Technical Panda 4x4 overheating in snow

[Irish4x4]

Hi,
I've noticed this last year and this, my 2005 Panda 4x4 climbing overheating when I stop in cold conditions.

It cools itself easily while reving higher (while driving, and when stationary with a bit of a rev).

What happens is, I'll be driving around with no issue. Then when i stop the engine will get progressively hotter and hotter. I'll give it a rev and the engine will start to cool a bit. Is it that my battery is struggling to get enough power to the fan?

Then I'll have an orange engine warning light which will disapear, usually the next day.

In every other way the Panda 4x4 is incredible in snowy conditions.

Thanks!

 

[Yolanda]

Does the fan work. Under normal driving conditions even in the summer my fan doesn't operate. I do from time to time leave it ticking over to conform that it still works. Just on idle you'd be surprised how long it takes. From memory the gauge ( on my car ) has to go slightly over the center position before the fan operates.

 

[timmycm850]

hi all.

Its likely that at idle the water pump is not quite moving enough water. It could when reved a little bit then move that water easier.

Tim

 

[koalar]

Airlock
Blown head gasket
Low coolant
Water pumps plastic impeller broken

Basicly there isn't enough flow to get over the u bend on the pipe by the heater matrix until the revs increase

Low coolant is the easiest and first to check

Followed by airlock, open the bleed screw and see how much air comes out


And

You need to sort this ASAP before it causes more expensive damage

 

[jrkitching]

You need to sort this ASAP before it causes more expensive damage

This deserves to be in bold.

And add defective thermostat that isn't opening properly to the possible cause list (though they usually fail the other way)

There's no way this is normal behaviour.

 

[Irish4x4]

Fantastic responses everyone. Thank you very much!

So in normal (or even spirited) driving it displays perfect middle range temperature. All the time.

The fun works, so if I'm driving and stop the fan will sometimes come on.

In every other way the car is like clock work, but in the very cold (after what would have been fairly spirited) it gets too hot at idle. Then with a rev it cools.

Which all leads me to beleive that TimmyCM850 has it the nail on the head. Still, I'll check it out because it could be wishful thinking on my part.

Thanks Koalar and jrkitching, I'll take this seriously.

Best,

 

[The Panda Nut]

Blow radiator fins through from fan side to clear any blockages. ITS AMAZING WHAT COMES OUT.

 

[jrkitching]

Blow radiator fins through from fan side to clear any blockages. ITS AMAZING WHAT COMES OUT.

Whilst that's worth doing, I doubt it will help in this case.

This has all the hallmarks of a poor coolant circulation problem, not a lack of airflow through the rad matrix.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Hi,
I've noticed this last year and this, my 2005 Panda 4x4 climbing overheating when I stop in cold conditions.

It cools itself easily while reving higher (while driving, and when stationary with a bit of a rev).

What happens is, I'll be driving around with no issue. Then when i stop the engine will get progressively hotter and hotter. I'll give it a rev and the engine will start to cool a bit. Is it that my battery is struggling to get enough power to the fan?

Then I'll have an orange engine warning light which will disapear, usually the next day.

In every other way the Panda 4x4 is incredible in snowy conditions.

Thanks!

You wont get through there in that mate, said the farmer stood by his ditched dico..... That before I did. With ease.

 

[koalar]

The coolant is no circulating properly

It shouldn't make no difference if it's a 750 RPM or 2000 RPM

It needs fixing ASAP

Check the coolant level first

 

[koalar]

Leave the radiator cap on with the engine warm and off

If you loosen the screw from here a turn or so does coolant or air come out

Don't over tighten it's only a plastic screw

assuming the gauges are reading correct, you have so far been lucky the head gasket has survived a cycle where the overheating light has come on

Most don't

 

[Irish4x4]

Hi All, thanks a lot.
I'm currently looking for a leak in the cooling system. I toped up the coolent and everything is perfect so just need to get to the bottom of where the coolent went to!!
Thanks a lot for your replies.
My panda just passed 200000km at the weekend.
Absolutely insanely good car.

 

[koalar]

I had a few leaks

They can be tricky to track down if they open an close with temperature

If you keep it nicely topped up with proper coolant it normally leaves a pink stain witness mark

If you put a white cloth over the exhaust it will turn pink if it's loosing coolant down the exhaust

The radiator is common from stone damage

Another common place is the steel pipe that run between the engine and radiator

The sides of the radiator are steel and get pin holes at the top, these normally loose some fairly quickly but once below the hole it slows down, most radiator leaks end up inside the bumper

Core plugs fail, there some under the spark plugs, if they are weeping they will be wet on the bottom lip

Water pump and front core plug drip behind the plastic timing cover

The rear core plug drips at the bottom of the bellhousing

The original house clips rarely leak, but it's common for bad previous repairs to weep at the joints,

Of course it much easier if it's pressure tested, but it can cause problems that weren't there originally

 

[jrkitching]

I had a few leaks

They can be tricky to track down if they open an close with temperature

If you keep it nicely topped up with proper coolant it normally leaves a pink stain witness mark

Adding a UV dye to the coolant is one way to track down minor seeps and leaks.