HELP overheated engine.

Should be OK if it didn't actually go into the red zone, and stay there for too long. A more likely cause of damage is pouring cold water into a very hot engine, which can apparantely can crack engine blocks as it cools down the block faster than it can contract... . It's never happened to me, but then I've only done it once or twice.

You've probably learnt now - be VERY careful taking off the radiator/header tank cap when it's hot. I've seen these shoot a LOT of VERY hot water everywhere, and you can easily be scalded. Preferable to let it cool down first,or use a heavy rag over the cap and open it slowly to release the pressure in the system if you must open it when hot.

hth

CC

radiator/header

Best to always stop, let the engine cool down, then remove the cap.

Could be a blockage, or a shagged thermostat, or a broken water pump, or a leak :P

One of them 4 things.

Ron

Depends if it's a K series or not ;) Head gasket and a warped head are you main worries from overheating.

If the gauge stayed out of the red, it should be OK though :-) Unless it's a K series...

Mike

Despite the relatively high frequency of head gaskets lettng go the block is actually very strong. I ran a 214 about 30 miles with the temperature fluctuating in and out of the red (needed new rad IIRC). I'd coast for ages at motorway speeds to try and cool it, got it home, fixed it and it was fine.

I ran my old 205 almost in the red for about 15 minutes, thinking it would be ok till i got where i was going. How wrong was i. The engine seized, never to be started again. So thats the worst that can happen, but by the sounds of it you didnt run it for long, so you should be ok. Although putting cold water in there isnt a good idea, as someone else said. Either top it up with hot water, or more sensibly wait for it to cool first.

Indeed, I've had quite a few cars overheat on me and they've been such old knackers that I've just carried on to where I was going. Only one it ever damaged was a Skoda Estelle, and that blew the head gasket.

Mike

No great loss then :)

Whatever happened to the paper clip across the fan switch trick??

If my bmw ever brewed up, its viscous fan would be helped along by the aircon fan (hotwired) plus i'd switch the climate control to 32 centigrade. ..... If only to reduce engine temperature to below the point of coolant pressurization.

If it happend on my ax, i'd switch off and phone the rac. Ax engines are a bit fragile when it comes to overheating.

-- (Scum Mail Bouncer In use). (Remove the two "n" from email address to reply directly).

Regards..... Steve.

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Famous for it. If you get a good one, doesn't matter what you do, you won't kill it. If you get a bad one, you will never fix it. Usually the cheaper option is getting another engine in quick sharp.

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Bugger off, bet a decent 130GL Estelle would have seen off your pug on a rally stage. A properlu stage prepped one would have left it for dead. And don't start me on how your ovloV would fair against it.

I was waiting for you to reply :)

As for seeing off my Pug, i very much dopubt a standard one would see off a standard 205 XS! And i doubt a prep'd Estelle would keep up with a prep'd XS either! I'll give you the Volvo though, but that isnt meant to be a rally car.

It would indeed, but mine was a shagged Y-reg 120L which I got for £75 after rescuing it from a river.... and it was bright orange, with no rear bumper (chassis outriggers bent, bumper wouldn't fit).. so Carl's right this time, it was no great loss....

Mike

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Mine was £95 with 1 week on the MOT (just enough time to get Taxed). Beige 120L 4 speed.

Did me 4 months learning to drive, and my first 6 months over winter with a full license, but the 4 speed box was a killer on the motorway (4k plus revs at 70 but I had it upto 85 everyday).

Must have spend about £700 on it withy bits and pieces and welding and tyres and shit to keep it alive and legal, then sold it to a bloke in Oxford for £150 with 3 weeks MOT, and 4 months tax, 8 month old decent tyres (BF goodriches) and the Skoda alloys that I replaced the old Steelies with.

Getting the next MOT was borderline, but it was worth much more in parts (K&N, Weber Carb,sports exhaust, S/H Gaz Shocks with very little wear, Mountney wheel, Toyota Celica seats in front, and Decent Rapid seats with no sun rot in back) and the guy who bought it had a 130 with a blowj headgasket and and a 120 rally car, so between them, they had something they could use.

Hi there, what's a 'K' series? and why would it be dangerous for a K series to overheat?

Thanks.

They tend to blow head gaskets easily, and often warp heads too. I think it's something to do with the "sandwich" construction of the engine, where basically one set of bolts hold most of the engine. The K series is a Rover engine, fitted to the 214 and lots of other Rover models, there are tuned K-series motors in the Elise and various seven style cars.

I'm curious, Brian, did you once upon a time stand on top of a high mountain and yell "all deities concerned with cars are bastards" ..?

Apparently >Hi there, what's a 'K' series? and why would it be dangerous for a K >series to overheat?

Rover use single letters to name a lot of their engines. The K series is an award winning engine developed back in the 80s (possibly even 70s). As Doki says massive bolts hold almost the entire block together, making it strong and lightweight. It is used in many applications from the late 80s to today, including the Rover Metro and the Lotus Elise. However if it is not looked after (checking the coolant regularly is essential) then it has a tendancy to blow headgaskets. A well looked after one is a joy to drive IMHO.