Hello to all,
I thought it was about time we had a good news story again.
About a year ago now my family enlarged and the need for a bigger vehical became apparent. My wife and i came accross our 1990 2.0 TD Townace just by chance. We both fell in love with it when we vewed it at the car sales lot. We paid £1200 and the sales man even came out and made shore the water levels were correct in the rad befor we left. (should have had warning bells but didnt no anything about townies and there water/overheating problems).
We had the beast for two weeks and i then found this website. I stayed up till 3 in the morning reading horror storries about headgaskets ect. As soon as it was daylight i rushed outside to check the water levels. To my horror it took a litre of water! We continued to use the townie for days out and to get me back and forth to work, every week i would check the water and it would have dropped a litre. I guess now that this must be a natural level the water levels too.
Anyway in August we decided to take our townie on holiday. We left from our home in Cornwall and drove to Poole. We cought the ferry to Cherbourg in france and continued our jerny South to Bayonne. Then Spain -Burgos, Salamanca, and finaly Sevilla. Then back again.
The jerney took 14 days in temps between 28-34 degrees C, and we clocked just over 5000KM.
We broke 1 aircon belt and i had to top up the water in the rad by 1 litre.
Brilliant!!
There is not many vehicals that i would put this much trust in. The best MPV that money can buy.
Sorry to wafle and i appologise for any spellings, just thought it was good to reflect on just how good these vehicals are.
Lee Hatwell
- (#13887) Lee Hatwell, 23 Oct 04 18:10
Great to hear of yet another convinced Townace family.
I'd like to leave it at that. We don't need to turn every posting here into a problem, but you are most probably heading for trouble one day if you continue to run a 2CT engine with the coolant one litre low in the system. It may well tolerate it, especially if you drive gently, but that is NOT its natural level.
Cold, after standing overnight, the coolant should be within 30 mm of the underside of the metal filler cap above the front of the engine. (You're not referring to the plastic cap on the expansion tank, I presume.)
How full is the expansion tank, cold? It should be about a third to half full, between the marks on the side. It's easier to see the level and the marks if you press a torch against the top.
Probably there is a tiny air leak beginning in the small expansion hoses or the metal filler cap which prevents the system sucking back as much coolant as it should. Otherwise it could be a blocked, flattened or wrongly-connected expansion hose, or even a big airlock in the cooling system. There's plenty of discussion of this in Ace answers. Easy to fix if you get on to it before it gets too serious.
- (#13887) Dave Mason (Sussex), 24 Oct 04 01:40
Lee. You have done all the right things where a Townace is concerned and, the main thing is that you are carrying out constant checks and, most probably, driving the vehicle within it's capabilities. I do think that many problems, with all types of vehicle, are that owners tend to overlook the simple checks.
The Ace range ARE very satisfying and reliable vehicles but, they do need an interested owner who is prepared to undetake quite rigorous preventive maintenance.
- (#13887) John Davis (Leics), 24 Oct 04 02:36
Thanks for your thoughts on my water problem. I notice that my exspansion tank normally is full to the brim when cold, i guess that is where my litre of water ends up. I notice also there is a vacume when i unscrew the metal filler cap on top of the rad, is this normal?
I would be supprised if i had a system air lock as i had the same problem befor i had the water pump changed with the cambelt.
To be honest, i am happy that my townie has lasted as long as it has, might be worth treating it to a new radiator cap. It still has the original one and looks a bit perrished. I am shore i read somewhere about one with a ball float or bearing???? not sure.
If someone gets the time, let me know your thoughts.
Thanks all
Lee Hatwell (Cornwall)
- (#13887) Lee Hatwell, 25 Oct 04 16:36
Give it a new pressure cap...the one with the float...also check the pick up tube in the expansion tank...
Someone have the part number??....the pixies that tidy the bits of paper up from around the computer have been at it again..
Chris
- (#13887) chris turner, 25 Oct 04 18:37
Vacuum under the metal filler cap and expansion tank brim full suggests that the tube that goes down inside the expansion tank is acting as a non-return valve - either the end is too close to the wall of the tank or the tube itslef has softened and flattened.
- (#13887) Dave Mason (Sussex), 26 Oct 04 03:08
Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it!
Lee Hatwell
- (#13887) Lee Hatwell (Cornwall), 26 Oct 04 15:10