• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Temperature

Share this page

Each Healey (of mine anyway) is different. Depends on ambient temperature in addition to how hard I drove the car. It also depends on how long after I shut off the engine that the temp is noted. Temp can continue up for awhile after switching off the engine due to "heat soak," so it's difficult to give you a precise temperature figure to which the coolant temp will rise after switching off.

Generally speaking I don't worry excessively (I always worry at least a little; I've been an owner of British cars for a very long time) if the system isn't spitting out coolant. Can you be more specific about your concern?
 
On a warm day, after a spirited run--hopefully--or sitting in traffic the gauge will register 212deg after shutdown, until the engine cools down or I start 'er up again.
 
This is something I have paid attention to at car shows. My gauge and most of the ones I have looked at are sitting on 212 after a run and before they start to cool down.
 
Those with really high temps - suggest checking your gauge. I found mine to read 20+ degrees high. I think they get 'sprung' when the cars overheat.

I compared my gauge to two cooking thermometers inserted into the thermostat housing and found this difference. The readings matched that of the Harbor Freight laser thermometer on the outside of the housing.

Just saying...
 
Bugeyze said:
Engine switched off after a good run, what does your temp gauge read??
Click to expand...


Use a laser thermometer at the rear of the engine block.

Other wise the meter can read Over the rainbow--:excitement:
 
Editor_Reid said:
Generally speaking I don't worry excessively (I always worry at least a little
Click to expand...

The capillary tube broke in June of 2014 and I drove for a year before replacing it. That was a very enjoyable period.
On really hot days I find it best to simply duct tape over the temperature gauge.
 
I agree with Steve, also my gauge beginning to read a little bit advanced from zero and measurements when warmed is 212, I also, at the beginning of test my NEW engine have acquired one cocking thermometer with probe
https://picasaweb.google.com/112770819864514987162/AHWORKSAndUPGRADEProject#5907808132955390450
it confirmed to me that effective temperature of the water was 180°F (90°C) very good and constant
NOTE in the photo the Temp. was 88°C -110°was the alarm set
Now my car run normaly with the gauge signing 212°F I know that this is my NORMAL temp (I will set it right when I take it apart)
A thermostatic fan provide to lowering the temperature when the engine is stopped warm
Cocking term. now are measuring the radiator of oil temperature
also Keoke probe suggestion can be useful
 
Guys, I have noticed that after I take my car out on a drive and then turn the engine off, the temp increases to approx. 215, as several of you commented. It has not been much of a concern, except that I am getting vapor lock if the car has not been given an ample period of time to cool down. Like 30 minutes.

This is the only time that the car experiences vapor lock. Under normal driving conditions, the engine runs at around 190 (per the temp gauge), and no issue with vapor lock, even idling on a hot day in traffic.

Any suggestions to avoid this?
 
BG 62AH said:
Guys, I have noticed that after I take my car out on a drive and then turn the engine off, the temp increases to approx. 215, as several of you commented. It has not been much of a concern, except that I am getting vapor lock if the car has not been given an ample period of time to cool down. Like 30 minutes.

This is the only time that the car experiences vapor lock. Under normal driving conditions, the engine runs at around 190 (per the temp gauge), and no issue with vapor lock, even idling on a hot day in traffic.

Any suggestions to avoid this?
Click to expand...

Is your carb heat shield in good shape? It doesn't take much deterioration or damage to the shield to allow vapor lock.
 
BG 62AH said:
... Any suggestions to avoid this?
Click to expand...

Don't buy gas with ethanol in it. Seriously. I have the same issue with stumbling for a couple miles after a hot startup. I recently drove all through Oregon and bought non-alcoholic premium where possible--many places--and did not get the stumbling like I usually do with California's gasahol. Does Jersey sell any pure gas? I'm overhauling the engine soon, and plan to ceramic coat the exhaust manifolds; we'll see if that helps.

I think your temp gauge reads 3deg high ... on hot shutdowns my BJ8 goes to 212deg exactly and stays there until it starts to cool. My gauge was recently adjusted and calibrated by West Valley Instruments (Morris ex. Mo-Ma). Curiously, the car often runs below its thermostat set point--180deg--on cool/mild days. I've tried several thermostats--and tested at least one of them--and the result was the same. I only got over 180 pulling the long grades on I15 into Las Vegas on a warm day, and then only up to about 185.
 
Thanks for the replies, actually there is minor damage to the heat shield. Only a small amount on the front edge, was planning to repair it this winter when I pull the carbs off.

I was wondering if there was a way to better insulate the carb bowls,.

Would a steel braided fuel line help?

As far as the gas with ethanol, I honesty don't believe we can get fuel without ethanol in NJ.

Thanks for the advice.
 
Sorry about my smart-a**ed comment earlier.:smile:

My TR4A was experiencing vapor lock. The fuel line ran from the pump, up to the top of the cyl head, and was supposed to go between the thermostat housing and the valve cover, then to the carbs. I believe there was supposed to be a clamp with a rubber insert at the thermostat housing. The rubber insert was missing, and the fuel line was just touching the cyl head at one of its bends. I made a rubber busing, and then made sure the fuel line touched nothing else but the clamp. Problem solved, but it took some fiddling, and I drove myself almost nuts stressing over the engine temp (that's why I liked the duct tape comment!).

Causes of a vapor lock problem can be subtle, and the **** ethanol doesn't help. I used a cheap Harbor Freight infrared thermometer gun to look for hot spots, and to cross check the temp gauge. It may not be "scientific grade", but I think the cheap one I have is accurate enough for car work. It certainly allowed me to get a feeling for what was probably going on. The TR's gauge ended up reading about 15 degrees high. I swapped a gauge from another Triumph, and the new one basically agreed with the IR gun.

GL, Jim
 
Back
Top