Fluctuating temp guage

[Veesix]

hi all. Thought I'd share the problem I had regarding temp guage fluctuating to max with a slight power loss then back to normal on my 53 plate connect with 98k on clock. first thing thats went wrong other than 1 puncture in 5 years ownership. Anyways it happened from once a day to 10 times a day esp up hills, so after looking through the forum and other forums I changed the expansion cap as it was a cheap option but to no avail, checked for signs of blown head gasket, water pump wrong coolant etc but all seemed fine, anyways it really started to bug me now, so 5 wks ago I heard a clunk followed by numerous clunks which sounded pretty bad so pulled over turned engine off when I checked under the bonnet the auxiliary belt had snapped and was shredded. (was around 6 wks of fluctuating temp guage before it snapped) Getting home was a nightmare with mega heavy steering, So after replacing the belt the van drives superb and not once has the temp guage fluctuated in last 5 and a half wks or so, all pulleys and tensioners were fine. so how did it snap was it wear n tear. Well, a few months before the little oil breather pipe came loose and broke but had leaked some oil and I think maybe some oil had fouled the belt which is just below making the belt weak causing it to snap. so if anyone has a fluctuating water guage with these symptoms check the belt it could well be just that.

Cheap fix = happy days

Regards Veesix