500 Paraflu Coolant

[wiggi555]

Hi - I'm a Newbie. Need some help with my 500 Pop. Had temperature beep and flash warning so assumed it was coolant - very hard to see levels to check. Have bought recommended Paraflu - bit confused now as it says concentrate but no info/instructions to say it needs to be diluted. Am I being thick? Do you use this stuff neat, as it comes? Grateful for some knowledge please

 

[Peter Pick-Up]

You bought the pink stuff, right?
Dilute it with 50% destilled water, ( should say on the bottle as well...)

Btw, welcome at FiatForum..!!

 

[wiggi555]

Thank you for quick reply - yep it is pink Paraflu UP - have just ordered some distilled water too - there are no instructions on bottle though. Thanks for help and welcome - no doubt I shall be back soon

 

[frupi]

Thank you for quick reply - yep it is pink Paraflu UP - have just ordered some distilled water too - there are no instructions on bottle though. Thanks for help and welcome - no doubt I shall be back soon

As Peter Pick-Up says. 50/50 mix will be ok.

Common mistake people make about coolant, is that people get confused with 'Long Life'. This shouldn't be taken as meaning 'For life'. Coolant should ideally be swapped out every 5 years or at a cambelt/waterpump change. And whilst I'm on that subject, has the cambelt and waterpump been changed? If the car is 5 years old + then it should have been done by now. What year is the car and what is the mileage?

 

[wiggi555]

Hi - thanks - year of reg 2010 and mileage 56 103. Car is new to me - have it booked in for a check up next week so will ask them to check these Appreciate your help

 

[frupi]

Hi - thanks - year of reg 2010 and mileage 56 103. Car is new to me - have it booked in for a check up next week so will ask them to check these Appreciate your help

Something tells me in the back of my mind, though I could of course be wrong that even with a relatively low mileage of 56k, at 7 years old, I bet the cambelt and waterpump haven't yet be done. Unless you have any service history whatsoever indicating otherwise, I'd assume that potentially, they haven't been changed. If that turns out to be the case, I'd seriously consider having the job done asap. Snapped cambelt = having a particularly bad day.... It's usually the waterpump that causes belt failure. If it starts dripping, it will eventually cause the belt to shred.

 

[wiggi555]

Thanks for the tip - I have checked the work history on the car and it is not listed so it will be on the top of the list to do when I have it checked over next week. I don't aim to drive it before as I don't want to risk any damage as there are a couple of hazard lights popping up on the display - one only ever appearing when I put the headlights on - but have checked all the lights and they are fine - another reason for the check up at the garage.
Sounds expensive?!?

 

[TrevC]

Not sure about the lights, but while it's being looked at, it's worth getting the mechanic to check the thermostat housing. I believe it is plastic on the 1.2 and can crack, which could explain coolant loss.
Very wise to get a trusted garage to give a detailed inspection to any newly purchased 7 year old car, no matter which make and model.

 

[John202020]

What warning lights come on? And what message comes up on the dash when you turn the lights on? With the lights on there will be a green indicator that's normal.

 

[wiggi555]

When I put the headlights on a yellow hazard triangle comes on - bottom left corner next to the mileage sign.

 

[wiggi555]

TrevC Great advice - thanks

 

[John202020]

When I put the headlights on a yellow hazard triangle comes on - bottom left corner next to the mileage sign.

With the engine on, when you turn on the headlights, and the triangle comes on, what message comes up on the display? Do this whilst stationary.
Have you checked if there's any lights out?
I would think tailgate wiring could be a prime suspect

 

[John202020]

Something tells me the cambelt and waterpump haven't yet be done.

Our 59 plate, only had the belt changed at 7 years old! as there was conflicting information regards the interval( Fiat themselves said 7 years )

 

[wiggi555]

John202020 All lights working fine - I checked them as soon as the warning light came on. I tried to look for answers in the manual but no joy. So with that and the temperature warning light coming on I decided it might be time to book in for a check up with a mechanic. Thank you for your help. This forum has been so helpful

 

[John202020]

John202020 All lights working fine - I checked them as soon as the warning light came on. I tried to look for answers in the manual but no joy. So with that and the temperature warning light coming on I decided it might be time to book in for a check up with a mechanic. Thank you for your help. This forum has been so helpful

Temp warning would suggest low coolant, there's a known issue with the thermostat housing pipe outlet cracking spilling out slowly or quickly the water it may be this, when cold remove the filler cap, cut a strip of card(cereal box is fine) and dip the impossible to see through tank, using your fingers and filler neck as a guide, now hold against the outside to see the level, hows the heater work?
Thermostat is on the left of the battery on the end of the engine.
Most things on the 500 are cheap and relatively simple to fix at home if you're good with spanners?

Whilst here does ALL things on the boot lid work correctly, like the handle to release the lid?

 

[Peter Pick-Up]

License plate lighting..?

 

[wiggi555]

Brilliant guidance - thanks Not that great with a spanner Everything such as heater and boot lid seem fine. Will do the coolant level check - I do now have coolant and distilled water ready to fill - still have car booked in for a check up so can give them a full list of things to check now Loving this forum - such great advice for a newbie fiat owner

 

[Peter Pick-Up]

Ask to have the cooling system pressurized, any leaks will be visable that way.

 

[p6baseunit]

Hi - thanks - year of reg 2010 and mileage 56 103. Car is new to me - have it booked in for a check up next week so will ask them to check these Appreciate your help

Hi there, at this age the car will definitely need a water pump and cambelt if you have no history to prove it has been done. It's not something a mechanic can usually "check". Failure of the cambelt will destroy the engine!

Here is the link for the replacement thermostat - the ideal replacement is metal not the plastic original ones. They do fail on older 1.2s leaving you stranded or worse dumping all of the coolant at once and damaging the engine.
I would guess its something you should order yourself and hand to the mechanic to replace.. It's not really something to check.. one minute they look fine and then next week the car has broken down etc!

https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Details&ProdID=18857&sku=268031

Just thought I should spell this out, as no one else has.

 

[frupi]

Agree with p6baseunit. You can't really tell the age of a cambelt just by looking at it, though you can of course gauge an idea of what state it is in by mark one eyeball. If there is any sign of water staining from waterpump leakage on the belt, it and the waterpump need changing absolutely asap, along with tensioner/roller if applicable. Also, any visible cracking, it needs changing, but in any case, I wouldn't go beyond 5 years. Ordinarily, under ideal storage conditions, cambelts have a shelf life of 8 years, assuming they have been stored correctly. You will always however have the odd person who will emphatically state they've had the same cambelt on their car for 10 or 20 years or have 'reused' a cambelt they thought looked 'Ok'. I say good luck to 'em!

What I will never understand are mechanics who don't recommend a waterpump/tensioner change when the cambelt is done or customers who think they're somehow doing themselves a favour by refusing to have the waterpump changed at the same time. It's total false economy not to have the waterpump changed at the same time. It usually adds about £40 to the total cost of the job, but can quite literally save hundreds by preventing a wrecked engine.