Technical Engine Management Light / Temp Gauge

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Technical Engine Management Light / Temp Gauge

harrison1980

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Feb 19, 2005
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Location
West Yorkshire
After driving for about a hour tonight in my 1.6 bravo 100 hlx the engine management light came on and the temp gauge dropped from about half way up to the "C" cold indicator and then began to fluctuate as we drove on.

Any ideas and i would be extremely grateful

thanks in advance
 
Seems to point at a stuck open thermostat. If this is the case, you need to get it changed.
 
will it damage anything if i continue to drive the car, and is the thermostat a difficult job, as i cant see instructions in the "boo" repair guide

thanks again
 
I suppose it might affect the ECU regulation of the fuel/air mixture as engine is always cold/cool => running rich ? Probably affect engine in the long run ?

Not a particularly difficult job (correct tools always helps...so does a Haynes Manual). Most important of all, have lots of patience. It can get frustrated at times.

This is what I can remember when I had a go myself:
1) Drain coolant + removal of coolant hoses (DO THIS ONLY WHEN ENGINE IS COLD !)
2) Remove spark plug leads connected to distributor block (mark which one goes where first!). Remove the distributor from side of engine block (where the 4 spark plug leads are connected)
3) Undo coolant sensor connector and carefully un-bolt coolant sensor from the thermostat housing.
4) Remove hoses connected to thermostat housing. Undo bolts on the thermostat. Remove the thermostat & housing (it's all one piece).
5) Fit and bolt the new thermostat in the same position.
6) Fit all hoses back on in their original positions
7) Bolt Coolant sensor back on & fit connector back on.
8) Fit the rest of the coolant hoses back into their original positions
9) Re-fill with new coolant (pour slowly to reduce getting air in the system)
10) Bleed system to remove air in the coolant system. If you do not do this right, your engine could overheat ! Keep an eye on the temperature during the bleeding process. You do not want to cook your engine.
11) Check for leaks ! Check coolant level and top up if required
12) Test Drive & re-check for leaks !
13) Re-check coolant level and top up if required (ps. wait for engine to cool down before opening the radiator cap)

I actually found step 9 & 10 to be the hardest of them all. Took me quite a number of times to fill and bleed the system properly (I did have a side issue with the radiator bleed screw at the time thou), but finally got there.

PS, the great guys on this forum helped me out ! (y)

Good Luck!
 
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