overheating

[Ennva]

When you finally think you are getting somewhere and...................
So engine running, new carbs on, a little back fire but progress, however i notice the temprature guage was rising quite happilly so shut down as fan etc not cutting-in. As she has not been run for some time now I assume the water pump has given up, could this be the cause of the ratling noise? Without appearing to be dumb any other obvious checks.

I was planning on visiting Burton Ford and going for replacement part as cannot afford the cassette replacement. The Lotus book details the removal without taking the head off, it seems this is a well discussed point, but would appreciate feedback.

Many thanks

[Elanconvert]

hello ennva.....I'm a newbie, but been well through the 'overheating' issue as the car I bought had one [luckily not serious].....
I would go for electric pump [davies craig or similar] which is what I will do when the original mech. pump finally gives up [bit of play in the bearing....have you checked for that?]..
others might give you different answers

how's that for a quick reply

fred

[john.p.clegg]

Could be a stuck thermostat,is your top hose warm/hot?
You say the electric fan not cutting in (is that a Kenlowe )is your sensor in the top hose? has your potentiometer been moved etc etc etc

John

Not as quick as Fred

[miked]

How long did you run it for. You could have a big old air lock. Very easy to have. The temp' and pressure rise and coolant can blow out into the recouperator bottle. I have a drilled hole on the stat on one car and the other stat has a joggle/jiggle pin to prevent this. That said the pin can stick. I freed it recently. Until you have had a cycle with the stat' opening and the water moving around, this can happen and you think you have big problems.

Mike

[ericbushby]

Hello Ennva,
I suggest you eliminate the engine thermostat by removing it. If you then remove the radiator cap and start the engine, you will see the water flowing freely through the radiator if the water pump is OK. You are then in a safe condition to start further investigation.
Keep us informed.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE TYpe 45

[miked]

Re: Water pump. Is the mechaical seal tell tale hole free? Front of cover under the bearing housing. If so, has there been any coolant leaking from it? Is there much play in the shaft. Total failure of the normal pump is rare, tends to go slowly unless water passes the mech' seal and get in the bearing. Hence question about tell tale hole, could be blocked. Paper clip of small drill to free it.

PS Nothing wrong with the normal water pump if done properly. IMO I would also take the motor out to do a nice job if a water pump was required. Head off and sump off. Whilst other will/may disagree you can seal it nicely and you know it is right. Engine hoist and some time. I don't get the need by some to avoid taking a motor out. Mauling your b*lls off in situ' ain't much fun. Especially for those with back problems, like myself.


Mike

[Elanconvert]

there you go....told you there are lots of guys more knowledgeable than me!!! [my reply was quick, but not very helpful ]

I mentioned the pump because of the 'rattling noise', but of course it could be any of a number of things....

if you follow the advice of these chaps you will soon sort it out

fred

[billwill]

You will also get masses of information on this forum if you do a search for Water Pump.

The others have covered it above, but I think you can only get a rattling noise from the water pump if the front bearing has worn out due to rust. This is easily checked if you take the fan belt off you will be able to wobble the pump pulley.

But this can only really happen if the drain hiole mentioned above has been blocked and pressurised water then forced through the inside seal of the bearing itself.

A small fragment of metal such as a bolt or nut or washer in the cooling system might make a rattle.

Other common engine rattles are due to the starter motor or dynamo/alternator mounts coming loose.

[billwill]

First thing to check though from your description:

Is the coolant system full?

You need to pour into the radiator filler untill full, then squeeze the top engine hose to get bubbles out, then top up and repeat until you get no more bubbles. THis is made easier if you make a simple funnel by cutting the botttom off a plastic bottle of suitable size and then jamming the top half in the rad filler hole with a cloth wrapped around the 'neck' .

This enables you to get a higher coolant level in the 'funnel' to fill the volumes previously occupied by the air bubble.

Another way to do this is to tilt the car by jacking up the right-front wheel or driving right-front wheel onto a low ramp.

Next you need to make sure that the water expansion & retrieval is working properly. Look carefully at the radiator cap. It has THREE seals
1. The top seals to the upper edge of the rad filler cup to make the whole system air proof. and
2. the bottom seals to the inner edge of the radiator filler cup and is spring loaded (if the pressure in the radiator exceeds the design figure, this seal lifts off and lets the excess pressure go down the pipe to the open-topped water bottle)
3. the third seal is in the centre of the spring loaded portion. It is essentially a one way valve. any positive pressure in the radiator ensures this valve stays closed. But after a run when the water cools down a partial vacuum occurs in the rad & engine. This sucks the cooltant back from the overflow bottle through the one-way valve to automatically refill the head & radiator.

All three seals have to work properly and the overflow bottle should be primed by filling it about 1/3 full of collant every time you top up the rad, If there is anthing wrong with these seals you will gradually propell your coolant into the overflow bottle and it will overflow that bottle and be lost. The rad & engine will then have air inside insead and air makes a lousy cooling medium.