biggrim 0 Posted June 1, 2003 Just had my radiator cooling fan switch replaced as the old one was knackered. All of the coolant was replaced and everything was working fine until the other day. Was driving the car home from a friends and the oil warning light started to flash and bleep at me. On further inspection the coolant level was too low. Sorted that out and thought that would be the problem solved. (get on with it) The point is that the temp of the engine on long(ish) drives or when in heavy traffic hits around 130 (and sometimes more) and on a couple of occasions the warning light has came on. Any ideas? The fan does come on, there is enough coolant and is at the right mix. Also just had the car serviced if that helps. Would like to get to the bottom of this so all help will be appreciated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted June 2, 2003 our cars run hot. did they flush the coolant system when they replaced the coolant? i haven't had any problems with overheating.. but it does get hot. i'm going to be fitting an oil cooler in the next month or so. you can find em in the wreckin yard for pretty cheap i'd guess. i got mine from an audi 5000 turbo for free. then you need a sandwich adapter plate that screws onto the oil filter housing and has two stainless lines coming off of it. i might also try having an aluminum overflow tank made up, similar to the catch cans people are using, and mounting that in front of the rad. not sure if this will work, or even be possible on a corrado, but my friend did it on his 77 trans am and his coolant temps dropped a solid 5 degrees celsius at any given time. as far as underhood temperature.. you can rig something up to direct more cold air up towards that engine from down below. then, take that rubber stripping off the back edge of the engine bay so that the air can flow right out that space. you do all that and i bet temps drop a good 10-15 deg celsius. good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henny 0 Posted June 2, 2003 The point is that the temp of the engine on long(ish) drives or when in heavy traffic hits around 130 (and sometimes more) and on a couple of occasions the warning light has came on. Any ideas? The fan does come on, there is enough coolant and is at the right mix. Also just had the car serviced if that helps. Would like to get to the bottom of this so all help will be appreciated. Sounds to me like your thermostat has jammed closed so your coolant is never getting to go through you radiator... They're not expensive, but can be a bit of a pain to fit.... Always worth doing though... I did mine when I first got the car and it sits at about 90deg water and 103deg oil unless I'm REALLY hammering it on a hot day (touched 110deg water 120deg oil on saturday when it was HOT outside and I was trying to wear out my old tyres before having new ones fitted! :lol: ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joe M 0 Posted June 2, 2003 I seen somewhere that its easy to check if the stat is opening properly, something simple like wait till the car has warmed up then feel down the radiator to make sure its all hot, if the bottom of it is cold then the stat isnt opening. Just watch you dont burn yourself. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VR6 0 Posted June 2, 2003 Just watch you dont burn yourself. ......and don't run with scissors kids :lol: Do a search for the word thermostat - should bring up a few previous threads. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 3, 2003 Someone suggested checking for airlock in the system. I took the cap off and ran the engine till the fan came on and the coolant level went up to above max (cause the system wasn't pressurised) and some air did bubble out. Put the cap back on and let it cool yesterday. Not had a chance to give it a run yet but the coolant level worries me slightly. Thanks for your advice guys but the radiator seems to be heating up all over ok. Is it worth while replacing the thermostat anyway? Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 3, 2003 Still reaching 130ish on hard runs on the motorway and in heavy traffic. Coolant level is fine now and the warning light hasn't come on...... yet. If it keeps coming on, what could it be??? :scratch: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joe M 0 Posted June 3, 2003 Innacurate mfa?, whats ure water temp sit at? Has it always got to these temps since you got it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 3, 2003 The temp on the mfa doesn't work because of the vdo temp gauge in the dash. (only 1 can work at a time apparently) The standard temp gauge works now that I've had the rad fan cooling switch replaced. Everything was fine when I got it (I drove it from birmingham to glasgow no probs) until the damn thing overheated one day. Fan switch away. got it fixed and coolant changed and everything ok till I took it out a "proper" drive and the warning light came on (not enough feckin coolant in the bottle!). Got it topped up, checked for airlock the other day and level is ok. Drove to IKEA tonight and the temps are still quite high on the vdo gauge in the dash. Am i perhaps a muppet and the vdo temp guage is for the water temp? Only had it nearly 4 months and don't know what is happening. My golfs before never had any overheating problems (apart from the fuel shortage incident) but they were not as high performance as the G60. I'm hoping that it isn't an expensive bit!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henny 0 Posted June 3, 2003 biggrim, Dump the VDO gauge... Get the MFA working and see what that says. Did you fit the gauge, or was it already fitted? I think someone's fitted an old gauge and just used the existing sender so you'll have no idea if the sender is calibrated properly for that gauge... :? What does the water temp on the dash read now it's working? Should be around 90deg although upto 110deg on a SERIOUS drive, or stuck in traffic is still acceptable as long as that's the only times it goes that high and you're certain that you've got the correct coolant and the fan works OK... If your water temps are OK, I'd say that the VDO gauge is telling porkies... :? