| Author |  Topic  |
john-saab
Administrator
United Kingdom
2679 Posts |  Posted - 29 May 2016 : 08:55:56  
| 1st proper run yesterday and all is not well. The cooling system is playing up. The radiator (recently re-cored) is getting a lot of air in it, the resevoir is filling and overflowing and the heater matrix drain doesn't expel water unless the engine is revved up. I'm sure the pump is working (almost new) but will have a proper look today. I'm hoping it's not a head gasket gone (pressurising the cooling system).
It's not overheating.
'73 96 (Vernon),'74 95 (Veronica)plus 4 other 95's and 2 96's |  |
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Derek
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
2192 Posts | Posted - 29 May 2016 : 12:27:12
| | Is the matrix bleeder smoothly flowing coolant? Heater valve stuck trapping air in the matrix? Can't be many things you haven't come across before John. | |
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Andyinthegarage
V4 Fanatic
United Kingdom
361 Posts | Posted - 30 May 2016 : 05:07:35
| Sounds all too familiar symptoms to me! You may find that a piece of small tubing can be used to carefully suck an airlock out of heater matrix bleed. If radiator is only change since last running ok, then critically examine hose joints in and out. I also found that rusty residue stirred up after work tended to produce a rusty froth which obviously has limited cooling effect so flush several times.
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john-saab
Administrator
United Kingdom
2679 Posts | Posted - 23 Jul 2016 : 19:55:50
| With less than a week to go for the SOC nationals and both V4's playing up I was playing with the idea of an engine swap BUT the spare engine is fresh built and I didn't want it's 1st trip to be fully laden and a long haul.
Time for a deeper investigation. Compression tests showed very low on 3 cylinders (ranged from 160 Lbs/inch to 80). Dropping oil in the bores didn't change the readings so it had to be head issues. No excessive smoke and no mixing of oil/water. One cylinder head off and the gasket was perfect but I have at least one burnt out exhaust valve. Plenty of spares on the shelf so I found the best cylinder head in the pile..stripped it down and dropped the "almost new" exhaust valve on the floor..of course it bent DOH! Another was found and one head is now finished..tomorrow the other (showed better results on the compression test so hoping it won't need as much work)..the bad valve first..almost level with the head...then the good one
'73 96 (Vernon),'74 95 (Veronica)plus 4 other 95's and 2 96's | |
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john-saab
Administrator
United Kingdom
2679 Posts | Posted - 24 Jul 2016 : 19:07:38
| OH BOTHER! Almost there and went to put the dizzy back in..it wouldn't drop into place. Looked into the hole and the oil pump drive shaft was at an odd angle. I tried to pull it up and drop in back into the pump but it just wouldn't come up enough. After almost an hour i gave up trying to be gentle and gave it a good hard tug...out it came...minus the grip washer that should be 1/4 way down. So unless I can fish it out through the sump with a magnet it looks like the engine is coming out anyway. ANd it was going so well.
'73 96 (Vernon),'74 95 (Veronica)plus 4 other 95's and 2 96's | |
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Zagato
V4 Mad
United Kingdom
812 Posts | Posted - 25 Jul 2016 : 15:43:01
| Little Honda is watching all this with a hopeful smile on it,s face  I feel for you John, I would have booked Hertz by now, keep at it mate...
96L
9000 Aero
9-3
9-5
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john-saab
Administrator
United Kingdom
2679 Posts | Posted - 25 Jul 2016 : 18:57:49
| I have run out of time..we are super busy at work but i'm off to London tomorrow for a meeting and then i'm picking up something SAAB shaped on the way out.
'73 96 (Vernon),'74 95 (Veronica)plus 4 other 95's and 2 96's | |
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john-saab
Administrator
United Kingdom
2679 Posts | Posted - 15 Oct 2016 : 14:42:36
| Several weeks ago I found time to get the engine out, retrieve the washer and get the car running but I still had gurgling in the radiator and slight overheating. Today I found that the water pump has been leaking..i'm guessing that the air has been entering the cooling system here as well. It's all stripped but I used my last NOS pump on the 96 last weekend so will have to wait for a new one to arrive.
'73 96 (Vernon),'74 95 (Veronica)plus 4 other 95's and 2 96's | |
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john-saab
Administrator
United Kingdom
2679 Posts | Posted - 22 Oct 2016 : 20:07:02
| Pump changed and the rad still gurgles when the engine is switched off. I'm guessing there is an issue with the re-con radiator..it gurgles then you can hear water "drip drip drip" inside. I changed the thermostat before and the radiator cap today so the last thing it can be is the rad. I have a triple cored re-con on the shelf..it was going in another project but I will give it a go tomorrow.
'73 96 (Vernon),'74 95 (Veronica)plus 4 other 95's and 2 96's | |
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Betsy67
V4 Fanatic
United Kingdom
409 Posts | Posted - 24 Oct 2016 : 12:14:14
| Betsy does that all the time. Uses hardly any water, temp gauge stays steady, so I guess it's aV4 thing #128578;
There's a few pipes and connections above (height wise) the radiator without a bleed point, so impossible to completely fill the system. | |
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chris steeden
V4 Fan
United Kingdom
163 Posts | Posted - 24 Oct 2016 : 12:39:57
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Do you have the rad cap and the pressure/expansion bottle cap reversed John? Just a thought. | |
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john-saab
Administrator
United Kingdom
2679 Posts | Posted - 29 Apr 2017 : 16:21:08
| Back onto this...I may be onto something and it's possibly down to bad luck. 3 different thermostats..2 brand new and one that looks like it's almost new. I placed all 3 into a pan of boiling water and NONE of them opened. A quick look through the spare parts and I found another..it works well so that's now in. Man flu stopped play as I was coughing more than working so home with a hot honey/lemon/rum now. Tomorrow I will try again.
'73 96 (Vernon),'74 95 (Veronica)plus 4 other 95's and 2 96's | |
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| Topic | |
Veronica
