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MG MGF Technical - Cracked cylinder linings
| I mentioned on the pressure release thermostat thread recently that I had signs of HGF on my TF. After taking the engine apart the dealer says that the HG is fine but I have cracked cylinder linigs (in French: "chemises de cylindres", I assume that means cylinder linings). On all 4 cylinders. They told me they are going to replace the engine with a new one, under warranty (Thank you MGR Switzerland!). I am curious though: What can the cause be? I saw only two other occurrences of this in the archives. It's obviously a rare K-series disease. Overheating ? I always monitor the temp, and never witnessed any overheating. I noticed the oil did tend to reach about 140° in fast driving conditions though, and this is a TF so the gauge should be properly calibrated, and 140 seems a bit high. The car is a June 2002 TF 135 with 37'000 kms (about 20'000 miles). I bought it second hand at 30'000 kms and have always treated it gently when cold but do some fast road driving quite regularly. I always let it cool down before swtichting off. But I'm still curious as to the cause of the problem. Any advice greatly appreciated. |
| Anthony |
| Sounds suspect - ask if you can take some pictures for your internet friends ;-) More lightly they rotated the crank with the head off and unseated all the liners - this would cause oil/water corruption, where cracked liners would just cause water loss and steam. |
| Will Munns |
| Anthony, I would be rather concerned about 140 degrees even with hard driving. I appreciate you have more hils, albeit big ones, than we do, my oil temperature has never been that high even at high speed or in heavy London traffic. Is that something you should be looking at ? Adrian |
| Adrian Clifford |
| Cracked cylinder liners become more common with highly tuned K-series, but as you say Anthony, failure on standard Ks do seem to be mercifully rare. As Will says, it would be good to see some pictures. Not sure why you need a new engine - it is perfectly possible to replace the existing liners, but I guess if it is more economical to replace with a complete new engine, perhaps this is the best way forward? |
| Rob Bell |
| >Sounds suspect - ask if you can take some pictures for your internet friends ;-) Luvely, pleeeease do it .... :) I think the only cause for cracked lines is an engine running without coolant. IMO. Anyway, I'd be pleased to NEVER having his problem. |
| Dieter K. |
| Hi Anthony, sorry to hear about that story... This won't help you, but a strange soty like that occured recently to a friend. He bought his 05/2002 TF 135 (in France), and just before he bought it, the previous owner took it to the dealer for apparently a HGF, but the dealer told him it wasn't. When my friend gor the car, it rapidly began to overheat, not always but quite often. He also had white exhaust fumes and some strange noises coming from the heater area... The Belgian dealer changed the head gasket (at that time he saw the head had been recently taken off ; by the French dealer, we assume) After that, the overheating wasn't gone at all, it was exactly the same. The dealer was a bit puzzled and suspected several assumptions, amongst other a cracked cylinder liner. In the end, he suspected the head (invisible crack or something) and apparently he was right : with a new head for about 2 months, his TF is running fine, but sadly my friend had to pay as Rover Belgium refused to pay for a French issued TF, although less than 3 years old, and Rover France also refused because the TF was registered in Belgium. If it's warranty work, then you'll be happier with a new engine (with new spec cooling system ?). If not, you can change the liners : it's an assembly (1 liner, piston, rings, conrod) that costs about 300-350 euros each, and the question about changing only one remains open : theorically it's possible, but it's not recommended I guess... And finally, to reach 140°C, you have to drive quite hard, but it's not impossible... |
| Fabrice |
| I suspect a porous head on both cases. This is common for post-2000 castings, especially with some porting/machining. There was a SELOC thread on this and Dave Andrews even mentioned him not accepting new head castings in exchange for his kits. This could explain the full engine swap. |
| Carlo |
| Thanks to all for responding. The dealer suspected problems with the head first, and had it checked, but couldn't find any fault. Then they checked the block and found the cracked linings. I understand changing the whole engine is the "safe" option, and I'm not tempted to argue as long as they bear the cost. As to the possible cause, if I read your posts correctly, I understand faulty or insufficient cooling could be one of them, so I will definitely ask the dealer to install the new PRT. I suppose the presence of water in the oil could account for the higher oil temperatures. I am going to see the car this afternoon and will definitely try and get some pictures :-) Anthony |
| Anthony |
