Smirkinbirkin Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 During normal blating and long distance cruising my 2L Zetec runs between 70 and 90 degrees. Off public roads and traveling 90-100MPH the temperature rises to around 100-110 Degrees is this normal? Cooling is through a 3 core alu rad, engine management is via Alpha Webcon ECU and throttle bodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 Are you sure you aren't looking at oil temperature. Water temperature should be much more stable than that. Causes could be: - knacked thermostat - looking at oil temperature - airlock Only other option is massively clogged radiator - ie. radiator that has done lots of service with old coolant and is terminally clogged with deposited silicates (gel goop etc.) Only answers for this are a caustic flush or a new radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millsn Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 this is normal I think, mine does it anyway. The temperature is read directly it exits the cylinder head so you should expect this as it hasn't yet been cooled. If you can test the water as it exits the radiator it should be ok. For piece of mind you could try relocating the temp sensor. Nigel Mills - 2.0 Zetec carbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBerlin Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 This may be "normal", but it means the rad is either faulty or too small. It should transfer enough heat to keep the engine at normal temp. The temp of the coolant leaving the rad is irrelevant if the motor stays too hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Locust Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 How much space is there around your rad inside the nosecone 🤔 I had the same problem on the Locust. No problems in traffic, moderate blats etc but go above about 75 for any length of time and the temperature crept up - and went back to normal when I slowed down. The rad had a good 3-4" of space either side and 2" above within the nose. I can only assume that the air was going around rather than through the core once a certian speed was reached. The problem was completely cured by baffling the nosecone. I made up a 18swg alu picture frame around the rad and sealed it with some car door seal material to the inside of the fibreglass. With the baffle in place, all the air which goes in the front has to go through the rad core Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smirkinbirkin Posted February 23, 2003 Author Share Posted February 23, 2003 Thanks for all the help guys. Definately not oil temp, only have oil pressure which hangs around 4Kpa. ,Cloolant is changed anually and readily flows through the rad. Will try closing off the gap between the rad and nose and monitoring rad out put temp. *wink* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted February 24, 2003 Share Posted February 24, 2003 Just remembered that Zetec water pumps are prone to failure. If it is getting hotter as you put more heat in, then the coolant is not circulating fast enough - there should only be the slightest discernible temp rise across the head. Lots of stories on the net of completely knackered blown up Zetec engines because of water pump failure. Suggest you take this seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millsn Posted March 1, 2003 Share Posted March 1, 2003 Forgot about this - if you have the K series header tank the engine is a bugger to bleed of air fully. You have to lift the front of the car off the ground as much as you can and then run the engine (cap off I think) at about 3K rpm and you should see air coming out. Keep an eye on the water level for this reason too as it does self bleed over time and you seem to be for ever pouring water in until it all settles out. You may think you've already done this but I bet there's air in there somewhere. If you need a more detailed explanation call James Whiting I imagine he'll be his usually helpful self. Nigel Mills - 2.0 Zetec carbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smirkinbirkin Posted March 1, 2003 Author Share Posted March 1, 2003 Thanks Nigel, using a Raceline water rail with an old fasioned siphon tube to an overflow bottle. The raceline water rail presents its own problems. When the thermostst is closed the water pump is pulling against a closed valve. To overcome this I drilled a 3mm hole in the thermostat flange as so allowing restricted coolant flow. Bleeding can be a problem overcoming this in my "not the sharpest tool in box way " by slowly filling the system through the disconected heater hose untill coolant is visible at the filler, this raises the head of water above jacking and steep hills. The down side is when reconnecting the heater hose you need an abundance clothes in the engine bay to catch coolant escaping more effectively than Steve McQueen past the temporary thumb plug. How can I check if the water pump is working properly? *eek* The car in front .....is going to slow 😳 😳 😳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millsn Posted March 8, 2003 Share Posted March 8, 2003 No idea really. Open the rad vent and watch the water flood out? ☹️ Nigel Mills - 2.0 Zetec carbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Morgan Posted March 8, 2003 Share Posted March 8, 2003 Coming a bit late to this thread, but I noticed a similar water temp rise on my 1.8 Zetec during a late night high speed blat the other evening, which came back to "normal" once I had slowed to drive through a town. I thought it strange at the time that this occurred on what was a pretty cold night (what will it be like in the summer?) How does the point about water pumps and flow rate fit with a couple of posts I've seen recently about changing the front pulley to a smaller one to reduce water pump speed (and therefore flow rate)? I have the Rover header tank and James W's water pipe system, but don't recall any problem with bleeding but perhaps I wasn't thinking hard enough about it at the time and there is still air in the system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millsn Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 I took a while for me to clear the air from my engine. Keep an eye on the header tank (difficult as it's tucked away) for a few months (dependent on use). Nigel Mills - 2.0 Zetec carbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Mupferit Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Just a thought but what water pump is fitted to your engine? If it is the Mondeo pump, the impellor rotates the 'wrong way' for a 7 type installation but for some reason, when installed in the Escort 1800, Ford arranged it to run in the opposite and, therefore, correct for a 7 direction. The net result is that with the Mondeo pump you will get reduced volume of circulation. Brent 7 not now in so many bits 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now