Can someone give me a bit of advise please (and in the simplest terms too as I dont have a clue about cars). About 4 weeks ago my car started blowing out blasts of cold air when I had the air on hot. Then bout two weeks ago the hot air went completely and now I have only cold air coming out. Last night when I was driving for about half an hour the red light above the temp gauge symbol came on for bout 5-10 mins and then went off. The same thing happened on my return journey. I have a fiat Punto 1997. Hoping its something simple and straightforward as I cant really afford the garages fees. If anyone has any idea it would be much appreciated. thanks.

TBH it could be the head gasket
how is the car running?
has it had any work recently?
are the carpets under the dash damp?
obvious but you have checked the coolant level in the engine bay?low coolant can give those symptoms

thanks. The only thing it has had done lately is a change of exhaust. I have noticed the odd time that it cuts out on me when I stopped or going really slow. That has only happened bout twice. Car seems to be slightly sluggish too but didnt worry bout that cus to be honest it has never driven properly. Filled the water today an no change to the heating but only took it on a short run so not sure bout the others. Will check under the dash tom when it is bright and see if its damp.

Hiya

I have a punto cabrio 1.2 16v and we had the same problem, it turned out to be a faulty thermostat that caused the problem. The car temp went up (i turned off the ignition at 3/4 though).To change a thermostat is an easy job, bleeding the cooling system after isnt hard also, just understand there is 3 bleed screws in the system, I found it easy to get the air out of the system.

There is info on the bleed screws on this fourm.

Thanks

ScooterCK

def sounds like thermo tbh

Head gasket mine doing the same mine off in on friday just fill it up with water untill you have cash m8 :bang: :bang:

Best case scenario
More than likely it is only the thermostat. Thermostat can be had for around a tenner. The thermostat can be replaced in less than 30 minutes by most home mechanics.

Worst case scenario.
Blown Head Gasket-expect to pay around £300.00 maybe less if the head does not need skimming.

How to check for blown head gasket
-Antifreeze/coolant coming from the exhaust tail pipe, not to be confused with the condensation that drips from the tail pipe on these cool mornings when you first start the car up

-Significant drop in coolant levels in the coolant tank.

-When the engine is COLD, remove the cover on the coolant
tank and smell, can you smell petrol? if you can, then that means you need a new head gasket.

Let us know how you get on

Greg