Technical Radiator not kicking in

[Bennibs123]

Hi all,
Recently the wife’s car started smoking on the way to work. After a quick look I could see the top rad pipe had burst. I replaced this then wanted to test the system.
Whilst testing I noticed after idling for maybe 10 minutes the rad was not kicking in? The tempreture gauge climbed to mid way no problem and stayed there. So it’s not overheating but at the same time the rad is not kicking in?
Bit confused with it , maybe could be the temp coolant sensor?
Checked the fuses and they’re okay. But I’m thinking if it was a fuse or relay then the engine would start overheating , but it doesn’t.
Not sure if there’s a way to test the rad manually?
Any help would be appreciated
Ben

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi Ben ,

Have you tested the fan..?

Sitting stationary for long periods.. and battered by the elements they have a hard life

Try and turn the thing.. its just electric.. but obviously NOT with a Hot engine !!

You may well find its seized..or really grumbly


Back in the 188 punto days..fans were always faiking..

I added a basic guide on fan replacement


To test electrics I use the disgnostic software to drive the fan ( both speeds)

The 188 punto section had lost of info on what you could uncouple to activate the fan


Possibly out there in 500 land too..
.Im afraid Ive not done much to mine yet..

 

[Bennibs123]

Hi Varesecrazy,
Yes just tryed the fan and it’s free moving to be honest so don’t think it’s that. Appreciate the answer though.
What diagnostics software do you need to test the fan ?

 

[John202020]

Note it can take "quite some time" before the fan starts at idle.
Does the car have AC? if yes the fan resistor can fail, though if you use the ac all the time it's not an issue as the fan will run regardless.
It's concerning re the top hose even our 13 year old car has the original

 

[varesecrazy]

MultiECUScan software is very good for FIAT

need a bit of kit to drive the cars systems..

But if you do own servicing it will soon be very cost effective


There is a list of members who use it.. have a look towards top of forum homepage

Charlie @ near the M4

 

[puntodeltathema]

When you say "rad not kicking in" do you mean the top hose is not getting hot? It will need a bit more than 10 minutes and depending on ambient conditions it can take quite a while for the thermostat to open. Keep the heater to cold and the bonnet closed to help engine warmup.

Does the heater get hot? If not, try revving to 3000 rpm a few times (or take it for a decent drive) to break any airlock.

If it's a 1.2 with the header tank at the side of the rad, note you need to fill this in a particular way. Undo the rad bleed valve (top left as viewed from the front) and that on the top heater hose, fill until coolant comes out of the first valve, close, keep filling until it comes out of the second, close. At this point the coolant level will be well above "MAX" on the header tank but that is OK. Put the cap on loosely, start car, leave for a few mins and then tighten the cap properly. As it warms through you'll see the coolant level drop but leave it until it has heated through and then cooled. When cold, top up as you need to. The heater matrix behind the dash may gurgle for a bit - that is normal; revving the car to 3000 rpm for 30 seconds at a time will help purge air (which is what the dealers are told to do in the service manual to avoid compaints!). If you don't do that though, it'll sort itself out but keep an eye on the level for a while and top up as necessary.

Nick

 

[DaveMcT]

After replacing the (rusty) steel pipe from water pump to heater hose, I simply could not get the system to bleed. I happened to have some large bore plastic hose that fitted over the heater hose bleed valve pressing this on and filling it with coolant solve the problem. Squeezing the radiator top hose, I could feel my fancy filler gurgle as coolant dropped in. When it stopped gurgling, I quickly pulled it off and replaced the bleed screw. Sorted.

By the way, that bleed screw is M6 and can be replaced with a stainless cap screw. I did this on brother's Alfa 156.