Thread: My 86 Rangie Hiline

That makes sense. I suppose it's because I've never had an engine that runs hotter than what the thermostat set point is - not during normal driving, particularly during the Winter.

If the engine's already running in the low 90's when it's freezing cold outside, what chance does it have when it's hot?

It just doesn't seem right to me is all. The radiator was rodded not long before I installed it, the viscous fan is fine (but that's not even doing anything while driving along), so what's the problem?

93 is good , an engine can overheat in minus temps if the cooling system isnt functioning correctly.
Ambient temp dorsnt have as much of an affect as you would think.

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Thanks, I'll see how I go. That's the hottest I've ever had an engine run though, so it will take some getting used to I think.

Well, got lucky and found that the near brand new starter I put on the old 3.5 just before I ripped it out and stuck the 3.9 in is exactly the same , so it cranks and starts like a dream again.

BUT - now the bloody thing won't drop to idle! Starts and sits on around 2,000 rpm - which it usually does for a few seconds, then drops to idle as the stepper motor does its thing.

Stepper is brand new - installed yesterday - don't tell me I've got a dud? Could it be anything else? I'll go check the sockets in the stepper plug to make sure they're making good contact, but if that's not it, then who knows...

Looks like the stepper is U/S...

Screwed the old one back in that I glued into one position and it idles again - the new stepper is wound right in, whereas the old one I set at nearly full extension. Could it be the ECU or another sender causing the ECU to think something else is happening? I don't know what info the stepper works from.

On another brighter note, I took it for a good run to get it up to temp - the gauge read right on 100 when the thermostat opened, but I had my multimeter taped to the bullbar with the thermocouple in the top hose - the multimeter read 83 at the same time. The temp then dropped back a few degrees - to 93 on the dash, but 77 on the multimeter so I think the gauge is out by a heap. I'm about to go out and wire an earth directly from the sender body to the gauge to see if it is an earthing problem or it's just the wrong sender. I bought them both at the same time as a kit so I assumed the sender was right, but who knows.

I have a couple of others kicking about if needed.

Sender is out by 10 degrees. Connected a new earth straight from the sender to the gauge - it is closer and doesn't jump up when the lights go on, so the earth to the instruments isn't flash by the looks of it.

Went for a decent drive (about 10KM) and the multimeter read between 82 and 85 depending on traffic and the dash read between 90 and 95. All good until I turned into my estate and noticed the temp,start to move up - on both gauges. It was over 90 by the time I got home and climbing. Sat there idling in the driveway and temp was still going up.

This is exactly what happened last time I thought I had things sorted. It's ****ing me off no end, and like last time, I've closed the bonnet, locked the doors and will leave it for another 6 months until I could be stuffed trying to sort it out.

Maybe it's. Time to ditch the whole Rover V8 idea and bung in a Chev. The engune is a known quantity from its previous vehicle and owner, and had no issues like this, so it's got me stuffed what's going on...

Mate understand frustration. But what is cost of chev conversion compared with say new head gaskets/water pump and perhaps re core or new radiator? You would need a new bigger radiator anyway for chev surely?
I mean engines running hot typically is either cooling system less than ideal, or some fault with engine. If fault is easy fix (head gaskets for example) does this justify throwing whole lot away?

Don't do it, I have a classic with a 350 chev, it just doesn't look right.....