Hey fellas,

Why is it that s**t always happens to me?
I took Beefa for a drive Monday this week, cruising along the highway and his temperature gauge sky rocktes to a little below H. I pulled over and checked him, took the radiator cap off and all that and he had plenty of water and wasnt boiling or anything.

What the hell is wrong with him? Is it the dash (its a 2 gauge with a stuffed fuel gauge and speedo!), the temperature sender or what?

Thanks fellas!

Lynda

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1978 Leyland Mini 998LS All Original *Sally*
2002 Mini Cooper *Coopa*

Never assume that its the dash, had a mate who assumed that his oil pressure light was playing up, very expensive mistake...
When its hot is there any water flowing through the radiator? Since you have fluid and the overheating occurred whilst moving, my guess (disclaimer, I really have no idea) is that it would be a stuffed thermostat, water pump, or a blockage of some kind. I'd eliminate these possibilites before checking out the electrics.

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One should never skimp on the zip ties.

A simple way to check the guage is to take the sensor out of the head , put it into a cup of hot tap water (50-60 degree's isn't it people , not sure myself) and then into a cup of just boiled water and see what the difference is on the guage . If the needle moves from mid and then up to high then the guage is working and you look elsewhere . If the guage is working then there could well be a blockage/stuck thermostat/water pump failuer or corroded enough to be inefficient as speedy suggested . Anyone else with ideas ? I'd say check the guage like I said and if it's still a problem find a mech who know's mini's and their "little habits" and see what they suggest .

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Easy way to check that the guage (inside the car) is working is to disconnect it and briefly short it out against the block it should go right up the guage if not the guage in your instrument cluster is broken.... check the voltage regulator I would also check all your electrical contacts particularly around the instrument cluster (once had the temperature skyrocket because of dodgy contacts.)

If your guage works properly the try as sports850 said that will tell you if the sender unit (the bit in the head) is working. If that's working then start chasing gremlins in the thermostat / cooling system etc.

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Roads need more corners
A Deluxe(CG13DE), 2 Clubbies(998 and 1275) and 2 Morris 1100Ss

Similar problem on my dads van a few weeks ago.
Thermostat was stuffed.
The radiator fluid wasn't boiling (not even hot, really) but the gauge was reading cookin.
When it finally blew it hissed and spluttered everywhere.

Know anyone with an infra-red temperature gauge in your town?
If so, get a few readings done on the radiator, block, head, radiator hoses etc when warm/hot and try to correlate to the gauge (yes I know the gauge doesn't have temps as such only L M H etc). Thermostats open usually at about 78C so if all that is working and no other issues, you would expect all the temps to be around 80C.

That way you may be able to check some of the suggestions already given re thermostat, water pump, sender etc.

Some people who use infra red temps - Food companies, maintenance engineers, perhaps other manufacturing companies.

Ps be very careful taking a radiator cap off even if you suspect it is not as hot as the gauge indicates.

Two gauge sets are relatively easy to come by, you could try swapping them over. Biggest hassle is the mileage will be out and the speedo cable may not be of the same type (Screw in versus clip type). And of course some or all of the secondhand one may be stuffed also.
KB

If its the gauge it would be easier to buy a new one with temp readings instead of the red/blue temp readout. The other gauge could be disconnected or left as is, or if you are clever, rewire it as a new fuel gauge!

You could do that just take the fuel guage out and replace it with the temperature guage I think it would fit problem would be that the fuel guage would work upside down I think.. which could get confusing

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Roads need more corners
A Deluxe(CG13DE), 2 Clubbies(998 and 1275) and 2 Morris 1100Ss

Cool, I have checked the water pump and it seems to be working fine.
I will check the thermostat ( I cant remember if I took it out last summer or not!) and see if thats the problem.
I'm getting a new 3 gauge dash anyways so I wont be concerned if its the 2 gauge dash.
I've been scared to drive him since Monday when he seemed to 'overheat' according to the temp gauge.
the sender things on the lock seems to be dangling a bit as well, I will put the one off the K we have in the backyard in Beefa and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the help fellas,

Lynda

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1978 Leyland Mini 998LS All Original *Sally*
2002 Mini Cooper *Coopa*

Don't get rid of your 2 guage dash the three guage dash is exactly the same except with a tacho tacked on so the two guage will be good for spares and / or diagnosing problems

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Roads need more corners
A Deluxe(CG13DE), 2 Clubbies(998 and 1275) and 2 Morris 1100Ss

Heh even if the speedo only works when it wants to? I still havent worked out why that is....another quirk that Beefa revealed to me

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1978 Leyland Mini 998LS All Original *Sally*
2002 Mini Cooper *Coopa*

It's probably something simple like a dodgy earth. Might take for ever to find but if you do, everything will probably come good.

It's very unlikely that everything in the two guage cluster is stuffed there will be lots of useful bits and pieces in there

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Roads need more corners
A Deluxe(CG13DE), 2 Clubbies(998 and 1275) and 2 Morris 1100Ss

Hmm I will have to pull it apart when I get the 3 gauge one and see if I ca solve the mystery

is it just me or do people find when they fix one thing wrong on their Mini they find another thing wrong? I seem to seem to find little things wrong....maybe its just my cars way of telling me he doesnt like females

Thanks for the help with the temperature problem.....I will suss out the thermostat when I get home. I should have driven him today cause its a nice cool day and see if he still gets hot. Ah well.

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1978 Leyland Mini 998LS All Original *Sally*
2002 Mini Cooper *Coopa*