black_widow87 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Took my car for a for a good 15-20 mile drive the other day and when i got back home i did my usual under bonnet checks to make sure eveything was ok, however I noticed that my bottom rad hose is stone cold. It was a freezing cold night but surely the thermostat would of opened after that length of driving? Following day I checked to see if the rad was blocked by squeezing the bottom hose with rad cap off, rad wasnt blocked. Just wondered what your thoughts are on this. Thanks in advance, Jake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Did you notice your temps going high? I'm surprised that the thermostat wasn't open after that distance but I guess stranger things have happened. A simple check is to let your car idle up to temperature and see what happens. As there is no airflow going through the bay it would show signs of overheating pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 For what they cost i'd replace it with a nice new one along with the rad cap if thats the original one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_widow87 Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 No temp gauge was reading normal. Car is warm at the min so will run it on the drive for 10 and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_widow87 Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 For what they cost i'd replace it with a nice new one along with the rad cap if thats the original one. I had a new thermostat not too long ago, probably about 10-12 months ago. My expansion tank is rising when warm as it should, will this mean my rad cap is working normally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I had a new thermostat not too long ago, probably about 10-12 months ago. My expansion tank is rising when warm as it should, will this mean my rad cap is working normally? I'd pop the stat out and check it in boiling water. The cap is working if the coolant tank is filling as it heats up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_widow87 Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Just ran the car for 10, bottom hose is still cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Just ran the car for 10, bottom hose is still cold Is the top hose boiling? How is the temps? I'm guessing that the top hose won't be very hot either due to no flow going through it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_widow87 Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Is the top hose boiling? How is the temps? I'm guessing that the top hose won't be very hot either due to no flow going through it? Tbh I don't think it's not the hottest it has ever been but still pretty warm, temps were still reading spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I would dump the coolant and check the thermostat then, just to rule it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Blyth Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Don't worry! The bottom hose is the outlet of the radiator and if the radiator is working efficiently, the water should be close to ambient temperature - certainly when the engine is not operating at rated load for extended periods of time. I once put a temperature sensor in my lower rad hose to understand the behaviour of the water temperature at that point; it was possibly the most boring of measurements I've ever made! The reading never moved a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Yep, that's normal for these things in cold weather. Is your heater working OK on the hottest setting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_widow87 Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Well thats a relief, panic over. Cheers guys : )Yes heater is still working fine Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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