hi guys just a quick question my mb has the F8B '88' ALTO motor in it and she seems to be driving all good but in this 40 degree heat we are suppose to get the car seems to be gettin quite hot real quick its always done when i jump onto the motorway (i have a 10 min window before its over half temp).
so how hi on the temp gauge is the car suppose to run and when should i get worried??
also what can i do to rectify the drama i am having.
thanks in advance guys.
HEATIN UP
Ok...
Lots of people ask about 'how hot' their car should run...
I have a bog-standard (or close to it!) 543 and a NEW, STANDARD radiator.
I use run-of-the-mill coolant in the system, and run a thermostat. - There is nothing special about my cooling system other than all the components are in good working order.
Here's some temperature indications and how I would react to them in my car:
A. This is where my needle points when the car is stone-motherless-cold. (i.e. at start-up)
B. This is the point at which my car will idle happily with no choke. - It will idle colder than this, but tends to run roughly.
C. This is "NORMAL" running temp. My car will sit here on anything from a 5 degree day to a 35 degree day under any 'normal' driving conditions. City traffic, suburban traffic, highway traffic, makes no difference.
D. I would think this is getting warm. I really struggle to get my car to this point, but can under some 'spirited driving conditions'
E. If my needle gets here, I'm starting to get worried - something is WRONG.
F. This is HOT - There is definitely something majorly wrong for the needle to be here. At this point I would typically STOP and investigate.
G. This is boiled. I've never been here - even when my head-gasket went.
I'm sure others will have different readings... These are mine.
As an indication though, today some guys & I went on a cruise here in Melbourne... we drove home (approx 80k's) along highways and freeways, and my temp didn't move from "C".
Last year I towed another Mightyboy for 160k's down the hume, sitting between 85 - 95 k's all the way.
Temperature did not move off "C".
Oh, and on the recent days here in Melbourne when it was 41 degrees... I was doing suburban driving, and my temp sat at "C".
Hope this helps.
Lots of people ask about 'how hot' their car should run...
I have a bog-standard (or close to it!) 543 and a NEW, STANDARD radiator.
I use run-of-the-mill coolant in the system, and run a thermostat. - There is nothing special about my cooling system other than all the components are in good working order.
Here's some temperature indications and how I would react to them in my car:
B. This is the point at which my car will idle happily with no choke. - It will idle colder than this, but tends to run roughly.
C. This is "NORMAL" running temp. My car will sit here on anything from a 5 degree day to a 35 degree day under any 'normal' driving conditions. City traffic, suburban traffic, highway traffic, makes no difference.
D. I would think this is getting warm. I really struggle to get my car to this point, but can under some 'spirited driving conditions'
E. If my needle gets here, I'm starting to get worried - something is WRONG.
F. This is HOT - There is definitely something majorly wrong for the needle to be here. At this point I would typically STOP and investigate.
G. This is boiled. I've never been here - even when my head-gasket went.
I'm sure others will have different readings... These are mine.
As an indication though, today some guys & I went on a cruise here in Melbourne... we drove home (approx 80k's) along highways and freeways, and my temp didn't move from "C".
Last year I towed another Mightyboy for 160k's down the hume, sitting between 85 - 95 k's all the way.
Temperature did not move off "C".
Oh, and on the recent days here in Melbourne when it was 41 degrees... I was doing suburban driving, and my temp sat at "C".
Hope this helps.
Tez
So the adventure continues...
So the adventure continues...
Not to confuse the issue, but the guage position also depends on the range of the temperature sensor.
I'm not sure what the stock one is, but I know mine is a 40-120C sensor, and looks roughly like Tez's.
I'm not sure what the stock one is, but I know mine is a 40-120C sensor, and looks roughly like Tez's.
1987 Suzuki Mighty Boy - F5A, stocker.
Work fleet, or Wife's Jeep Rubicon.
Work fleet, or Wife's Jeep Rubicon.
Sounds like you have air in your cooling system. When the thermostat opens to allow coolant from engine block to rad, there isn't enough of it. You fill your rad when cold, thermostat closed, so no coolant gets to the block, until 'highway' temp is reached.
As stated, a lot depends on the temp setting of your thermostat, the thermo fans, condition of radiator, etc, etc, could even be timing too far forward. You need to get used to where "normal" is on your car, no-one else's matters.
Just because you flush a radiator with a hose, and it comes out the top clean, doesnt mean the rad isnt blocked.
A couple of thoughts....
As stated, a lot depends on the temp setting of your thermostat, the thermo fans, condition of radiator, etc, etc, could even be timing too far forward. You need to get used to where "normal" is on your car, no-one else's matters.
Just because you flush a radiator with a hose, and it comes out the top clean, doesnt mean the rad isnt blocked.
A couple of thoughts....
GUYS AGAIN THANKS HEAPS FOR THE REPLIES .
TEZ I READ YOUR POST THE OTHER DAY AND THATS SOUND AWESOME BRO SERIOUSLY.
