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[martin341]

Searching for some ideas again.
So my '00 MV6 has developed a strange probleem. When there is over -20C outside then on the first drive in the morning temp goes up, like over 100C  in ~10km trip. The rest of the day it works like a dream although outside temp is pretty much the same about -16/-22C. Coolant level is ok and the coolant is made to last about -35C. No leaks, cabin fan blows warm air.. I'm out of ideas...

So all ideas are welcome! Allthough most of you guys does not deal with that kind of outside temperatures

Martin

[Entwood]

Sounds to me like a "sticky" thermostat that is reluctant to open from cold soak .. ie  "hard" closed .. but after it has had time to warm through, and remains "warm-ish" so only "gently" closed then works as it should ... if that makes any sense ...

I'd be considering a thermostat change myself ....   

[Webby the Bear]

Sounds to me like a "sticky" thermostat that is reluctant to open from cold soak .. ie  "hard" closed .. but after it has had time to warm through, and remains "warm-ish" so only "gently" closed then works as it should ... if that makes any sense ...

I'd be considering a thermostat change myself ....   

+1 

[martin341]

Thats what I was afraid of. Do i remember correct that the belt needs to come off to change thermostat..? 

Thanks!

[Webby the Bear]

Neither aux or cam belt removed 

Guide in Maintenance section 

[martin341]

 Ok, good news. Thanks for help

Martin

[Webby the Bear]

Just be careful when refitting the 'B' bolt. It goes in the cylinder head at a funky angle and I cross threaded mine on replacement 

All sorted now though

[martin341]

Thanks for the tip.

[tidla]

A land where you definitely want the heated seats to work

[martin341]

A land where you definitely want the heated seats to work

Yeah   driver seat is not working, too lazy to fix it, bought a set of long underwear

[sjc]

+1 for thermostat, not too bad a job to do provided the transfer pipe will separate from the stat housing.  Also, don't disconnect the fuel lines from the injector manifold, jsut disconnect the wiring at the back and sit it to one side - I put a thick towel over the coolant tank area and sit it there.

If your seats have the thigh support, it's usually the heater mat in there that fails and breaks the circuit for the rest of the seat - you can cut the plug off of the thigh support and solder the wires together and plug that back into the set to alow the main heater mats to work again.  Obviously you would insulate the bare ends you have soldered.

[Kevin Wood]

I agree that it's most likely the thermostat, but another alternative might be that the coolant is just starting to freeze in the radiator. I'm guessing this is the first place it's going to start to freeze, as it's more exposed than the rest of the cooling system and the mass of the engine will retain some heat. As you drive away on a cold morning the radiator will get chilled by the incoming air too. If that's enough to partially block the radiator core, it might explain why the cooling is slow to kick in until everything is hot. For the rest of the day, there'll be enough residual heat to stop it happening again, until it gets another overnight chilling.

I'm just wondering if it's worth trying a stronger antifreeze mix before condemning the thermostat?

Most thermostats I've seen fail open and cause overcooling (not to say it hasn't failed by another mode, of course).

[05omegav6]

Stuck open was certainly how mine failed

[martin341]

Today i noticed coolant on the fresh snow that has come from the front of the car, radiator area and "following" the curve of the bumper Havent poped the bonnet yet to check the coolant level. Drove it in the morning when it was dark outside and discovered the trail later. All was good during the drive, no overheating.
And the coolant is all good, about 6 months old and made to last about -35 degrees C. And i have blocked the cold air flow to the radiaator with cardboard behind the grill, a must-have extra in the Finland winter, leaving a hole for air intake..

Looks like another peaceful garage-weekend coming I looove my Omega...

Can't get the pic here directly, so: http://postimg.org/image/sdjrmdu4f/

[Kevin Wood]

Yes, I've been to Finland in the winter. Kind of redefines the word "cold" for those of us who live in the relative tropics of the UK!

Coolant leaks around the radiator are frequently due to the drain valve at the bottom  left of the radiator (viewing from the front) and also cracking of the side-tank of the radiator just below the top radiator hose entry point.