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 3, 2003 Gauge was already fitted. Will keep my eye on the water temp (now I know that is what it tells me) and see if it is around 90 deg. At what temp (water on dash) should the cooling fan kick in anyway? If it turns out that the guy before has fitted an old gauge using the original sender I'll go mental. Funny how it all started to go wrong when the radiator cooling fan switch went on the blink. How can you tell if it's calibrated properly and would a mis-calibrated vdo gauge cause the temp reading to be too high and cause the warning light to go on? Thanks for your input, I just wanna get it working ok. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henny 0 Posted June 4, 2003 Biggrim, I've just re-read all of your posts... These may sound really rather patronising questions, but they're not meant that way... Have you checked your oil level? Is the plastic holder on the dip-stick broken? What grade of oil are you using? How many miles has the car done? I'll explain why I ask... The BEEP and oil light that you mentioned in your first post that I didn't pick up on initially is an oil PRESSURE warning, not a TEMP warning! :? :!: If your car was running REALLY hot :evil: then the oil thins out... and if you've had it serviced recently, they may have put in the wrong amount or the wrong grade of oil, or it may just need topping up... So, bear with me... If your oil level is low, your oil pressure will be low anyway and then the added extra thin-ness of the oil caused by the extra heat due to not enough coolant could cause you to have low enough oil pressure to trip the alarm... If the plastic holder on the dip-stick is broken, your dipstick will sit lower in the guide tube and read inaccurately so you'll have upto 1.5L too little oil in the car causing the same problem as above... (seen this before on a mate's car who then had to have a new engine because of it... glad he had a warantee! :lol: ) If you've a high milage car and the servicers have put in a REALLY thin oil (something like Mobil1) then you'll have lower oil pressure already and the heat from not enough coolant may take it under the low pressure warning threshold... If your car has 1000000000000miles on it, your oil pump won't be as good as a new one, cause low pressure and set off the alarm when the car gets hot... I know that there's loads of possibilites here, but I hope that one of these might just strike a note with you and make a :idea: appear! I think that you've several different slight problems here that just seem to be one big one... My theory... (note, this could all be rubbish, I'm not a mechanic, I'm just bouncing ideas here to try and help...) The fan switch broke and was replaced causing a slight lack of coolant. This causes the engine to run hotter than normal and the oil light and buzzer to come on due to a lack of oil pressure caused by something at the service... You topped up the water level so it's not running as hot, which cures the low pressure, but you're not sure how hot the oil's running 'cos you're going off an unknown VDO gauge in the dash, not the one on the MFA and you don't recall what the water temp gauge on the dash read so you don't know what your water temps were... So... Check oil level (and dipstick holder!) Check water level Take her out for a gentle drive and keep an eye on the Water Temp gauge in the main speedo pod to see what's happening... If the gauge reads very hot, take her back to where you got her serviced and ask for help if they're normally good with you, otherwise, get someone else's opinion... If the water gauge is OK, Junk the VDO oil gauge and buy one with a matched sender to make sure that it reads true... Hope this helps, good luck... and sorry this got a bit long! :oops: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 20, 2003 AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad: Thought everything was sorted with my temps but today the thing started beeping and flashing at me again. Getting really pi$$ed off now. Can someone tell me how to get rid of my oil temp vdo gauge and get some (hopefully) sensible readingds??????? Is it worth while replacing the sender as well and if so how much is it going to cost me? Not a happy bunny with my car at the mo'. Just as well I'm off to see Eminem this weekend and the car is tucked up in bed for now. Thanks in advance and thanks for all the help so far. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LowG 0 Posted June 20, 2003 does the oil beep come on when the car is not fully warmed? because if you rev the car over 3k when oil temps are low than the light and blepping comes on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 20, 2003 No, I always make sure the car is warmed up properly before I take over 3k cause I'e heard it can damage the engine and 'charger. I don't use the car that often and the most I drive it is really only from my house in cambuslang to my mates in paisley and most of that is motorway. It only happens when I'm driving about and stopping alot which doesn't happen all that often. Could it be something sinister like my head gasket or something? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LowG 0 Posted June 20, 2003 have you checked your oil level?sometimes when taking fast cornering the oil light comes on hwat i heard from other ppl. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 20, 2003 Thought of that already because it had just been serviced (you never can trust some mechanics) but it is all fine. Thinking of replacing the sender for the oil temp and removing the vdo gauge in the dash. Hopefully that will sort it out. If that doesn't sort it, I'll have to throw myself infront of a large, fast moving hgv!! :lol: Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steveo29 0 Posted June 21, 2003 maybe the gargae put the wrong grade oil in...i noticed mine will vary a bit depending on what i use...with synta gold it dont go over 115 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sc16v 0 Posted June 21, 2003 Biggrim Hi a few questions to try and get to the bottom of this problem. 1) Is the car using any coolant if so how much. 2)How hot does the coolant get (ignore the oil temp) and does it heat up quickly. 3)I take it you have double checked the fan is still working ok. 4)Have you changed the thermostat yet. ?