Temp guage reading normal at idle but under pressure rises to boiling, flushed the rad but not the block and the rad intake pipe hot (normal) but the block intake pipe cold (not normal). The matrix has been bypassed when the fella bought the car off a club owner (hope not one of ours as its a bit of a shed, no intake box or induction, just air pipes). He drove it up from basingstoke and all ok but now running poor. ounds like its miising on one cylinder and hoping the worst hassent happend, water in. Any suggestions. Could this simple be a thermastat prob and the missing down to a change of plugs or a coil pack prob?

the overheating problem could be caused by an airlock or non working thermostat.

Slowly fill the radiator while the engine is running.

Then wait for a few minutes for the engine to get up to operating temp (check if you can see the coolant flowing through the radiator)...meanwhile keep topping up the radiator until it doesn't take any more coolant.

Then go for a short drive, let the engine cool off and recheck coolant level.

no intake box or induction, just air pipes

 

So have you put an induction kit on it?

These cars don't run well at all without a filter - i've tried a few times when mine got wet!