Thread: How hot is HOT!

I bought The D3 new in 09, it was always serviced by a dealer until last year when I felt I was getting ripped off.
Since then a good independent has been doing the servicing & repairs.
I don't know if the coolant has been done but will look back through the paper work & find out.
She has about 140000k on the clock & except for the fact she intermittently uses oil, the indy & I have never worked that 1 out, she seems to run very well.
Those that don't know the Palmerston it is a steady climb from sea level up to about 1000m at it's highest.
If she had got much hotter I would have definitely backed off.
I saw the 119 just as I crested the first big climb & started to drop down to the Beatrice River, the second big climb after that she only got to a little over 100.
When I drive to work the ambient temp is regularly over 40 between Croydon & Burketown, at 110 on the seal she rarely gets over 90 on the S/gauge, on the dirt where I'm on & off the throttle a lot she will get up to 93 - 96 but only for very short periods.
She is due for here next service in Feb so I will make sure the Indy double checks the cooling system.
Still amazes me that the in car Temp gauge didn't move, if she was close to Limp Mode you would think the in car gauge would give you a bit of warning?
Jonesfam
BTW Does anybody else use a Scan Gauge?

Originally Posted by jonesfam

BTW Does anybody else use a Scan Gauge?

yes but not in a D3
ived used mine in D2, P38, jackaroo, Vy commodore, peugeot 206.
been flawless.

Originally Posted by jonesfam

Still amazes me that the in car Temp gauge didn't move, if she was close to Limp Mode you would think the in car gauge would give you a bit of warning?

That's the trouble with computers interpreting the data and providing it out as a reading. Approach seems to be that if you get a spike it shouldn't tell you that, but by the time it tells you that there is an issue the engine is damaged. No real substitute for a guage telling you directly.

Originally Posted by jonesfam

BTW Does anybody else use a Scan Gauge?

Gday...

Yes, I have a scangauge connected all the time (2006 D3 188,000km) - as a gauge showing -
Boost
Load
Temp C
Volts

I tow a 2,600Kg van and on the flat, irrespective of ambient temperatures (but without head/side winds) it sits between 88 and 92DegC. Interestingly, stationary at idle it drops to 82-83degC.

The hottest I have seen on the scanguage in the four years I have had it installed, was 108degC climbing up the Toowoomba Range from Brisbane - Ambient 32degC. But that was only in the steepest parts - for most of the climb it stayed at 104-105Deg and within 30secs of cresting into Toowoomba it had dropped back to 98degC.

OH - yes ... the temp gauge has NEVER moved above the centre mark irrespective of the variations shown on the scangauge - or the ambient temperature.

I bought the scanguage to identify and trouble shoot error codes .... Murphy's law has prevailed (thankfully) I haven't had an error code/message since I installed the scanguage. Perhaps I shouldn't have said that out loud

Anyway, I love the D3 and doubt I will ever trade up to anything else as the changeover cost now would buy heaps of replacement/fixing should stuff begin to 'wear out'

[edit: forgot to say - I travel full-time towing the van. The temps mentioned include whether towing or not]

Cheers - John

Worth ensuring that its not down on coolant. The water outlet assembly fails with an initial weep then eventually lets go completely.

I have a Scan Gauge on my D4...

I do tow a big van and I mostly see 90-105 as the temp while towing and 85 without the van.

On a recent trip over Cunningham's Gap I saw 117 and the cars gauge did jump up to a higher reading for a short time. It was a very hot day which I suspect had a lot to do with the high readings.

The D4 is almost 6 years and has a full dealer service history plus half service oil changes. I will be getting a cooling system service done just to get things checked.

Originally Posted by Graeme

Worth ensuring that its not down on coolant. The water outlet assembly fails with an initial weep then eventually lets go completely.

Yes it does. My coolant level started dropping slowly a week after it was changed. Fortunately for me the assembly failed under the pressure test in the workshop.

Think I need to get myself a scanguage!


When I had the engine relaced a few months back they did say the radiator was about 2/3rds blocked though walsyas had the coolant serviced as well as engine servicings. Has only been on beach twice so no serious offroad. I was surprised it was so blocked.