Could it be that the radiator is partially frozen. Being cold, maybe
your drive isn't long enough to really open the thermostat.
When you slow down, less air flow means more heat, and the temp
gauge goes up.
Then a frozen part breaks free, and cold goes into the engine, closing
the thermostat. And the cycle continues until the radiator is fully
thawed.
It's a theory.
Paul.
On Jan 30, 2007, at 7:20 PM, Councill, David wrote:
> A slow week or two with the list so I will throw in today's MG
> problem.
>
>
>
> Its been almost a month since I've driven my MGS due to cold
> weather or
> snow, but today I finally decided to take the 67 BGT for a drive to
> owrk. Temps have gotten above freezing enough that most of the snow is
> melted and today was supposed to be nice, sunny, and mid30s
> according to
> most weather forcasts (except for my Internet Weather Watcher
> program -
> it said snow in the afternoon). It was a bit cold, 7 above when I
> started my 67BGT. It took a little cranking but it fired up and ran
> like
> a charm. By the time I got to work, I couldn't see my breath
> anymore but
> I still had the characteristic ice in the middle inside of the
> windshield.
>
>
>
> But just as I was pulling in the parking spot, I noticed my coolant
> temp
> was up to 220 and rising after running a teady 190 for several
> miles of
> city driving. But getting out of the car, I saw no signs of leaking
> nor
> any evidence that the coolant really was running hot (no sounds, no
> steam, no smell). About nine hours later, the snow is coming down hard
> as I started back to the car but al least it is in the high 20s
> outside.
> Car starts right up and I head for home. But within a mile, the
> coolant
> temp keeps climbing past 190, up to 210, and I figure a problem is at
> hand. And then, the temperature guage within maybe 2-3 seconds drops
> down to 170 (about where it should have been at that point in the
> drive). That was weird in itself but just as I was getting to my
> driveway, the temp starts climbing again, fairly rapidly, and hits 230
> as I turn the engine off. I opened the bonnet and again, no sign of
> overheating. But the radiator itself was cool to the touch. I
> suppsoe I
> should have checked it out further but it was dark and snowing and
> I am
> in no hurry. With the weather change, I'll likely drive the much
> warmer
> Land Rover tomorrow.
>
>
>
> I figured I can put in another thermostat. I am sure I have several
> unused ones around. Can a thermostat completely close after it has
> opened and temps are still warm? I have known for them to stick
> shut or
> not open when they are supposed to. I might suspect the much more
> expensive sender/gauge setup used in the early Bs but the cool
> radiator
> indicates more on the lines of a circulation problem. The radiator
> is a
> new one, about two years old. I suppose its theoretically possible the
> water pump impellor could be slipping. So I'm just checking the
> list to
> see if someone has had a problem similar to mine before I start
> tearing
> into things other than the thermostat since thats a 15 minute $5 job.
>
>
>
> David Councill
>
> 67 BGT
>
> 72 B
Paul Root
ptrmgb@gmail.com
77 MGB
99 OBS
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