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348ts overheating light

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by jm348ts, Jul 19, 2010.

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  1. jm348ts

    jm348ts Karting

    Oct 22, 2009
    95
    New York
    Full Name:
    John Moy
    #1 jm348ts, Jul 19, 2010
    Recently the radiator warning light flickered on. I had to top off the radiator overflow tank with antifreeze. The car never overheated and the gauges all read properly. Problem is the red warning light now continues to come on at different times very faintly, never staying on or becoming bright. Last night after an evening drive the light would flicker faintly each time I pressed the accelerator while at rest. Any clues on what is going on?
     
  2. ricbowling

    ricbowling Karting

    Jan 21, 2008
    140
    Cascais
    Full Name:
    Ricardo Almeida
    #2 ricbowling, Jul 19, 2010
    I had similar problem. you could start by looking at the metal radiator cap and see if it´s rusty inside. this part costs 6€ and solved my problem because the water has to be kept under a certain presure, 1 bar. If cap lets pressure thru, it leads to overheating and loss of radiator water.
     
  3. jm348ts

    jm348ts Karting

    Oct 22, 2009
    95
    New York
    Full Name:
    John Moy
    #3 jm348ts, Jul 19, 2010
    pretty basic and easily checked. Should have thought of this to start with myself. Thanks!
     
  4. jm348ts

    jm348ts Karting

    Oct 22, 2009
    95
    New York
    Full Name:
    John Moy
    #4 jm348ts, Jul 20, 2010
    Hi Ricardo,
    Looked at the radiator cap and it is not rusted and the gasket is intact. No signs of leaking, mineral deposits, corrosion, etc. I'll buy a new cap anyway in case it can be leaking without any visible clues. Any other suggestions?
    John
     
  5. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,620
    The Brickyard
    Full Name:
    The Bad Guy
    #5 ernie, Jul 20, 2010
  6. jm348ts

    jm348ts Karting

    Oct 22, 2009
    95
    New York
    Full Name:
    John Moy
    #6 jm348ts, Jul 22, 2010
    Ernie,
    Thanks for the tip. Will try to get in there this weekend. You make owning this car possible for regular guys like me. Thanks again.
    John
     
  7. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2002
    5,966
    Milton, Wash.
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    Jeff B.
    #7 Miltonian, Jul 22, 2010
    John, try looking at the multi-pin twist connector for the engine compartment wiring, located near the top of the left rear shock absorber. If the connector is loose, or the pins are corroded, you might get an electrical feedback through "the path of least resistance". We've seen a couple of obscure problems lately that could be traced to this area, would only take a minute to check...
     
  8. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,620
    The Brickyard
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    The Bad Guy
    #8 ernie, Jul 22, 2010
    Last edited: Jul 22, 2010
    Oooo, nice one Jeff! I didn't even think about that.
     
  9. ricbowling

    ricbowling Karting

    Jan 21, 2008
    140
    Cascais
    Full Name:
    Ricardo Almeida
    #9 ricbowling, Jul 25, 2010
    in this order try the following:

    change the metal cap ( I think you already did this)

    change the thermostat (location:Take off the bonnet, loosen 2 jubilee clips, remove 3 screws and out comes the thermostat. lie down on the engine to access, as it's at the front of the engine.)

    bleed the system again and leave no air in it

    have your radiators re-cored
     
  10. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2002
    5,966
    Milton, Wash.
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    Jeff B.
    #10 Miltonian, Jul 25, 2010
    I don't think the temperature warning light should have any kind of variable function. If the engine is running at normal temperature, the light stays off. If it starts overheating, the light goes on. It shouldn't flicker, or come on dimly, or change with engine speed, unless there is a bad connection, or a bad ground. I doubt that the engine is actually overheating, but it's certainly good to be cautious. You might want to try running the engine at idle while you have a thermometer dropped into the expansion tank, and see if the gauge reading is accurate.

    According to the wiring diagram, the warning light is supposed to come on (solid) at 125 degrees Celsius, which is about 257 degrees F.
     
  11. jm348ts

    jm348ts Karting

    Oct 22, 2009
    95
    New York
    Full Name:
    John Moy
    #11 jm348ts, Jul 26, 2010
    Jeff, Ric, and Ernie,
    I started to work on the car this weekend. The light flickered faintly right after I started the engine so its definitely not overheating. I let it idle and checked the gauges and went for an easy and short ride constantly checking the gauges. The flickering stopped. Took the car out again on Sunday and the warning never came on during the 30 minute ride. Could it have been air in the system that worked itself out?

    I still plan on reviewing all the electrical suggestions to rule that out. If it is an electrical short wouldn't reving the engine increase the alternator output to cause the light to brighten a little?

    Again, thanks to you all for the help.

    John
     
  12. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,620
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    The Bad Guy
    #12 ernie, Jul 27, 2010
    You are going to need to check A L L of the connections. By the sounds of it, it's a wiring problem, or the sender is on it's way out, but I'm still leaning towards wiring/contact problem.
     
  13. 50hdmc

    50hdmc Formula 3

    Oct 10, 2006
    1,211
    Michigan
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    mark s
    #13 50hdmc, Jul 27, 2010
    +1 ....I found a connector in this location (6 pin) where one of the pins was pushed in/back slightly, but enough to not make consistent contact - real PITA.
     

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