I've just had a new radiator installed. The car still runs at temperature (the guage half way), however I've noticed that the engine feels hotter (if you touch the bonnet). The rocker cover is very very hot (too hot to touch) and the radiator feels too hot to touch after a 10 minute drive. Is this normal?

The place that fitted the radiator (a body shop) used water instead of coolant. Could this be why it feels hotter? Should I take it back and get them to use coolant?

Kim

The place that fitted the radiator (a body shop) used water instead of coolant. Could this be why it feels hotter? Should I take it back and get them to use coolant?

Kim

Yes....

I second that yes with a helllll yes. You should only use water as coolant for short periods if you really need to.

And use a coolant that can be used with alloy engines as the tr/ts V6 has an alloy head.

The place that fitted the radiator (a body shop) used water instead of coolant. Could this be why it feels hotter? Should I take it back and get them to use coolant?

Kim

God what is this 1960? EVERY car should have coolant in it as a matter of course these days. Drain it yourself and put some coolant in it - not hard - particularly if you buy the concentrate - just pop in the recommended amount of concentrate for the total volume of your cooling system and top up with water.

I had another look today, and it is coolant - its just more of a pale blue coolant (instead of the old fluro green stuff I had).

Anyway, should the oil filler cap, and the main radiator hose - be too hot to touch after say a 15 minute drive? I'm just not sure if I should say something to them about it... perhaps this is normal? (as I've never really paid that much attention with my old radiator)

Kim

HEY KIM!!!!! THE FRONT OF YOUR CAR IS IN THE REPCO CATALOG I SWEAR!!! Way to go :D :D :D . Good to see some of our Magna's getting around like that. Was that a deal with Narva (or whatever your driving light brand is) or something? I just think that is awesome, as I am sure that you do.

hopefully the bleed the system right as this could lead to there being air pockets and less therefore less fluid although i still dont think that would lead to this significant tempreture increase maybe just check the overflow but if the gauge is reading where it normally did then everything should be fine unless the gauge is wrong.

u say the colour of the water is blue afaik there is green ( which can be used in anything pretty much) and red (which is used for newer vehicles 2000 onward, this stuff is more concentrated), this blue stuff just might be a different variation of the red, even still it should work the same if not better.

Shagna: hehe yeah - was surprised to see the pic in the catalogue! http://www.repcoshop.com.au/ASP/Catalogue/CatalogueImages/CatImage_9.jpg
The lights look good - they have a LED that illuminates a ring around the lights when the parking lights are on, and then in high-beam a bright bulb that lights up the whole road.

I guess I will just keep an eye on the radiator. Should the radiator hose that feeds water to the engine be cold? Or warm? Mine is quite warm, but not as hot as the hose returning hot water to the radiator.

Kim

the thing that could cause this... if previously your thermostat was not closing the engine would have run cool - too cool actually. If they've now also replaced the thermostat in conjunction with the radiator work, yes then 'suddenly' the engine would feel hotter while at the same time, its actually working completely correctly. Any mention of a thermostat on your invoice?

the thing that could cause this... if previously your thermostat was not closing the engine would have run cool - too cool actually. If they've now also replaced the thermostat in conjunction with the radiator work, yes then 'suddenly' the engine would feel hotter while at the same time, its actually working completely correctly. Any mention of a thermostat on your invoice?

Will find out. Where in the car would the thermostat be actually located? (the radiator and air con system were replaced)

Will find out. Where in the car would the thermostat be actually located? (the radiator and air con system were replaced)

I don't know your model intimately, but its usually a slightly bell shaped alloy housing where the large pipe from the radiator goes into the head - the bell shape holds the thermostat.

I had another look today, and it is coolant - its just more of a pale blue coolant (instead of the old fluro green stuff I had).

Anyway, should the oil filler cap, and the main radiator hose - be too hot to touch after say a 15 minute drive? I'm just not sure if I should say something to them about it... perhaps this is normal? (as I've never really paid that much attention with my old radiator)

Kim

it should be a green coolant, certaint coolants are made for certian cars, like my dad he got toyota carmry the mechaic put green coolant when it wassupose to have a red,

or better yet just check your car manual to see what colant it says to but but usually it should be green