sounds exactly the behaviour I've seen when I've had air locks in the cooling system. The air is cooler than the water, causing the gauge to flick up and down as airlocks pass the sender. The fan switch is at the bottom of the expansion tank, so it's not affected by the air locks.

Check your water level ASAP.

Cheers,
Pete

[tiny]

agree with Pete - exactly the symptoms I had before I recently over heated as a result of an airlock

[RichB]

Oops didn't read the bit about "flicking", was just commenting that temps down towards 70 are quite usual in cold weather on the motorway. R...

[Quicksilver]

topped up with coolant on above advice (thanks)after major struggle with cap - took only a litre but dont suppose that means anything if the block is still there.
If it is just a new sender apparently they are only about 12 quid.....
but will watch temp gauge like a hawk and top up more frequently !!!!
thanks very much for the quick responses.

[siwes]

Hi
my Griff 500 '97 does exactly the same thing its air in the system , proberly the cooling systems needs topping up I loose water from a weep on the swirl tank , have you got a small leak as well?
regards Simon

[Quicksilver]

Siwes - I may well have a small leak, but my wife has no complaints!!!!

[Quicksilver]

Panic panic !!!!
is two inches from the top of a filler tank on a 97 Griff too much ??
do I now need to to suck some out through a pipe (yuk)?

[shpub]

On some it is.... on some it isn't.... depends on where the meteors were coming from when the car was built and the star sign of the man who transported the cow whose hide was used for the front seat.... amongst other things.

Just monitor it and see where the level stabilises. Any excess will be voided via the blue cap.
See t'bible for more info.

>> Edited by shpub on Tuesday 18th November 16:54

[Quicksilver]

Thanks very much Steve - will continue my education tonight

[Quicksilver]

For those that might follow this thread at some point in the future.............
topping up with only a litre of coolant seems to have fixed the problem!!
lesson learned:when they say check coolant levels regularly they MEAN check the coolant levels regularly!! - and not just check but keep topped right up to prevent air blockages getting in to the system.

n.b - two inches from the top of filler cap seems fine on my 97 Griff 500

Thanks once again to PH'ers