The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

I need your help guys.

I have a 1980 Sprint (see avatar) which has been treated to a Kenlowe conversion & in-hose thermostat control. The problem is my temp gauge hits about halfway quite quickly from startup and causes the fan to come on.

I've had the fan and thermostat double-checked and they seem fine. Could it be the gauge that's at fault and causing the fan to come on too soon?

Please help as it's driving me mad

That's what it's supposed to do?

Or am I not following you here......

If it's a proper Kenlowe kit it'll have a rheostat knob somewhere you can turn, which adjusts the kick-in point of the fan. The gauge should hit at half or just under in normal operation, so if it's kicking in around then (usually set so as it passes half, it comes in), it's not too far out.

The gauge itself has no bearing on the operation of the fan (it's not wired to it in anyway, unless there's something very odd going on), the fan is controlled solely by the thermostat in the engine bay

Hope that's of some help.

Thanks for the info Lewis.

What else would cause it to heat up so quickly then? A previous owner fitted an oil cooler and cut an extra vent in the front valance, which I thought would help with the cooling.

Could it be a radiator problem then?

Ah so it's more an issue of the temperature coming up too soon than the fan that's troubling you? What kind of time does it take to warm up in?

It's been so long since I've had a Sprint-engined one that I can't really remember how long it took the gauge to climb up - although my previous one did warm up very rapidly, but once there it remained there and wasn't an issue

It may be you have a thermostat fitted that opens at higher temperatures, so the engine warms up quite rapidly until the thermostat opens. The thermostat controls the flow of water through the radiator, so when the engine's cold water does not flow at full rate (if at all) through the radiator allowing the engine to warm up, and when it does it opens completely and full cooling begins.

I think it's time one of the Sprint-engine experts stepped in

It warms up pretty quickly Lewis. Roughly 15-20 mins but on a hot day like we had last summer it was kicking in after just 10mins.

As I've said before, I'm not practical at all. I'd rather get sound reliable advice before paying a garage to try and find what's wrong.

Any help or tips you can give me are really appreciated.

I'd say you've got a good 'un there. At this time of year you should be up to operating temp in about 5 mins / 5 miles gentle driving. Sitting idling will take a lot longer.

Tinweevil

Thanks for your help guys. It's great that someone as stupid as me can get so much free advice.

One last question: Should I just stop worrying and get on with driving my Sprint? It's been great fun and apart from a dead battery (my own fault)has never let me down.

I'd say sop worrying! As long as it's running at normal temp, and not going higher, it's not a problem if it warms up quicker!

I think on a properly voltage regulated car, and with a decent temp gauge, a nice place for the gauge to sit is the needle's width below halfway. Anywhere around half is fine, but it shouldn't get over three quarters.

Thanks a lot guys for all the tips and info.

DavePoth is spot on about where the gauge sits when the fan kicks in.

Would any of you advise having the in-hose thermostat adjusted to kick in a little later than it is? (Sorry for being a nusciance )

'Swat this board is for.
I have a kenny fan on the Rover and on a Spit. They both do what yours does. If yours is taking twenty minutes to warm up with no ordinary fan its fine...if anything its a tad slow.
I would have though about 5-10 minutes is normal.
You really dont want the fan on in normal running in anything less than 15 C weather. It may come on for a few seconds if you are stuck in traffic.

The guage reading you have is spot on.
Sounds a fit car.

Jonners

Thanks for all your tips and advice guys.

Think I'll stop worrying and get on with driving it. I will, however, let you all know if I have any further problems.