Hi Magna People
I have had alot of repairs done to my Magna TP 1990 over the past 12 months, all of which have been basically engine related to save me the cost of replacing the motor. Valve Stem Seals, Cam Shaft Seal, Rocket Cover. The car has done 170,000km. I have also had the oil rings and bearings changed and the PCV valve looked at. Yes I am loyal to my magna and it to me. There is still a problem with overheating though. The car gets really hot inside it, even on a cool day and the temperature gauge goes up to half way, all the time, With the amount of mileage i do on this thing which isnt significant, i would expect the temp to reach about a quarter of the way. It should not be getting hot. Under the bonnet is hot also. I had a second hand radiator fitted 12 months ago as the old one was rusted and leaking. Can someone suggest what the problem may be please, and please free to ask any questions you need to. I am at the end of my rope with this car and its heating and engine problems. Many thanks
Doogs

waterpump worn

water pump belt slipping

thermatic fans not coming on

clogged radiator core

stuck thermostat

lever working the heater hot water valve stuck on corroded
(under the dash ) edit no valve just ignore that bit

Normally the thermostat stays closed for the first km or 2 to get the engine up to temperature quickly. If your trip is 1 or 2 km or more long, it should get to halfway on the temp gauge. While the thermostat is closed this hot water also goes through the heater core, and when the heater is on, you will get warmish air coming out after 100 m or so after a cold start. There is no valve in the heater, hot water flows through it all the time. When the heater is off, there is a flap that closes off the heater compartment, so fresh air bypasses the heater core. If the seal on this flap is broken, or the flap doesn't close fully, you will get hot air from the heater all the time. If it is getting hot in the cabin, check this flap for correct operation.

Where is this flap please, I am a non-mechanic and have no idea where to look.
Thanks
Doogs

Big black box under the dash, as you move the temp control, you should see one of the cable operated levers on the box move.

Thanks again for your help MadMax i will have a look and let you know, hope its not an expenzive fix as I have already spent way too much on this car than its worth, but the alternative is to buy another second hand car or new car which would both require going into debt. So not an option.
Cheers
doogs

Can anyone tell me if my excessive cabin heat problem could be caused by a split hose somewhere under the bonnet?

you would know about a split hose

if the coolant level in the

radiator topping needed topping up every day

heater hoses come out of firewall
and into the inlet manifold
at a junction pipe this piece often corrodes as it is made
of low grade steel

you get to if from the driverside

another idea
check the welsh plugs
or for a crack in the block at the front welsh plugs

Thanks Magna buff, will consider all you have said.

To all, I should have mentioned, i am not currently losing coolant from my radiator. The level remains constantly full even as the cabin temp heats up. So this is a good thing right? Water pump was replaced in 2010 early on, and the water pump belt was checked when i did the cam shaft seal earlier this year, all looks good. Looks like it might be the heater cabling seal or mechanism under dashboard. I heard this is a real problem to rectify but it shouldnt be, for such a basic thing to fix seems non-cost effective to spend alot of money and time, does anyone know of a quick fix if it is this?
Thanks
Doogs

Does anyone know where i can download a car manual for my Magna TP series 1990 EFI, or get one really cheap, I have found several other models on the web, but not the one i want.

Any heads up would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Doogs

Doogs, the temperature gauge is purely for the temperature of the coolant inside the engine, this should always be halfway, and is correct. Any less or more than that, is bad. It will of course take a little while to get up to temp when you start it, but half is pretty much standard for all cars.

Inside car temperature is completely unrelated to that, I would recommend turning on the air conditioning if you have it. or wind the windows down!


The only engine thing that would normally effect inside your car is if the heater is on, if the heater core was broken or something it wouldn't so much make the car hot as the coolant would leak into the car.

Thanks for clarifying that lathiat, i did not know that the dashboard temperature gauge and the heat of the car were unrelated. makes sense though now you say it as I am not losing fluid from the coolant reservoir. Air conditioning does work but dont want it running all the time, would rather have the heating system checked so thats it working properly. Thanks for your input.
Regards
Doogs

Temp guage at half way is pretty normal I'd have thought. Your cabin temp issue though could just be that the cable behind the dash has come off and it's stuck on hot. You'll be able to tell by turning the dial / slider - if there's not much resistance the cable is off.

ill 3rd the temp gauge. mine is at half way well before i get to the next street corner (which is less than 2 ks away-im semi rural). my always hovers at about half no matter weather its 40 degrees outside or 5 as it was the other morning. never gets any hotter either even with hill climes on hot days.
these cars seems to run hotter than others, possibly because the head is higher than the radiator which isnt a very efficient design by any stretch of the imagination.
if you have air con try turning that on to activate the fans and see if that makes a difference if your still worried about it getting too hot.

Sounds like the general consensus is the temp controlling device. Does your car feel hot inside when your driving though, mine literally does. You can put your hand out the open window on a cool day and feel a marked difference on your arm to what the temp is inside the car. I have a Magna TP 1990 Executive. Thanks

i have noticed if you leave the heater controls in the heat position even with the fan off there is quite allot of heat still come through the system. if you want to test if the flap is disconnected from the cable one way to tell would be to see if you get hot air through the system with the control in the cold position. ide turn the fan on low and see if the air coming through is even slightly heated. as people say the seal may not be too crash hot. especially if it was a foam seal that has turned to dust.....

but personally my car never heats up inside while driving. although it always smells hot.

Thanks Old Magna for your input.