Oil temp rising when stationary

phil675

phil675

phil675

Soldato
Joined
15 Jan 2005
Posts
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Location
UK
Hello folks,

MG ZS here, after a spirited run down the A45 I find myself stopping in traffic. As soon as I creep forward the oil temp shoots up to three quarters and doesn't go down until I get to 30ish. When I stop it goes back up again.

This seems odd in the cold weather, its only gone over half-way during summer before now. I thought the radiator might be dirty so I gave it a hose down but I doubt this has made much difference. Any ideas? :)
 
Do you mean coolant temp rather than oil temp?

Does it increase and decrease unnaturally fast? - Could be a fault with the sensor
 
I didn't know any of the ZS's came with and oil temperature gauge as standard, is it a retro fitted part? Which engine?

EDIT: just seen reply; that is coolant temperature! You might have a stuck thermostat. If it's a 4 pot K series are you keeping a close eye on the coolant level?
 
Yes my mistake :p the coolant is just below the max line, should I check with engine on or off? The dial does go up pretty quick, as soon as I slow down to 20ish.
 
Depending on the gauge your car should sit about halfway, usually around 90c all the time (Well after a few minutes from a cold start), wether you are driving or sitting in traffic, if not then it could be a stuck stat or even head gasket failure as posted above as I believe it is common on those engines.


Have you lost any coolant or oil recently? If you take the oil cap off does the oil look black or is there a white tinge to it like mayo?
 
Bubba said:
Have you lost any coolant or oil recently? If you take the oil cap off does the oil look black or is there a white tinge to it like mayo?
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Had the oil changed yesteday but I did look under the cap beforehand and it was a healthy brown. No idea about the coolant, good idea to get it changed?
 
good idea to get the thermostat changed, you do not want to give a K-Series an excuse to blow it's gasket! Change the coolant at the same time. Good antifreeze mix :)
 
Locky said:
What engine is in your ZS, sorry if I missed it.
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1.6 :) Just been on a 10 mile relaxed drive, when I parked left the engine running for a couple of minutes and the gauge went up to 3/4 in about 30 seconds. It seems rather consistant. I guess changing the thermostat is a pain but can the coolant be changed by a trained chimp such as myself?
 
Do the above to be sure, and don't run it now untill it's done, better to be safe, the K series temps usualy sits at half way.
 
Well I've got to go to work unfortunately. It doesn't seem to happen in the morning. I'll phone a garage where I work and see if I can get it in tomorrow or the day after.
 
Defcon5 said:
Could it be the water pump not working at idle speeds?
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Just had a thought, I've got a subwoofer and an amp for the front speakers, by the time I'm off the dual carrigeway its been quite loud and when I stop heavy bass makes the dipped and dashboard lights dim noticeably. Could this be sucking power from the water pump too? Although the other day I was picking people up with it quiet and every house I stopped at the temp went up ..
 
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