Symptoms of overheating?

[gatsby989]

Ok, dumb question: How do you know if the car is overheating? I don't have any temperature gauges fitted. I'm not getting steam or anything like that.

[minor65]

Yes steam from under the bonnet and heater suddenly going cold

[bmcecosse]

Do you suspect it's overheating? Put a catch bottle on the rad overflow pipe and see what it collects.

[gatsby989]

I am not sure. Since it started cutting out on a warm day while climbing a hill, I wondered if it was heat-related. But then the problem continued, under less "heated" conditions. A friend remarked once that my radiator core seemed smaller than normal, and asked if I had overheating issues. I'm a newbie obviously, and I've never had anything obvious like steam coming out, but perhaps there are less obvious signs I am unaware of.

What should I be looking for in the catch bottle?

[bmcecosse]

Not much - it will simply tell you if any water is being blown out. The cutting out is due to petrol flow problems - possibly a vacuum in the tank, possibly a blocked fuel filter in the pump, or just a poor pump delivery . If you have an external fuel filter fitted - THROW IT AWAY !

[simmitc]

Could also be an ignition problem - condenser & rotor arm most likely suspects.