Thread: My First breakdown.

Originally Posted by BradC

Surely there are other parts of the system that need regular replacement though. Just eliminating only one of them is just prolonging the inevitable.

True, but the D2 temp gauge is possibly one of the most notorious liars out there... apart from politicians, obviously. Mine went from "I'm happy, see, temp's at half, nothing to see here" to HOT in a blink, and I had a blown HG. Ok, on mine it was the HG that caused the overheat ( plastic dowels ) but it could just as easily have been something else and the D2 wouldn't have warned me.

I wasn't querying the usefulness of adding a float switch, I was more commenting on the price difference between adding a float to the expansion tank or spending nearly 400 bucks + shipping on an aluminium one. That on the assumption you'd still have to periodically replace other plastic bits + hoses.

A float switch can either be a cheap alternative or a very expensive one if said switch isn't rated for engine coolant temps.

If an ordinary float switch is used for any length of time in a cooling system there is a strong possibility of.

1: the switch just not working due to the deforming of the non heat rated plastic.
2: much worse if the membrane allows current to flow through the system causing electrolysis.

I usually fit the alloy units from allisport as most of the D2's I do are "keepers".
Unlike the later models there isn't much to replace in the way of plastic engine components that are subjected to heat cycles.