Hi,
The engine in my Rover SD1 takes forever to warm up, and seems to stabilize
at or below 70C most of the time. I am going by the temp gauge in the
instrument panel which I might think was inaccurate except that the heater
also puts out little heat. This has been true even in hot weather.
I replaced my 180 F thermostat with a new 180 F thermostat to no effect.
Once out of the car, the old one tested good on the stove. My conversion
tables say that 180F should be 82 C and that 190 F should be almost 88C.
Here are a few questions:
1. If I put in a 190 F thermostat, is it likely that the engine may
actually warm up more than 10 degrees, or should it stabilize 10 degrees
higher than it does with a 180 F thermostat in place?
2. If there is air somewhere in the system (though the radiator is full),
could this actually keep the temperature of the water DOWN because less heat
is being conducted back to the radiator and temperature sensor?
3. Could a lot of crud in the engine insulate the water from the engine's
heat and keep temps down?
The car has over 100K miles on it, and I have not thoroughly flushed it
since I bought it. I have installed one of those Prestone flushing Tees in
the heater hose. I plan to replace the coolant with water, do a quick back
flush, add a can of radiator cleaning chemicals, backflush again and then
refill with the proper antifreeze/water mixture. At that time, I also plan
to open the petcocks on the side of the engine and drill the hole in the
thermostat housing to get the last air out.
I would appreciate comments on the general problem.
I would also like to hear your tips and tricks relating to getting the Rover
V8 thoroughly flushed out.
Thanks.
Glen
Glen Wilson
Email: RoverCar@voicenet.com
Rover Saloon Touring Club of America
Website: http://clubs.hemmings.com/rovercar/rstca.html
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