4ac heat issues

[shakes]

This started yesterday night, had to go to work today so havent been able to suss it out fully yet. Under load the temp climbs pretty rapidly up to 3/4 on the factory gauge. First thought was timing as it was pinging. knocked it back to factory, no improvement. Water is clean, no floaty's and not dirty or rainbowey, oil got changed around 3000km's ago and is still pretty clean considering.

Upper radiator hose is damn soft so thats on my shopping list.
As is a new thermostat.
Just noticed a small leak in the exhaust just below the firewall, I'm guessing that wouldn't be helping??

How common is it for the waterpump to be flogged out and not able to keep up?

Is there anything I've missed ?? it's all for a stock auto 4ac powered ae71

Cheers

Simon

[greeneyes]

When I bought our 110,000km KE a few months back it didn't have a thermostat in, so I went & got one. We went to Sydney last weekend and coming back up over the Blue Mountains it went up to 3/4 of max on the temp guage in Bells Line of Road, the steep bit. After the grade flattens off a few Km further on the temp went back down, and I'm happy to consider that quite normal.

I run a bit more advance than factory and we were on 91 octane, so it pinked in Sydney up hills, although it doesn't in Orange. Its retardation that heats an engine, not advance.

I'd expect a knackered waterpump to leak. How much load do you need to make it run hot?

On other cars I've found flushing the rad out backwards stopped it, although on one it meant taking the whole bottom tank off and poking wire up the cores...

[shakes]

old thermostat was jammed.

top radiator hose was squashing shut when the car was hot and rev's got above 4500.

radiator overflow bottle was leaking so top up water wasn't being drawn back into the system.

seem's to be all good now