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the wifes 300tdi has the coolant alarm as i really want to know asap when there is a lack of moisture, for whatever reason....
they heat up so quickly
imho it saves money for a whole heap of reasons ranging from water pumps to serious water loss from a blown hose or just forgetting that occasional top up....
I have the low coolant alarm , as incisor says , you don't get much warning , it works for me .
I tend to agree with Judo here; a cylinder head temperature gauge covers not just coolant loss but any other problems leading to overheating. I've used Auberins CHT gauges (Auto gauges, EGT Boost : auberins.com, Temperature control solutions for home and industry) on both a Tdi Disco & Isuzu Defender. Work well, very responsive and relatively inexpensive. Also can switch a relay if you want to add an additional buzzer / warning lamp (say in a very noisy Isuzu powered 110!).
And they come in a range of pretty LED colours :p
I would highly recommend some type of alarm , who looks at the temp gauge every 3 mins .
For me the most important thing is knowing the temperature of the engine and a low coolant alarm will not tell you that. What if the thermostat was to fail and not open? The engine temperature monitor/alarm would tell you but a low coolant alarm wouldn't. A low coolant alarm would be good as a secondary alarm but I don't think it is ideal as the primary one.
Pete
In the days of pre-electronic diesels, a lot of companies I drove for had those types of systems. Most common was one called (IIRC) a Kysor Alarm. Had a chrome over-ride button, had to use it a few times in a Bedford 4wd tipper that would momentarily drop oil pressure below the cutoff when it was hot. Used to do it a fair bit in stop-start traffic going through the city. Most embarrassing was the alarm buzzer, you could hear it a hundred meters away :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by rick130
Probably showing my age, but I was taught to continually scan the gauges every 30 seconds or so - been doing it for so long that I get irritated driving modern cars with nothing but idiot lights fitted :pQuote:
Originally Posted by dero
Probably showing my age, but I was taught to continually scan the gauges every 30 seconds or so - been doing it for so long that I get irritated driving modern cars with nothing but idiot lights fitted
Good practice , but probably not the norm for most of us , certainly not me .
Myself & others have suffered from the rapid overheating caused by fairly minor loss of water in a 300TDI . dodgy filler cap , leaking hose , head gasket failing ,etc have cost me dearly in the past , not any more . The low coolant alarm picks it up and warns you before it's too late . Relatively cheap insurance against a possibly quite large expense .
I'm with you on this one Rick and not just on the open road. Imagine doing a right hand turn, oncoming traffic is heavy, you get a small gap and go and your motor cuts out.Quote:
Originally Posted by rick130
Back on topic. I have both a low coolant alarm and a temp sensor on the head.
I used to have just the coolant alarm which I found to be not working the hard way.
Needless to say a new head came from Turners in the UK and I asked them what was exceptable temp at the head and they told me 110 was fine.
So I now have both but if I was to have just one I would use engine temp.
truedogz, welcome to the forum. You don't live far from me so we should catch up for a throffy or three one day:beer:
Dave. Are you referring to the 300tdi or the wife?:twisted:Quote:
Originally Posted by incisor
Thanks All.
I've decided to put in both the coolant alarm and a temperature sensor on the head.
Dave, we will have to catch up. I'm actually working near Cairns at the moment. Have bought a place at Tabilk and by this time next year will be living there permanently. Having spent nearly 20 years in FNQ I'd ague that Victoria has the best camping and four wheel driving. Certainly far more freedom these days to go camping.
For those that are interested my fibreglass doors arrived yesterday. They are superb and I can thoroughly recommend them as an alternative to second hand ones.
Will probably take the plunge and order a galvanised bulkhead out of the UK.
Best Wishes
Will