i have owned my 1988 petrol townace since mid february and not had a moment`s trouble with it.i have sorted out a few minor problems,locating missing parts and fitting them,solving a minor coolant leak,sorting out central locking etc,and in a short while we will be making our longest trip yet,of 150 miles to mid wales on holiday.in my previous cars i have gone all the way there,non-stop,but as i am very cautious and wary about overheating,etc,i will be doing it in 50 mile stints,with an hours stop in between each.got my stops sorted out and will be stopping in welshpool.does anyone know of anywhere to stop in or around stafford or telford?i will let u all know how i got on,on my return.i have the breakdown cover details handy,just in case.
- (#9721) jamie white, 31 Mar 04 12:31
Don't worry too much, if you've got it serviced & are confident that it doesn't lose any coolant, you SHOULD be OK.
Our Townie is well fettled by my fiar hand & last year we took her from SW London to Yorkshire no problem, in fact during the hottest part of August. She ran like a dream & we stopped only once in each direction, 300+ miles each way.
Good luck,
regards Rob.
- (#9721) Rob Drinkwater, 1 Apr 04 14:22
Went to Austria and back last summer not a drop of coolant consumed, not what can be said of the contents of the cool box though!
- (#9721) Clive (Bristol), 1 Apr 04 15:31
Yes, let's applaud our Aces for once ...
On that hottest UK Saturday last year (2003) we returned from the farthest tip of Pembrokeshire to West Sussex. The (modified) temp. gauge crept higher that I'd ever seen it before and I had to adjust the alarm but it cooled whenever I slowed and so I felt confident.
With aircon inside it seemed so hot outside that we didn't want to get out much so just kept going - about 6 hours at 60/70 mph - apart from topping up fuel and refreshments. No coolbox so the refreshments have to go in a shady spot near the aircon outlet.
- (#9721) Dave (Sussex), 2 Apr 04 04:05
if it's not showing signs of overheating at the moment, i wouldn't worry. took mine from merseyside to gloucester, none stop, other than a quick loo break, no probs!
i took it easy, no blasting up motorways, but temp stayed put and not a drop of coolant lost.
may be worth fitting a dave mason special temp alarm for peace of mind, works a treat!.
- (#9721) eddie arrowsmith, 3 Apr 04 13:12
Picked up my new 1990 Diesel Liteace in Manchester on Friday 19th, drove it through the night to Southend, Saturday to Oxford, Sunday to Cardiff for the footie (we lost :-( ), Sunday night to Inverness and then Aultbea via Hereford and the M5. The following Saturday drove to Carlisle and back for the footie (we won :-) ). So since handover I have done the better part of 2500 miles in 15 days. Not used a drop of coolant, barely any oil, and temp guage never over the middle (in a queue on the QE2 Bridge, the temp actually dropped right down - I think the fan has been locked on). So far so good!
- (#9721) Tom, 3 Apr 04 16:58
Hi Tom
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you might have a problem. If the temp dropped down, that's not normal. When you check the coolant level, do you remove the radiator cap and check the filler neck?
The unmodified gauge is useless! it will always point to the centre even if the head is hot enough to warp and crack. As a matter of precaution I would advise you to fit one of Dave Mason's temperature alarms. First it alters the normal position of the needle and secondly it will sound an alarm if the temperature rises above the preset point you select.
- (#9721) dave Bright (Bournemouth), 4 Apr 04 00:43
Hi Dave,
The radiator cap looks like a new Toyota one. I check the expansion bottle every time, and peer into the filler neck every other time. She hasn't used a drop. When I saw the temp guage dropping my heart dropped too - but she was fine. I think the fan is running full on all the time, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. Or else possibly the thermostat is missing/faulty?
I have one of Dave's alarms, but it is for the vertical type gauge, and as Dave has pointed out it is difficult to get it set - sadly for me, as I didn't have time to fiddle with it and the next day the radiator cap came off the old beast and she died! I am just going to e-mail Dave and see if he will do me a trade in!
Thanks,
Tom
- (#9721) Tom, 4 Apr 04 03:57
Last August (when it was nice and warm), went non-stop from Maidstone (Kent) to Anglesey in Wales.... not a problem at all. Travelled all around Anglesey and Dublin and then went back to Maidstone 5 days later. Lovely!
The mp3 player helped by playing lots of music with minimal cd`s btw... I can recommend the panasonic one for £99.... much better than the £130 Kenwood (which we also have).
- (#9721) Storm, 20 Apr 04 15:26
Tom check to see if your fan has been locked because if it has it could prove costly. A viscous fan should never be locked in for more than a few miles and only in an emergency !. It will suddenly do in the bearing or worse. I returned from Oxford on sunday and had taken my super fast vectra as to make journey quicker !!! low and behold coming past Manchester on the M6 was overtaken by a townie in excess of 90 i`d say as i was sitting around 75 with jet ski in tow. No fears of cooling failure by him!. Wasnt you was it ???
- (#9721) Iain, 20 Apr 04 15:48
Thanks for the heads up Iain, checked the fan and it turns freely when the engine is off/cold, so I assume it isn't locked.
90! LOL. My liteace won't see more than 70 if I can help it. She seems so far to be a Proper Lady, and I will treat her with respect. My kids, however, have no idea what respect is :-(
- (#9721) Tom, 25 Apr 04 12:21