| News: The cylinder linings aren't cracked (I apparently misunderstood), they are"dislodged". I saw the engine, with its head off, and the chief mechanic showed me that the linings could in fact revolve in their housings. Now this apparently shouldn't be happening and belies insufficient sealing between the linings and the block. They're not sure about the cause; it could be due to a manufacturing fault which deteriorated over time. I have no idea whether this is bollocks or if it makes sense. Any ideas, anyone? What came as a surprise is that the Swiss importer is not aware of any directives for adding the PRT. They say I can do it but I would have to sign a release from warranty in case anything goes wrong (!?). Bizzarre. (it's an MGR part, designed to PREVENT problems, for goodness sake !). Well as I said I'm not going to argue as long as they replace the engine under warranty. At least the head gasket was sound so that would mean there's nothing intrisincally wrong with the cooling system. Or with my driving style, for that matter. That's good news: I can keep thrashing it up mountain roads then ;-) I'll post some pictures on Saturday Cheers, Anthony |
| Anthony Braham |
| >Any ideas, anyone? well if you refer basck to my first reply... rotating the crank with head off will do that! |
| Will Munns |
| >dislodged... Err, that's acommon problem. IMO from the same reason ... Overheat due to lack of coolant at the liners. Another is to less torque or may be uneven torque to the cylinder stretch bolts. If there's to less then the micro-play between head/gasket/block may cause _hammering_ to the liners and constantly kick them down into the bloc. >directives for adding the PRT. The same refuse of MGR was found by an owner here in DE ;) ... and that car had no warranty. |
| Dieter K. |
| thanks Will I did see your post but the problem occurred before they took the engine apart so unless I misunderstood this is not the cause in my case. Dieter - I an both surprised and reassured that the German dealers' attitude is similar. what did you do? did you have the part installed nevertheless? |
| Anthony |
| Anthony, my MGF is nearly 6 years old and hasn't seen any dealership since 4 years, so no worries about them from my side ;) No, didn't get it in, but it's on the to do list. (I still drive with a broken and always open thermostat) |
| Dieter K. |
| The pics of the open engine are visible here, under "TF open engine". http://uk.photos.yahoo.com/aebraham2000 I was surprised they dismantled the whole rear axle, suspension, etc. to lower the engine. They said "it was simpler that way". |
| Anthony |
| A countryman has serious overheating problems (several HGF) and after several attempts for changing radiator and waterpump the garage concluded it must be a displaced lining. From the archives I found this lead dealing with linings. I can understand from here that if a lining is really displaced, one could loose coolant and oil. Question is: what is the relationship the other way: if there is by whatever cause, a displaced lining, how could that cause a overheating problem (coolant level does not drop significantly). Any suggestions? Greetings, Huib |
| Huib Bruijstens |
| Seems a little unlikely doesn't it? A dislodged liner is likely to cause problems with the fire-ring sealing. And if this fails, the coolant system pressurises and ultimately blows coolant past the expansion tank cap. The lack of coolant loss therefore is the surprise. I would think that the usual candidates - non-operation of the radiator fan due to either siezure/fuse failure or temperature sensor malfunction, problem with the thermostat or air-lock limitation of coolant flow are all much more likely explanations. Does the radiator get hot? |
| Rob Bell |
| A liner that is out of position will not make a tight seal on the fire ring of the gasket, and that could lead to combustion gases escaping into the cooling system & oilways, and oil & coolant entering the cylinder, but I can't see that causing overheating just by itself. As Rob suggests, the high-pressure gases escaping into the cooling system will cause coolant loss when the pressure relief valve on the coolant reservoir opens. If no coolant is being lost, that is unlikely to be the cause. A 'sniffer' test for hydrocarbons in the coolant will show if combustion gases are mixing with the coolant, that would be a good test to do before unbolting anything. Has the garage tested the flow to the radiator, or removed the thermostat & done the bucket of hot water test? I'd suspect a failed thermostat, not allowing enough coolant to flow. The engine won't suddenly be producing more heat than it used to, and the radiator is still the same size, with the same rate of heat transfer (i.e. air temperature), so logically what has changed is the rate of delivery of hot coolant to the radiator & cold coolant to the engine. Whether that has led to so many overheats that the cylinder liners have come loose would only be clear once the engine is apart. |
| bandit |
| Yes, we agree on this lining issue. It could be a consequence of heatingproblem but not the cause. His observations are unfortunatly not too structural. He reported an MG garage that he consulted after a cooking problem changed the thermostat and also concluded that the hot water did not reach the radiator but they could not find the cause. But this topick did not come up again whilst he visited other Mg garages. Strange isn't it! What is this bucket of hot water test? |
| Huib Bruijstens |
