Rover 216 Overheating

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Wed 30 Oct 2002 12:26
Rover 216 Overheating - Mik Chumley
Hi

My P reg Rover 216Si has suddenly started overheating (last night and this morning). Although I've now booked it into the garage for tomorrow, I still need to get home (about 6 miles). I'm worried that I might cause irrepairable/expensive damage to the engine. I topped up the oil and coolant last night.

My symptoms are:
Needle started creeping up to max on motorway at around 70mph but no hot air was coming through the heaters. I slowed to about 50 and got off the motorway at the next junction and the needle dropped to about normal.

Opening the bonnet revealed a fizzing noise and a small amount of steam coming from behind the engine. The coolant didnt seem to be hot.

Anyone any ideas? Blockage? Pump failure? Spingledonkit in my Flangesprocket?

Also, if I take it easy and keep the needle at normal level will I be OK to get home?


thanks in advance

Mike C
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Wed 30 Oct 2002 12:44
Rover 216 Overheating - RichardW
Sounds as though maybe a coolant hose has split and you've lost the coolant (this is why the heater was not working). Could be more serious though eg head gasket. When you say the coolant was not hot, do you mean in the radiator? Could be that the thermostat has packed up. Any other symptoms - steamy exhaust, oil in the coolant, water in the oil?

I would be very wary about driving it - overheating causes serious engine damage (warped head) - and if you lose all the water the temp gauge stops working, and you think all is fine till you lose compression and the engine grind to a halt (my mate did this to a company Rover 200 Vi - best thing for it really!).

Richard

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Wed 30 Oct 2002 13:02
Rover 216 Overheating - Mik Chumley
thanks for the reply,

the coolant wasnt hot in the expansion tank - whether this is relevant or not I dont know but I had the car over heat in stationary traffic about a year ago and then it was very hot and sputtered when I undid the top.

It looked like I had a coolant leak but they flushed the system and couldnt find anything. On inpsection, the garage couldnt find the reason for the overheating but mentioned something about signs of a weak radiator and said to keep an eye on it.

I feel an expensive repair bill coming on....


cheers

Mike C
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Wed 30 Oct 2002 13:24
Rover 216 Overheating - madf
Sounds like
either failed water pump
or thermoststat partially closed.

Both would account for symptons
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