BUT EVERY DAY MY CAR WILL SIT ON "C" BUT NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTSIDE TEMP IS IF IM DOING BETWEEN 90 - 110 ON THE MOTORWAY IT GOES TO "D" TO "E" I HAVE MY MB PRETTY SORTED WITH THE TEMP (MEANING I KNOW WHERE IT SITS DURING A NORMAL DRIVE AND A FLOGGING)BUT IM NO MECHANIC BY ANY MEANS. IM GONNA GET THE RAD FLUSHED AND CHECKED FOR BLOCKAGES IF I CANT FIND ANY AND ITS STILL DOIN IT I WILL REPLACE THE RAD IF THAT DOES NOT WORK THEN I MAY NEED SOME HELP AS TO HOW TO CHECK EVERTHING YOU GUYS HAVE STATED.ALSO IS THERE A REV GAUGE THAT I CAN INSTALL TO SEE HOW HARD MY ENGINE IS WORKIN, I DONT WANT A MONSTER TACO JUST SOMETHING NORMAL SIZED THATS EASILY INSALLED BY ME.
TEZ I READ YOUR POST THE OTHER DAY AND THATS SOUND AWESOME BRO SERIOUSLY.
BUT EVERY DAY MY CAR WILL SIT ON "C" BUT NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTSIDE TEMP IS IF IM DOING BETWEEN 90 - 110 ON THE MOTORWAY IT GOES TO "D" TO "E" I HAVE MY MB PRETTY SORTED WITH THE TEMP (MEANING I KNOW WHERE IT SITS DURING A NORMAL DRIVE AND A FLOGGING)BUT IM NO MECHANIC BY ANY MEANS. IM GONNA GET THE RAD FLUSHED AND CHECKED FOR BLOCKAGES IF I CANT FIND ANY AND ITS STILL DOIN IT I WILL REPLACE THE RAD IF THAT DOES NOT WORK THEN I MAY NEED SOME HELP AS TO HOW TO CHECK EVERTHING YOU GUYS HAVE STATED.ALSO IS THERE A REV GAUGE THAT I CAN INSTALL TO SEE HOW HARD MY ENGINE IS WORKIN, I DONT WANT A MONSTER TACO JUST SOMETHING NORMAL SIZED THATS EASILY INSALLED BY ME.
When you gotta go you gotta go!
Get a leakdown test done. An overheating engine can point to a blown head gasket.
F8B EFI turbo - Three pots and a snail.
A reputable mechanic will have the necessary equipment. Basically if the head gasket blows between the combustion chamber and water jacket you get excess pressure in the cooling system, which causes the coolant to boil.
If the leak is bad enough you can start the car without the radiator cap on and bubbles will appear within a minute.
This kind of gasket leak doesn't give you milky oil on the dipstick, so is often missed.
If the leak is bad enough you can start the car without the radiator cap on and bubbles will appear within a minute.
This kind of gasket leak doesn't give you milky oil on the dipstick, so is often missed.
F8B EFI turbo - Three pots and a snail.
Most radiator specialists will do one for you free-of-charge... basically, they fit a special rad cap to your tank and then manually pressurize the system with a bike pump and lock it off at about 25 psi. Then they watch a pressure guage to see if the pressure drops (It shouldn't). If it does, then there's a problem. Could be a bodgy hose expanding, could be a leak, or could be a stuffed head-gasket.
Either way, if the pressure drops, then that means when the car is running, the fluid is going somewhere - other than where it's supposed to...
Either way, if the pressure drops, then that means when the car is running, the fluid is going somewhere - other than where it's supposed to...
Tez
So the adventure continues...
So the adventure continues...
Leak tests are NOT infallible... My last overheating episode ended up being a head-gasket... But it had gone in such a manner that at 25 PSI it held together and didn't let any pressure drop... But at running pressures (150 PSI +) combustion gasses were getting past the gasket into the cooling system and pressurising the coolant - It then would back-flow into the expansion tank and geyser out the pressure relief pin-hole in the overflow tank lid, and coolant-jet-blast the underside of my bonnet. 
But still worth while getting the test done!
But still worth while getting the test done!
Tez
So the adventure continues...
So the adventure continues...
Sorry Tez, what you're describing is a cooling system pressure check, not a leakdown test.
F8B EFI turbo - Three pots and a snail.
Oh crap. - went right off on a tangent... didn't I?for the life of me guys i have been searchin for 3 hrs to find a 3 cylinder rpm gauge and voltage gauge to chuck in my mb but all i can find are 4,6,8 cyl gauges, the only 3 cyl i can find is $111 and i dont want to pay that much.
if possible can i use a 4,6,8 gage or no??
if possible can i use a 4,6,8 gage or no??
When you gotta go you gotta go!
A 6 cyl can be used, with slight mods to the circuit. Cant remember how to do it, though. I'm stoopid with electronical stuff. Something like bridging a diode, or getting a chrome Kanoota valve... 
I'll check with a bud, of mine, and get back to ya.
I'll check with a bud, of mine, and get back to ya.