| OK, a bucket isn't actually the ideal tool... Take one glass bowl, fill with boiling water, drop in thermostat, watch to see it opens fully, then wait as the water cools and measure the temperature when the thermostat begins to close & becomes fully closed. If the thermostat is opening but coolant is slow to get to the radiator, there must be a restriction or blockage in the circuit. The internal diameter of some of the coolant pipes is quite small, so even a small piece of debris could reduce flow significantly. Gravity often plays a part, so I'd disconnect the underbody coolant pipes and use a high-pressure water jet from both directions to check they are clear. |
| bandit |
| I have exactly the same (suspected) issue at the moment with my 03 plate TF160! HGF was diagnosed whilst the car was actually at the dealer being serviced and MOT'd. I had seen a trace, but only a trace, of mayo on the dipstick previously, and had put this down to the car only doing about 20 miles in two months! The car was otherwise running fine. However, be that as it may, the HGF was replaced under a warranty the dealer had originally arranged when they supplied the car last March. The new oil rail was fitted at the same time. Although the car was notionally OK when I picked it up, and had been fully road tested before I picked it up (I saw it out on the road!) after about 10 miles the heater had gone cold - which I put down to an air lock. After about 20 miles the temp gauge was going up and down and the coolant started to boil. After cooling and re-filling it went back to the dealer, with the gauge still rising and falling and the heater blowing hot and cold. They initially tried to re-bleed the coolant system, but this had no effect, so they completely drained, re-filled and re-bled again, without success. After a couple of days they decided to have the head off again. In doing so, they determined that one of the liners was loose, so have had the lot out and re-seated/re-sealed them. As of last night, the head was back on the car, but none of the ancillaries yet attached. At this point I should add that the car has 48k on the clock, I've done 5000 odd miles in the last year, without issue, but that I do know it suffered HGF at 23k in 2005. The car was originally supplied and has always been serviced by this dealer (ex-MGR) and I do have confidence in them. Today celebrates 3 weeks of the car being at the dealer! (Although it has been serviced, MOT'd and had all brake discs and pads replaced and two HG's replaced)! The sun is shining and I want the car back! I'll update later today when I find out what is happening... |
| Mike Hall |
| Look forward to hearing more Mike. :o) |
| Rob Bell |
| Well the latest news is that, having had the head off, reset the liners etc, fill and bled the coolant system, the car is still exhibiting the same problem. It will sit and idle for 2-3 hours (literally) without any problem, but the moment it's driven, the temp gauge is up and down, the heater is blowing hot then cold and it generally overheats. The intriguing thing is that a non-MGR garage in Gloucester has a car apparently suffering exactly the same problem as mine (again, following HGF repair) which they're sending to my dealer to fix! I think it's down to changing all the coolant items bit by bit now, but they're having a meeting tomorrow to decide what to start on first..... and I need it for Silverstone on Monday! Any thoughts or inspiration welcome :-/ |
| Mike Hall |
| At a guess, because you asked, if it was an F(which I know it isn't), I would risk another waterpump, expansion bottle cap and check the jiggle valve on the head. I don't trust vacuum refilling one little bit. Good luck! and sympathy in the meantime. |
| Charless |
| Idling 2-3 hours on your fuel or theirs..? ;o) The 'unknown' that is the rate of flow of coolant to the radiator needn't remain an unknown - digital flow meters are available, Sealey do one. If the flow rate drops when the revs rise, the water pump is failing to pump effectively. Loose fit of the pump head on the drive spindle, starts slipping when worked hard..? Perhaps an air leak upstream of the pump, so when the pump spins faster and generates more pressure/suction the suction is being relieved by air not coolant? Quite where that could happen I'm struggling to figure out... |
| bandit |
| Mike, thanks for the extensive report. It is a very interesting case (sorry for you of course). I learned from it that a displaced lining indeed can be reset and sealed. Did they do this with the engine in the car? And this sealing, is that a kind of glue (will certainly not be a welding process, right) I wished I could listen in on that meeting about the two cars. Very curiuous about their reasonings and conclusions. (especially the why's and why nots) Mike, when the car was again on the road and these instable temps came up, did you notice any signs of combustion gas into the coolant (overflow at the coolant tank? loss of coolant??) Bandit, your bucket story at first made me thinking about a process to catch the coolant fluids from the engine in operation as to be able to conclude about the coolant quantities. But you were referring to a thermostat test, ok. Anybody out there used a trick (maybe a piece of transparent hose between the under body metal pipes and the hoses) to make the coolant flow whilst the engine is warming up, visible? Good luck, Huib |
| Huib Bruijstens |