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henny 0 Posted June 21, 2003 Biggrim, What does the water temp gauge on the dash read when it's doing this? Also, when the beeping starts, what is the oil light doing? (constant on, or flashing?) The beeping, as I mentioned before, is an oil PRESSURE warning, not temperature, it's the light that lets you know if it's high or low oil pressure... There isn't a high oil temp warning on a standard C (except for reading the MFA gauge...) :? If your water temp seems to be reasonable (between 90 and about 105) then it's starting to sound like the oil that the garage has put in is seriously thin, or your oil pump is on its way out, which is causing the oil pressure light to flash and the beeper to go... Have a look around in your engine bay and your 2 oil pressure switches (one hi, one low) are on the top of the oil filter head (big block at front of engine!) Your oil temp sender is on the right hand side of the head where the oil feed to the charger comes off. Check the pressure sender wires aren't loose or damaged as this will cause your problem as well... On the right side of the head (as you look at it from the front!), the temp sender will probably have an odd coloured wire attached which will be the one that's been used to connect your VDO gauge. If you're lucky, there will also be a loose wire (blue with black stripe on my '92 G60) hanging about that goes into the original loom. Swap these two over and you should get the MFA oil temp working again... 8) Unless someone's been messing inside the dash wiring to get the feed to the VDO gauge... :? :shock: This will then give you a better indication of what is actually going on... 8) Hope this helps! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 23, 2003 Hi guys, sorry I've not be on all weekend but I was away to Milton Keynes to see EMINEM. Thanks for your input it's given me lots to consider. sc16v The oil was magnatec which I bought myself and is the manufacturers recommended viscosity. Water temps are generally 80-90 ish when this happens and the fan does still work. Dosen't seem to be using any coolant and it doesn't heat up all that quickly (about 10 min when warming up). Henny Temps about 80-90 ish and the light flashes. Will have a look today at the engine bay and try to reconnect the mfa temp wires. If this does not help and I replace the thermostst and it still won't work, how much will it cost me to get a new oil pump and fit it? Hope it's the vdo that is buggered! Thanks again guys, I'll keep you posted 8) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted June 23, 2003 this isnt really related to the flashing light at lowish temperatures problem, but if you keep seeing really high oil temps (130C ??!!) fit an oil cooler. thats way too high and not incredibly healthy for the charger/engine. hottest i've ever seen mine was 112C but i haven't pushed it over 4200rpm this year yet. too much boost for the fuel system to handle right now. :? even 112C seems too high to me.. its not horrible but these cars really do need external oil coolers. operating oil temperature is directly related to charger longevity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 23, 2003 Thanks G60, I've heard of people fitting mocal oil coolers but not sure how easy/expensive it is. Darren at PD motorsport has fitted some oil cooler (i think) and has cut a hole in his front bumper to accommodate this and relocated his front no. plate (i think). Not sure if I want to change how the front of the C looks anymore than it has (although if I had to fit and oil cooler I'd mabye fit a RS bumper and put it behind the gap in the middle). How long before you can give it some then? :twisted: Seems like you have been bedding the charger in for ages now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted June 23, 2003 Henny, just swapped the connections and it was like you said, off colour (black) wire running to sender and blue and black wire nearby. Not had her out a run yet though so I'll keep you posted on temps from now. Is the temp reading in the MFA like that of the MKII Golf GTi in that it only starts to register temps at about 50 deg? While I was in there I noticed 2 things: 1) there is a green and black wire not connected to anything coming out of the same part of the loom as the blue and black one. Should I be worried? 2) On the right hand side (as you are looking into the engine bay) there is a flat and wide piece of cable going from the bonnet hinge to the engine bay. I assume this is an earth for the bonnet. Problem is that is has either been cut or has worn through to the point where it no longer serves it's purpose. If it is indeed an earth, I am worried!!! Thanks for your help and hopefully this will sort my problem. If not, it's back to the drawing board. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted June 23, 2003 the bigass hole darren cut is for his bigass front mount intercooler. an oil cooler is fairly easy to fit and can be placed down near the bottom of the rad below the charger without visual modification. you need a sandwich adapter which goes on where your oil filter screws in, then the oil filter screws into that... off of the sandwich adapter are an oil line out, and then a return line... run these lines to wherever you mounted your cooler and youre set. some sandwich adapters (the good ones) have a thermo built in that will only open after your oil reaches a certain temp... so you're not cooling already cold oil when youre trying to warm up the car to operating temperature. haha... yes, its been a long time coming for me and this car!! i'm well over the charger break in now, put about 1200km on it so far.. but with the amount of boost it's putting out i rarely take it over 3500rpm and i try to stay under 5psi of boost as much as i can (which is really fuggin hard i tell ya!!). i have an SNS 5-5 chip waiting to go in to handle all the boost, but i need to fit 3.5bar fpr and some 30# injectors before i can really open er up, those are in the mail from the states right now. even then, i need to dyno tune everything before i'm going anywhere near 5000+rpm. don't want to fry anything by leaning out.. so really... its not the charger i'm babying.. but the engine. it needs to make it through the summer and i hope to rebuild the top end over the cold months. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
