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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - overheating, then underheating??

I took the frogeye out for a decent spin yesterday, all was going swimmingly with the temp gauge not peaking too much beyond 190, but after about 30 mins, it dropped to around 160 and struggled to maintain this. So the question is, is this due to the water level dropping below the level of the sensor, or is there some other more sinister reason ?? I carried on driving and the car seemed fine,but I have never seen the temp gauge behave in this way ?

cheers

Russ
RUS(59SPRITE)

I guess the sensor is in the radiator? What you describe could happen if the thermostat opened late, and then stuck open...

A
Anthony Cutler

Russ,
I've just had at times much lower readings than usual when blasting over the Welsh mountain passes, my gauge is about 2 years old and I think it's just a bit too sensitive at times and will fluctuate

Like I tell my wife about all gauges they are just that a gauge not necessarily 100% accurate at any given time – she ignores this and quite sensibly makes me refill the fuel tank as soon as we get near a quarter despite that gauge being accurate now on my car
Nigel At

Russ,
I've just found the comparison photos of water gauges (mine is only C N H)

I think the outside temp was 64, more than warm enough for Wales

my car normally shows around 165 whilst on an open road and up to 180 when mountain climbing behind a slow moving car in front

it dropped to 120 after a good blast up and down another mountain pass

note we only have small mountains over here :)
Nigel At

I went for another drive Thursday night, this time the temp gauge did not move at all......so I took the thermostat out and tested it, 160 degrees and it popped open, so I think its the sender unit in the rad, do these only come with the gauge?
RUS(59SPRITE)

er, I don't know about yours but mine has a (?)capilary(?) pipe that goes from the dail to an adapter so that its sensor can sit inside the head at the front (plugs side of engine)

the pipe is sealed to the (combined oil pressure) dial

note my new water temp gauge doesn't give as steady reading as the old gauge
Nigel At

This thread was discussed between 19/09/2011 and 25/09/2011

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