Tried four times over two days to log this one - I must keep timing out for some reason.
Had no luck so far this year, I have a volvo v40 with head gasket failure sitting on the drive, my beloved renault laguna sport tourer - top spec, I managed to wrap around a tree two weeks ago. I am now driving my wifes 99 Bravo 1.2 litre 80 sx. It a great car apart for wanting to boil me water for a cup of tea all the time.
Ive got to make a 40 mile trip each way daily to hospital and the last 10 miles is murder sitting it gridlock traffic - this normally takes over an hour with four stops.
The car used to only overheat in traffic, the usual long runs and blowing air from the heater used to work ok to relieve the heat,The temp needle would shoot from 1/2 to red in one go, however things have changed.
The heater no longer blows any hot air, The car overheats on long runs when I go over 2500 rpms, the temp needle has a smooth action now, the car overheats quicker in traffic now.
So far I have flushed the systems with water and holts cleaner and replaced the temperature gauge
- Gonna save this and start a new post -

- sorry bout that, did not want to lose it again -
After flushing and changing gauge, i tested the fan - No joy dead as a dodo. Im going out to get a replacement today.
My questions are
1. I assume there is something more wrong than coolant and fan issue, due to the fact it heats up so quick
2. Could this be due to head warp, I assume the gaskets and seals are ok as i dont feel much loss in power
3. Ive seen compression testers in halfords, is this worth a try or what about these testing and fixing kits online. Are they any use or just more U.S. guff - www.rxauto.com
4. Would a lay person whos pretty handy but not got a lot of experince in cars be able to remove the head and replace parts
5. Would the cost of buying the tools for the job outweigh the savings of diy and what special tools would you need
6. I am assuming that the water pump is ok as the circulation feels fine - all of the pipes have an even temperature
7. Why is the heater not working, i assume the heater motor is ok as the blower still works
8. Am i reading too far into this and should i wait to see if the fan makes a difference
Thanks

When you changed the coolant did you bleed the system cos that would be a reason as to why you have no hot air in the heater. I dont know if the 1.2 is the same as the 1.6 when it comes to bleeding but i know on the 1.6 there is a bleed screw on the rad and another on the heater pipe at the back of the engine try bleeding your coolant system see if it helps try this procedure for bleeding

col0161 said:

i had problems filling the radiator first time but its not hard if you follow these steps this is based on the 1.4 engine but should be similar to others

1 turn ignition on NOT ENGINE and run heater on hot full

2 take bleed screw out of the top of the radiator opposite side of the filler cap facing the engine (small black plastic flat head screw),then take the cap of radiator fill it up until it comes out of the bleed valve and replace screw.

3 then on the left side at the top in engine bay there are two slim rubber pipes about the thickness of a magic marker, one of which has a plastic screw, undo this and fill the radiator unitil fluid flows out
then replace bleed screw and filler cap run the engine
heat should start comming out ogf the heater shortly this is a good sign

keep an eye on engine temp gauge until it reaches running temp which should be around half way make sure it doesnt over heat if it does repeat previous steps as you still have an airlock

good luck

Click to expand...

Never even thought of that - pretty basic thing i should have tried - it would explain a lot - very similar to house plumbing - gonna give it a go and come back - thanks a mill

head gasket failure is common on the 1.2 model. it is usually caused when people ignore a slight overheating issue and drive the car. the initial overheating is usually due to a rusty fan relay. it sounds like you ignored that and now you've popped the head gasket by running it hot. when hot air stops coming out the vents it is already too late. i've seen it happen so many times. what would have been a simple 5 minute free repair is now going to cost you a lot. next time you have an engine that is overheating fix it, dont kill it.

Right - just bled the system (What a dope)
The heater now works full blast, and have got it up to op temp and took it past 2500 rpm - no redline, have sat it on the drive for 15 minutes and no redline either. As on other thread ref quick help - tested the fan again as described and no joy
Do you think i may have escaped head failure - im sure that there has been some damage but what should i look out for to see if is deteriorates and is those online fixings kits any use at all or just a spoof

if you have avoided head gasket failure then you need to explain where the coolant went when the hot air stopped coming out the air vents. when the hot air stoped it means the matrix was dry, for that to happen you must have head gasket failure or a coolant leak elsewhere. if you cant find a leak it suggests your headgasket is the problem. keep an eye on the coolant level very closely, if it drops then you have a problem. please dont drive while it is overheating, wait until the fan is fixed, if you warp the head past the point of skimming you'll only be adding to the cost. 15 minutes of heavy traffic can do a hell of alot of damage.

He said the heater stopped blowing out hot air when he flushed the system iirc

the 1st post suggests hot air was lost before the flush and refill. first sign of coolant loss of the loss of hot air at the vents because the heater matrix is highest up in the cooling system. if you wait until that happens its already too late. refilling and bleeding will get the air out but it wont fix the head gasket leak.

Oops sorry i misread that part

Sorry - didnt make it too clear in the first post - the heater would always work for about 10 minutes then cut out. After the flush it stopped completely and now that it has been bled it has came back on

what about the head gasket leak - will i need a new gasket fitted or do these kits you pour in actually work - im only looking to run this car another 2 years !!!

you really need to replace the head gasket if it is damaged, adding leak stoppers to your coolant can cause blockages and make things worse. best thing to do at this stage is fix the fan and then determine if the head gasket is actually damaged. if it is you're looking at a couple of hundred pounds to replace it but you will do the timing belt job at the same time so its money well spent and it adds value to the car. if you want to keep it for a couple of years then its a wise investment.

woo hoo
wnt on a 70 mile run and no overheating - even went up tio 4000 rpm and no issues
then even better - sis came along with the new fan and it works - it switches on a fraction past half - brilliant
thanks everyone