| Well, the radiator has been changed today, along with 'the hose behind the engine with the valve in' (as was described to me). Still no effect. It's a new water pump tomorrow to see where that gets us, but it's got to be a circulation/blockage type problem somewhere. And yes, the 1.6 Tiptronic F that I mentioned above with the same problem is now there as well, so if they fix one they've fixed them both :o) And... They've done so much testing/driving in it, they told me thay've had to fill it up today ;) PS - Sorry Huib, to answer your question, there's no trace of hydrocarbons in the coolant. |
| Mike Hall |
| My bet is on the waterpump. Moves along on fairly low engine revs = OK for idling.Impeller not secured enough to the axle for higher revs =overheating when slipping. Hope they find whatever it is ,and donīt forget to tell us ! |
| Carl Blom |
| Latest on the car is that it's still off the road. A new water pump, second new thermostat and coolant cap have made stuff all difference, so the head has to come off for a third time next Monday. It's going away to be pressure tested. Hopefully, there's a hairline crack or similar. If so, it's a replacement head and the jobs a good 'un. The real issue will be if the head is found to be OK - 'coz there's nothing else to fix or replace! In this case, we're seriously discussing the possibility of a new engine. ...and I'm still smiling :) (just). I'm away next week, so the next exciting installment will be in around a week's time... |
| Mike Hall |
| Mike, your expression:...."have made stuff all difference" does that mean: no difference, still the same problem with instable temperatures and finally getting overheated? Good to see that now waterpump and thermostat are of the list of suspects. If they are looking for a hairline crack probably their thinking is that they suspect high pressure air/gas entering the coolant system. But you also mentioned before that they could not find hydrocarbants in the coolant and also that the coolant level is not dropping. Hmmm Or is their another effect to be expected from a hairline crack? Still very intruiging with two aspects: obstruction of coolant flow and this time-effect: warm-cold Have a nice week, Huib |
| Huib Bruijstens |
| 'the hose behind the engine with the valve in' (as was described to me). That was what I was thinking in suggesting the jiggle valve - not just for it's obvious auto bleeding of air function, but because the ball can become dislodged and float off round the system causing a restriction elsewhere! I assume when it was replaced it was intact and working correctly, otherwise there is still a buoyant ball to account for in the coolant system? |
| Charless |
| Latest update: Well, the good news is that it lives!!! The head was crack tested/pressure tested and found to be OK although the engineering company detected a 'slight' distortion so have skimmed it lightly (bearing in mind it was skimmed at the time of the first HGF about 5 years ago). The head was rebuilt and everything put back together and it's now had a few road miles put on it to test it, with nothing now apparently wrong. (And they've had to put yet more fuel in!). However, they won't let me have it back until next week as they want to road test it extensively over the weekend (understandable from their point of view I suppose). I'll post up the rest of the details as soon as I find out when I pick the car up, but chatting to the lad who's been doing the work - it's been giving him sleepless nights! Still at least he's bedded my new discs and pads in, but, as I mentioned to him this evening he's put more road miles on my new tyres than I have More next week..... |
| Mike Hall |
| When engineers talk about 'slight' distortion, the figures can be *very* small indeed. While I hope that exercise has made the engine behave normally again, there's no logical explanation as to why. Even severely warped heads can still function normally i.e. without overheating, until coolant or oil loss impacts, and I'm pretty sure that if the distortion had been allowing combustion gases past the fire rings there would be visible evidence. Hence the sleepless nights I guess, which will probably continue because at some point he'll be asked 'why?'... |
| bandit |
| Latest episode in the saga: Collected the car Tuesday evening, noting that it had been valeted inside and out - nice! Drove the car the ten miles home, quite spiritedly, noting that the temperature gauge was approximately one needles-width below the half way mark. Had to drive back to the garage later to collect the Cupra and gave the TF some welly, this time observing that the temp gauge was rising towards the 3/4 mark after a lengthy thrash at relatively high revs - 6000 rpm-ish. Arrived back at the garage with some coolant coming out of the pressure cap. Let the car cool off a bit, topped the coolant up and changed the expansion bottle cap (again). Drove the car home with the temp gauge varying between just under half way to just over half way??? Left the car to cool off overnight, topped the coolant level up to the mark the following morning (yesterday) and used the car on a variety of roads from motorway to country lane with the gauge rock steady and no apparent issues. So, in summary (but the detail is all included in various posts above!): * The car went to be serviced and MOT'd. * Additional work was identified including discs and pads and drive shaft