Whats Going Wrong Now?

[Scott_Mac]

Just driven back from g/f's and on the way a few things have seemed a little strange.

 

1) Waiting at traffic lights, a few wisps of smoke coming from radiator, temp was sat at 87.... moved on and about 1 mile later, a large amount (approx 10 inch square) of (clear) water sprayed onto the screen on passenger side... seemed hot as it caused inside of screen to mist up.

 

It had been raining very, very heavily overnight so i assumed this could well be water on the radiator that was evaporating?

 

After that i carried on but noticed that:

 

2) The temp guage was reading a couple of degrees lower than usual (normally solid at 87, occasionaly rising as far as 91 when in traffic and its hot weather) it was 86, dropping to 85 and only twice did it hit 87... again i didn't think too much of this because of the rain etc. However under hard acceleration the temp dropped steadily (as in you could see the numbers decrease by 1) to 82... as soon as the acceleration is steady again the revs return to 85/86

 

3) The petrol consumption seemed to be daft good.... 260 showing with 12/13l left - i have been driving the same as usual and i normally get to 225 before refill comes on... however i took it and filled it up and it only took 32 litres, which again is about normal... so maybe i was being kinder - who knows!

 

I'm sure its relevant too, but about 10 days ago i/spike noticed the coolant level had dropped a few mm under the min level, so i topped it up, this morning before leaving, i again noticed it had dropped a few mm, so again i topped it up. I am waiting for the car to cool down and will go and check to see if its lost any again.

 

FWIW, I had a new Radiator and "engine end" temp sensor replaced in about October.

 

Any ideas folks?

[MattyB]

Not related, but do you spend every weekend down at NW or Horizon?

[Scott_Mac]

Horizon is literally round the corner from work (i can see their building from out office) and i think i've been a total of 5 times in my life!

 

That was the first time i've been into NW in months... and it was only to look for a steering wheel.

 

So

[Steve P]

Same thing happenned to me Friday. I got home from work and noticed the temp gauge reading in the low 60s (usually 87). I checked the coolant level Saturday and it was down to the minimum level so I topped it back up. Went out in it and the temp got back up to about 82. A bit worrying when it's been 87 almost without fail, even through the winter!

[Steve P]

...and another thing - why does my Avatar look really naff compared to everyone else's? It was a perfect full size image till I shrunk it to get it on the website.

 

Cheers

[Mark H]

Personally I think it sounds fine, not talking on technical expertise, your car may blow up 2moro but just from driving so many miles in an Elise they all sound like things I've had a lot before.

 

1 - Does just sound like rain water in the radiator, doesnt usually come out in a large amount until you boot it

 

2 - I doubt you would notice those changes on any other car without a digital gauge. The temp will drop when you accelerate hard as the increased air flow cools the car. Used to notice this every morning on the bypass.

 

3 - Your driving like a

 

Coolant levels drop up and down with the weather I found

[Foley]

I'm with Beefy - the coolent thing is well documented on the forums, can't remember exactly what happens but even if you put a litre in, take it for a blast and it returns to just about min mark.

[Scott_Mac]

Seems to be about the same on SELOC - especially about my good fuel consumption... dunno why that is!!!

 

I have dismissed 1) too the weather.. its been fine since.

 

2) Its still doing it, just came back to SWMBO's house and it is still sitting at around 85/86 and dropping rapidly to 82 when accelerating hard.... it certainly never used to do this, so i'm a bit concerned, though it does seem to be running ok.

 

May give NW a call and see if Ian has any thoughts... and even Horizon as they are a tad closer!!!!

 

As for point 3) sorry folks... it won't happen again - was refreshing though!

[Mark H]

The temp on my Elise always dropped a lot when I accelerated hard every morning on the bypass from the lights and then evened back up again when I got onto the motorway.

 

Just keep an eye on the temp and the coolant level.

[spike]

my temp used to be a rock solid 86, now it varies, was worried at first, now im not lol. thing is, this only started since i left it outside in the days, before i changed place of work, it used to be covered everday, or was being driven, so no real chance of water building up in the rad.

 

car goes into get its head gasket sorted soon, my levels seem to live around the minimun mark, even after a top up, ill see what happens once my engine is all sealed again lol

 

steve p, your av looks fine, but my speeder biker guy rules lol its probably changed by now tho lol

[Scott_Mac]

Err, not convinced that helps Spikey! As you rightly point out, you hvae a knackered head gasket!

 

Mine has never varied before (well since i got the rad fixed anyway!!) slightly concerned, but have a feeling its nothing to worry about.... as a precaution i have acquired th AA parts and labour warranty... just in case

[Kris H]

Scott - I know mine's an S2 and a VVC but it tends to sit at about 89, except under hard acceleration when it can drop to 87. In traffic it often hits 103 before the fan kicks in when it then drops right back down again. Coolant in mine is the same as well - doesn't matter what I do, it always sits just under the min mark.

 

Kristian

[daves2111s]

Hi Kristian,

 

Mines almost the same. 86-89 normal running.... 86 under acceleration and 101 in trafffic before the fan kicks in then back down to 90.

As for the coolant level originally it was just below min level so I topped it up a bit and now its just over max and has stayed there rock solid for months.

 

As for the hot water on the windscreen I don't tend to drive mine in the wet but I did have a similar experience recently an hour or so after washing it. At about 60 I suddenly had a screen covered in hot water (a bit scary at the time but clears dead flies really well!!)

 

 

Dave

[Bramble111s]

Just to add to the confusion, mine ust to settle at 82, but know seems to settle at 84 fluctuating 87, sometimes.

Sometimes the revs show a smooth 900 idle, other times fluctuating 950.

 

I assume this is a 'feature' of the Elise,

crossing my fingers as I type this!

[Steve J]

I had steam appear the same. Turned out to be a loose clip on the radiator hose in drivers side access panel. Tightened it up and no more problems. Fluid level stays at the mid point between low and high, although there is an occasional drop that weaps down the side from the cap.

I have noticed fluctuating temp levels recently (used to stay between 88 and 90 with only slow changes), now can fluctuate between 86 and 95 quite rapidly.

 

Slightly different, but heating related, took car in on Sat to NW to fix the heater fan. Turns out to be water collected in a pool next to the heater electrics which has shorted it out. Needs to go back for a few days to sort. All in the last week of my warrantee !