Said I'd be back lol...
Here we go again...
So I finally got around to changing the water pump - guess what? There's nothing wrong with the 'old' one...
Symptoms: Generally running cool then overheating when queuing in traffic - also poor heater performance (compared to 1000S Lucy who finally got sorted last year...)
It looked like thermostat had been removed as it was running that cool, but I'd fitted new a few years back... so maybe that was sticking open? but found it was closed when I took it out...
As to the overheating I was suspecting the water pump (after all the trouble with Lucy and that bloody plastic impellar) but as noted above it can't be that.
So what else... already swapped temp gauge sensor... and thermo sw on rad...
backflushed yesterday, so I'll just have to see if there's any improvement...
(as usual)

Does the fan kick in? has the system been properly bled?

Just had it up to temp - fan cutting in at 90 degs (when I cleaned up earth...)
looks like rad has been leaking - though isn't now... may just be down to not having header tank (4x4) cap tight enough... just have to keep an eye on it. Hopefully it'll run a bit warmer... No airlocks now - heater blasting good and hot
cheers, thanks for reply

Heaters always work fantastically in the summer. I was sitting on the M25 the other day (which of course was at a standstill) hottest day of the year and I had to have the heater on full and blower on to take the heat out of the engine. Phew

Turns out the rad fan fuse had blown.

think I'd rather have a bad earth than a blown fuse... did you find out what caused it to blow?

Well I'm sorted... whatever it was, it's fixed!
That's the problem with doing more than one thing at a time... which remedy affected the cure..? See now shall I refit that old water pump..?
I think it would have to be faulty thermostat opening too soon... temp gauge used to sit at 70 - now sits at just under 90... and yet this was 1st on list 4 yrs ago and fitted new then... what does that tell us about Panda thermostats?

Glad to hear good news mate.

Thermostats... hmmm, in my case hot air intake flap was stuck open due to broken t-stat inside.

what were symptoms..? That stat ensures warm air is drawn from manifold yeah?

Mine starts okay 1st turn, runs, then cuts out - Lucy don't do it but the 4x4 has always done it... probably a blocked jet..? I checked the airbox stat and swapped it for Lucy's but no different. Not so bad this time of year, but needs a few goes in winter... a carb overall is somewhere down the list...

Talon does that if i have not started him for a day or so. i think its because the fuel has all drained down to the tank, leaving the float bowl empty.
really should fit a one way vale to the suction line .. see if that makes any difference.