oil seal needing replacement. * During road testing after MOT work, HGF was diagnosed. * HGF was repaired including new style gasket, new oil rail, and new stretch bolts etc etc. * On completion, car was overheating and blowing coolant out. * The head was again taken off for checking and the liners re-fitted/re-set. * Overheating issues still present, but only when car driven. Car was perfectly fine when idling for, literally, hours. * At various times the thermostat was changed (twice) the water pump replaced, the radiator replaced, the engine hose with the jiggle valve replace and the expansion botlle cap replaced (twice at this point). * Still the car was overheating when driven (but OK when idling). At this point it had either to be a head-related issue or looking at a new engine! The head was then removed for the third time and sent away for pressure/crack testing. The engineering company involved determined that the head was fundamentally OK but that there was *slight* distortion and lightly skimmed the head (bearing in mind that it had previously been skimmed at the time of previous HGF about 5 years ago (before my ownership)). The engine was again rebuilt and we are back to where we are now! So the car is back with it's original head, water pump, and radiator. It has a new thermostat, (cam belt tensioner), new jiggle valve hose, and is now on it's third expansion bottle cap. I'm still not 100% confident it's fixed. I was less so on Tuesday evening, but having run it yesterday without issue I'm more confident now but have agreed to run it for a couple of weeks before 'accepting' it. Full credit to the dealer - they've worked hard and long on a strange issue. They've run the car for something just over 200 test miles (they kept phoning me to tell me they had put yet more fuel in!). After the initial repair under warranty (independent warranty company) they have not asked me for another penny despite having had the car for six weeks to the day. I'm going to run it for the next couple of weeks and will post on it's progress... |
| Mike Hall |
| Hmmm... The temperature gauge rising above 'normal' when engine is worked hard points to insufficient cooling. Even when being maxed on a racetrack, the cooling capacity of the radiator is sufficient to cope with the heat generated. Yours has all the symptoms of a radiator that has lost efficiency, but since that has been replaced the only way efficiency could be compromised is by reduced coolant flow. Low pump output has been eliminated, thermostat likewise, so the restriction is either in the rubber hoses or the underbody pipes. Gravity means that the most likely location is the underbody pipes; if they're unable to measure the flow digitally (and Sealey's flow meter really isn't that expensive) then connecting a garden hose to each pipe in turn & comparing time taken to fill a bucket will show whether there is an imbalance. Ideally a run through with a flexible rod with a head 2-3mm less than the ID of the pipes, but garden hose with some wraps of duct tape to make a head would achieve the same. It's the old Sherlock Holmes maxim - when you have eliminated the impossible then whatever remains, however unlikely, must be the truth. Nothing they have done has actually proved the coolant flow to be up to scratch, and they've only removed some of the possible obstacles. |
| bandit |
| Hmmm... also! Hadn't really considered the underbody pipes as they were replaced about 12 months ago, although there was no obvious damage when it was up in the air (on numerous occasions!). I'm going to take it out for a blat later on this sunny spring day so will see how it behaves (or not ;) ). |
| Mike Hall |
| Well, some centuries ago we would simply call this a miracle and we would have a big festival to celebrate. However..... Mike, any news about the Gloucester car that had the same problems? Greetings, Huib |
| Huib Bruijstens |
| Let's hope no news is good news... Wasn't really thinking of crush type damage to the pipes, more of the possibility of something coming adrift elsewhere and ending up lodged in the pipes. Fluid dynamics is far from my specialist subject, but I have personal experience of how even a small obstruction to flow can compound into a severe effect on overall efficiency. Extremely unlikely I grant you, but can the manufacturer of the water pump(s) be identified? There's another post from someone having similar puzzling issues in the General forum, so just to rule out the possibility of a series of dud water pumps being the common factor... |
| bandit |
| There do seem to be some apparent similarities between this and the 'trapped air' thread??? Anyhow, since collecting the car I have now put some 300 miles on it and although it will run quite happily on all sorts of roads under all sorts of conditions, there are still times when the temperature gauge will take an excursion from just below the half way mark to about 3/4 for no apparent reason and without any apparent 'external' symptoms. There has been no change in coolant level during this time whenever checked when cold. Apart from all the new parts fitted (and removed!) above, one thing I forgot to mention is that the temperature gauge sensor was also replaced! So, at the moment I'm monitoring the situation for a couple of weeks before I report back to the dealer (who is still talking in terms of a new engine if this cannot be resolved!!! |
