a2a
Member
Hi there,
Long time lurker, first time poster! I'm a fairly proficient DIY spanner-er, but new to A2's
I bought my 1.4L Petrol A2 a few months ago, and straight away noticed it took longer to warm up than my other cars. At 10°C it would take 7 miles / 15 mins to warm up (mostly motorway). In stop/start traffic it would take an age.
Last week (when it was warmer than today, still 10°c or so) I noticed it still hadn't warmed up fully to 90°c after 40 mins in traffic. Furthermore, I could influence the temperature gauge between 80°C and 90°C by turning the interior heater on and off!
Fairly confident a new thermostat was required, I fitted one today along with a temp sensor for good measure. I noticed:
As I brought the car up to temperature on the driveway with the new stat, it behaved like coolant was getting into the radiator still:
Is there a way water could get into the radiator when the stat is closed?
Cheers,
Chris
Long time lurker, first time poster! I'm a fairly proficient DIY spanner-er, but new to A2's
I bought my 1.4L Petrol A2 a few months ago, and straight away noticed it took longer to warm up than my other cars. At 10°C it would take 7 miles / 15 mins to warm up (mostly motorway). In stop/start traffic it would take an age.
Last week (when it was warmer than today, still 10°c or so) I noticed it still hadn't warmed up fully to 90°c after 40 mins in traffic. Furthermore, I could influence the temperature gauge between 80°C and 90°C by turning the interior heater on and off!
Fairly confident a new thermostat was required, I fitted one today along with a temp sensor for good measure. I noticed:
- It'd already been changed before with a non-genuine one
- The existing one didn't seem to be stuck open in any way and behaves normally when tested in a pan of water on the stove
- Fitting the new thermostat doesn't seem to make any difference
As I brought the car up to temperature on the driveway with the new stat, it behaved like coolant was getting into the radiator still:
- Both top and bottom rad hoses were warming up to the touch (the bottom hose cooler, naturally) before the gauge had even moved from 60°C
- At 70°C, the hoses were quite warm, and the radiator too
- By 80-90°C, once the 82°C stat should be open, there wasn't any noticeable jump in temperature that I could feel on the hoses and rad (which I would normally expect once the stat has opened)
Is there a way water could get into the radiator when the stat is closed?
Cheers,
Chris