Hello All.

My Fiat Punto 54 Reg, 1.2 Sporting has developed overheating in slow moving traffic. I have to switch on my heater fan to setting 2/3 to bring the temperature back to normal level.

Any idea how to fix this?

Thanks

Without knowing any other information there is one very important question you will need to answer.

Is the fan under the bonnet coming on, being the most important.

If it is then its possible the thermostat isn't opening properly or is faulty in some way.

When looking into this you may as well do a complete coolant replacement and flush to make sure no gunk has built up and is clogging pipes.

What Andy said.
Fans rarely come on in these cars so it can be the rare time it's needed when you find out it doesn't work.
They seize up. Check that it is free to turn by hand with the motor stone cold and the key out.
The fan is fed by a relay in the engine fusebox. There are four pins. Two are the fan supply, 30 & 87 the other two, 85 & 86 are the trigger wires. Lift the relay a little and bridge the fan pins, it should run.
The earth trigger to the ecu has been known to break somewhere on it's run to the ecu. Slipping in a wire to that pin and grounding it should also make the fan run.
Disconnecting the temperature sender with the ign on should also put the fan on. If it doesn't but the fan runs when you short the relay then it's time to slip in the earth wire for the ecu earth trigger, pin 85 and see if that gets it going.
Those pin designations are for an 8v without a/c so double check with a meter which is powered.

My suspects

A - fan common to fail due to seizure and results in fan fuse blowing

B - stat gone lazy/sticking
Aftermarket are poo for some reason yet original fiats are hit and miss espicially during winter where they struggle to maintain heat

C - pumps going slow
Loss of blades / slipping on shaft / seizing bearings
All cause slower fluid movement - too slow and fluid gets too hot and isnt shifted quick enough back to radiator to cool.....

Check if fan spins by hand first of all
Also chck fuses
Then go for bypassing relay and foecing fan on to check its working


Ziggy

Ziggy122 said:

My suspects

A - fan common to fail due to seizure and results in fan fuse blowing

B - stat gone lazy/sticking
Aftermarket are poo for some reason yet original fiats are hit and miss espicially during winter where they struggle to maintain heat

C - pumps going slow
Loss of blades / slipping on shaft / seizing bearings
All cause slower fluid movement - too slow and fluid gets too hot and isnt shifted quick enough back to radiator to cool.....

Check if fan spins by hand first of all
Also chck fuses
Then go for bypassing relay and foecing fan on to check its working


Ziggy

Click to expand...

Hi Thanks for all the reply guys,

After some investigating I checked to see if the Fans are spinning the answer is No... Even with the heating on Setting 4 the Radiator fans blades are not spinning..

So I switched the Punto off and try to spin the blades myself I noticed they were extremely stiff to spin by hand?

Does this mean I require a need Radiator Fan?
And what Fuse is the Fan?

F6 in the engine fusebox, 30 Amps.
Replacement fan needed if it has seized up. You can get it free temporarily with some oil on the spindle but it won't last long.

BravoCity said:

Hi Thanks for all the reply guys,

After some investigating I checked to see if the Fans are spinning the answer is No... Even with the heating on Setting 4 the Radiator fans blades are not spinning..

So I switched the Punto off and try to spin the blades myself I noticed they were extremely stiff to spin by hand?

Does this mean I require a need Radiator Fan?
And what Fuse is the Fan?

Click to expand...

Cabin fan is the one you control with knob

Engine cooling is automatically done via the engine ecu

A stiff fan = seized bearing or comms on brushs

Take the fan out and give the bearings a good soak in oil and work it till its free

Id be tempted to hook up battery direct to ensure it can spin up free


Ziggy

Ziggy122 said:

Cabin fan is the one you control with knob

Engine cooling is automatically done via the engine ecu

A stiff fan = seized bearing or comms on brushs

Take the fan out and give the bearings a good soak in oil and work it till its free

Id be tempted to hook up battery direct to ensure it can spin up free


Ziggy

Click to expand...

Turns out the 30AMP Fuse was Damaged. Replaced that. Since replaced the fuse It does not overheat as quickly.

I try to spin the fan and even use some high temperature silicone grease but I have the same issue the fan is not spinning.

Ill try and remove the fan itself.

Will keep you all updated thanks.

BravoCity said:

Turns out the 30AMP Fuse was Damaged. Replaced that. Since replaced the fuse It does not overheat as quickly.

I try to spin the fan and even use some high temperature silicone grease but I have the same issue the fan is not spinning.

Ill try and remove the fan itself.

Will keep you all updated thanks.

Click to expand...

Depending on brand of fan
Its just 4 x 8mm wood screw threads and 1 electrical connector

Work the fan with the spray oil - once freed up and spinning free - get the spray grease in to keep it freed up

If you were near to another member they may be able to help

Ziggy

Ziggy122 said:

Depending on brand of fan
Its just 4 x 8mm wood screw threads and 1 electrical connector

Work the fan with the spray oil - once freed up and spinning free - get the spray grease in to keep it freed up

If you were near to another member they may be able to help

Ziggy

Click to expand...

If I remove the FAN, Can I still drive the car ? To Work and Back..

If the fan is not working removing it can't make things worse. You are reliant on forward motion to cool the motor. The heater fan in the cabin can help out a little so keep it on. Just remember that if you get stuck in slow moving traffic it may not be able to cope. Keep an eye on the guage.

Brendan W said:

If the fan is not working removing it can't make things worse. You are reliant on forward motion to cool the motor. The heater fan in the cabin can help out a little so keep it on. Just remember that if you get stuck in slow moving traffic it may not be able to cope. Keep an eye on the guage.

Click to expand...

Yes removing it is no worse then a seized fan....

Airflow is a must still
So if the traffic is bad
Cabin heaters on max hot and max speed - point heaters out window and defo defo keep an eye on that temperature guage....


If you go over half - switch off.... wait till it cools
Dont let it go through the roof

Ziggy

If you have access to Multiscan and the cable, it has a Fan test option.

FIXED! Turns out the Fan was Stuck, I replaced the Radiator FAN Only, And Replaced the Fuse and all worked well. No More Over Heating.

FAN Kicks in just as the Needle goes Halfway..

Thanks for all your help and advice.

:slayer: