Thread: A very hot day at the beach!!

Coolant will rise when too hot and come out overflow when pressure is too great .......obviously.
Gerokent has made the point re: airflow thermo fans but a likely candidate as well is the viscous fan , I'd be checking that . your m+s lights were flashing cause the trans was too hot , if your viscous fan is OK then as previously suggested check for bubbles in expansion tank
another check you can do other than a teekay test is see if the system is pressurising when the engine has been run from cold for a couple of minutes, good luck with it

While what everyone has said is valid, driving though sand is much more difficult on your car, same as when walking through it. Especially if you are not in the wet sand because you don't want to salt damage your car.

My two questions are:

What were your tire pressures? Letting them down would have made a HUGE difference to how much work your car needs to do. Mine normally on beach driving would be approx. 18 PSI.

Great that you checked your cooling system before leaving, but have you checked the condition or your transmission cooler? If it is blocked with mud and just stuff, it cannot cool effectively.

These two things are cheap and easy to check. (Well the trans cooler is not exactly easy or quick) If you had a head problem you would probably a have trouble when driving around town too.

My car got hot on Fraser Island too, my cooling system is perfect, radiator is clean so is the transmission cooler. Because it gets hot on sand does not instantly mean your car is broken.

Originally Posted by KarwashD2V8

Cheers Guys,

Head check sounds like a winner, I'll see what I can organise for that.
PhilipA, do you think I should change gearbox oil? the gearbox appears silky smooth and I have no idea when it was last done! I've read on here and been told by other D2 auto owners "if it aint broke don't fix it!"

It cannot hurt to change the transmission fluid. But make sure you put a filter kit through it. The filter kit comes with a new filter, o-rings and sump seal. But be aware you will need a manual pump to get the new transmission fluid back into the auto. DO NOT DRAIN ANY FLUID OUT UNTIL YOU KNOW HOW YOU ARE GOING TO REFILL IT. I use a pump that is designed to screw onto a 20lt plastic drum, it works just fine in 5lt containers too. It cost me about $30, well worth it.

Hey Jazzman
Any sandgroper that doesn't let their tyres down on soft sand can't call themselves a sand groper . sometimes, depending on how soft / hot the sand and load carried you can go much lower with the pressures than 18 psi ( yep , even with your d674s ) although its a good starting point if the sand is cold.
Cheers

Jazzman, I have almost new Bridgestone 235/70/16 AT tyres which were at 15 psi front and 17 psi rear. The majority of the driving was in dry soft sand at the top of the beach, as the beach shelves and if you get down to the wet compact stuff, you ain't getting back up. Will check the oil cooler condition a.s.a.p.
discorevy, The viscous fan has been flagged to me by others also. Is there a reliable way to check the performance of the fan?
Thanks again all for your input!

Originally Posted by KarwashD2V8

The viscous fan has been flagged to me by others also. Is there a reliable way to check the performance of the fan?
Thanks again all for your input!

Turn it by hand. If its tight to begin with but frees up that is good.
When car is running use a paint brush brushes to try stop the fan. If you can stop it that is bad.

Yes check clutch fan and make sure electric fan is working. Jazzman i have towed in soft sand many times - beach sand - and heavy loads in high tide soft stuff and yes if a d2 overheats and blows coolant out when not towing something definitely is broken irrespective of tyre pressure. They are designed for heavy and hot conditions and simply dont have any issues when in working order. The proper mix of oat depending on brand should not boil until 115-120 odd degrees C but excess pressure will force it out.

Cheers

Originally Posted by KarwashD2V8

The viscous fan has been flagged to me by others also. Is there a reliable way to check the performance of the fan?
Thanks again all for your input!

Get the engine hot, (make sure it's HOT, enough that the fan should be fully engaged), try to stop it with a rolled up newspaper. You will feel it straight away.