Temp gauge falling.

Driving my Brava yesterday (yes, bring it on, it's Italian blah, blah, blah) I joined the motorway and gave it a boot through the gears up the slip road. Once I joined the motorway there was a stink of petrol. This eventually subsided, I can't be sure it was my car or another one and may be purely coincidental.

As I drove along the motorway I saw the temp gauge start to fall very slowly. It continued to do this until it stopped at around the quarter mark. It's never sat completely steady but usually bobs around either side of the half way mark. I did about twelve to fourteen miles on the motorway and the gauge would rise a little and fall to a quarter just like it does when sitting at half way.

When I reached my road home - four miles of country road - It rose to nearly half way and carried on as normal. So, should I be concerned? The only reason I can think for this to happen would be a thermostat sticking open. Anything else?

Reply to
gazzafield
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It's Italian. Dodgy electrics immediately springs to mind.

I'd also be checking for petrol leaks as well.

Reply to
Conor

"gazzafield" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@pipex.net...

Still plenty water in it?

Reply to
moray

Yep, up to the max mark.

Reply to
gazzafield

"gazzafield" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@pipex.net:

The question is, did it used to do that before? May be a lazy thermostat. Higher speed - more cooling, especially if you are not booting it, but cruising on the motorway. Lower speed, more heat not being radiated away.

Reply to
Tunku

It hasn't done it to such a marked degree before that I have noticed. I am quite paranoid with temp gauges having owned a Laguna that overheated three times in nine months, two of those times taking the head gasket with it, and I own a Rover 214! :-)

As I said, it does wander up and down while driving. I have seen it sit at the dot below the half and the dot above the half. The latter admittedly only when in stop start mode. My main driving is country, DC and motorway stuff with where I live and work.

Reply to
gazzafield

When driving the car yesterday I saw the gauge fall swiftly from half to a quarter. It then bobbed up to half and straight back down. I then saw this a couple of times more. So, it's the good old Italian electrics as was suggested. Hardly surprising.

So, gauge or sender? My HBOL only mentions the coolant temperature sensor that is part of the engine management. Does anyone know if this also does the gauge or if there is another for the gauge that isn't mentioned?

Reply to
gazzafield

When driving the car yesterday I saw the gauge fall swiftly from half to a quarter. It then bobbed up to half and straight back down. I then saw this a couple of times more. So, it's the good old Italian electrics as was suggested. Hardly surprising.

So, gauge or sender? My HBOL only mentions the coolant temperature sensor that is part of the engine management. Does anyone know if this also does the gauge or if there is another for the gauge that isn't mentioned?

Reply to
gazzafield

"gazzafield" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@pipex.net...

Thermostat getting weak i'd say..

tim. .

Reply to
Tim..

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