| Mike Hall |
| As a PS to Huib, no, the dealer had not even looked at the other car when I saw them on Friday - they are still waiting for the 'final analysis' from mine! |
| Mike Hall |
| OK, so I've had the car back for virtually 2 weeks and put some 500-odd miles on the clock. I'd like to say that I've put some 500-odd trouble free miles on the clock, but whilst they have basically been trouble free, I still have an issue with the temperature gauge fluctuating from just below half way to 3/4 and then back again. This 'tends' to happen when using A and B roads rather than on a motorway blast (as a result of lower air flow through the rad?), but is seemingly inconsistent as to the conditions under which this occurs - eg a long hill climb in a lower gear does not necessarily give this effect, and it does not appear to be speed or change of speed related. Another issue is that the heater seems to take a long time to generate any heat when it is turned up from cold; it seems better if set to max from startup. It also seems to cool off very quickly when turned down to half way. ie it's virtually cold at half way. I'm wondering if this is perhaps indicative of a dodgy control valve, but I'm not really certain how this might be related to the temperature gauge problem? The only other thing I've noticed (and only twice in many listenings) is that the expansion bottle cap occasionally hisses after turning the engine off, whilst getting stuff out of the boot. I suspect that this may be related to the iffy pressure caps that seem to be around at the moment, and will pick another one up when I have further discussions with the garage later this week. That said, it hasn't actually overheated or missed a beat (other than the above) in two weeks. More to follow - no doubt! |
| Mike Hall |
| Is there still air to be bleed from the coolant system I wonder? And I agree with you - that sounds like a dodgy cap :o( |
| Rob Bell |
| Rob - I cant believe that there is more air to bleed from the system! With the amount of care, attention and detail that's gone into the cooling system plus the fact that I haven't needed to top it up since after about the first 50 miles, I'm as sure as I can be that it's OK. We'll see what the new cap brings... |
| Mike Hall |
| Given the effort invested so far, I'd be really surprised too Mike. But the oddly fluctuating temperature is difficult to explain, unless there is a gauge/wiring/sensor fault? Might be worth replacing the gauge water temperature sensor just to find this out... |
| Rob Bell |
| Hi Mike, I've posted a reply on the MGF Register. willyphixitt |
| W A Nixson |
| As I noted somewhere above, I've now put several hundred miles on the car without the car missing a beat except for the occasional temperature gauge excursion. I did however notice one evening last week that there was a slight hissing from the expansion bottle cap when I got some stuff out of the boot, so changed this on Friday for another (the fourth!). We spent the day in Wales yesterday and having put another 150 miles on it I was half convinced that the fourth cap had solved the problem..... until after about 90 miles the gauge took a little excursion and returned - just the once during the day. I spent an hour with the dealer on Saturday discussing it and thay are convinced that it must be an electrical fault. I can understand their thinking that *if* the coolant temperature is rising and being accurately reflected on the gauge, why would it return to normal in a matter of seconds without any intervention (ie whack the heater up) etc? If the engine is going to boil, it's going to boil - and there is no apparent indication of this! My thinking is now that this has to be either electrical or possibly something involving the oil/water intercooler (only because it's the only item that hasn't been changed!!! The dealer has asked me to run the car for another couple of weeks and then report back before they decide the next course of action. I'll keep you all posted..... |
| Mike Hall |
| Just by way of closing this out - I've used the car for the last week or so, over a variety of roads, speeds and traffic conditions and, to the best of my knowledge, the water temp gauge has not moved after warm up (or not that I've detected!). With that in mind, and bearing it's now done 1000+ miles since the original 'incident' I've told the dealer that I'm happy with the car at present, but that it will be back if there are any further temperature issues (which I'm almost certain can only be electrical in nature; especially as it mysteriously seems to be behaving itself now). As a final PS - the Steptronic with the similar problem was traced to the four-legged hose having disintegrated internally. There's a thread on here or the F Register forum questioning whether these are still available - well the answer is no. It had to have a pre-loved hose put on :) |
| Mike Hall |
| Let's hope that is the end of this saga Mike - so you can get back to enjoying the warmer weather without worrying about the temperature gauge the whole time! :o) |
| Rob Bell |
| Good luck Mike and thanks for the extensive information about this mistery. Greetings, Huib |
| Huib Bruijstens |
This thread was discussed between 03/05/2005 and 18/05/2010
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