I wonder if someone could advice me..

I have problem with my Fiat Punto (55sx) overheating. The other night when I was driving along a red light came on indicating that the car was overheating. I wanted to get the car home so kept driving for a while. But soon I noteced some smoke coming out of the bonnet and stopped. It turned out I was very, very low on water - even though I had filled it right up just a couple of days earlier..

Yesterday I refilled water and then started the engine and let it run for a bit. First it looked normal, but after about ten minutes the water came spluttering out of the lid (which I had screwed tightly shut). I wonder if the water somehow doesn't get to the engine to cool it down. What could cause this? Is there maybe some kind of blockage or could it be the thermostat not working properly??

I must admit I haven't got a clue really when it comes to cars - and I'm really worried about taking the car to a garage in case they rip me off.. If someone could point me in the right direction that would be great.

Sounds like a similar problem I had with my 75SX just after I got it (2nd hand). Unfortunately for me it was the Cylinder Head Gasket that had gone, and as I drove it for some time <HOT> it warped the Cylinder Head. That cost me over £300 to fix at my local Fiat Dealer. Other garage could do it for around £200 but would take 3-4 days (head needing to be sent away for skimming), however my local Fiat Dealer could do it all within one day. All sorted now, just different problems some 7 months or so after (see Punto 75SX - Low Power). Good Luck!

Oh no - I was hoping that it wasn't gonna be the head gasket as I've heard this costs a fair bit.. Oh well, I'll have to bring it to the garage and get it fixed though [V]. Thanks for quick reply!

Does anyone else agree with that this sounds like the head gasket has 'gone'? Or could it be something else? Thermostat? (am kind of hoping it would be the thermostat playing up as this would be cheaper to fix than headgasket....)

Hopefully I am wrong , and it wont cost you a packet [:0].

If anybody else can comment on this, please do! B)

My Punto 1.2SX did something similar recently. Fortunately the water temp didn't go into the red and the head gasket appears to be OK (touch wood!).

The cause was a failed thermostat in the closed position. This has now been replaced (3 weeks ago) and seems to be ok.

On the other side my Brava had a t/stat that failed in the open position. It had a horrible little plastic bracket thing that held th spring and it had just broken.

The water is coming out because it is very hot and therefore has gone around the engine.
Is your coolant/water mixture correct?
It could just be the seal on the cap of the expansion tank, if you take this off of any hot Punto the water will fly out.

When the water is filled to the max and the engine is running does the temperature gauge level out halfway and the fan kicks in or not?
You can test the thermostat by removing it and dipping it in boiling water, if it clicks then its OK.
The water pump could have lost a few blades.
The valve could be stuck open or closed but the water wouldn't come out.

Could be the radiator holed, thermostat stuck shut, fan not coming on or a leak somewhere. Have a look around and see if there's anywhere obvious it could have been leaking from.

If you refill the cooling system from empty, you need to bleed the air out of it otherwise it won't work right.

If you don't know much about cars, I'm afraid you probably won't be able to do most of these repairs yourself and will need the help of a garage. Try asking friends/relatives if they know of a good one, or post a question on here - you never know, you might be living around the corner from a decent garage.

Pete.
Cinq sporting 1242cc
Cinqs&Seis Yahoo group
Clubcento

Thanks for all your help and suggestions. I got my dad to take out the thermostat - in order to check if this was the problem - unfortunately it wasn't, the water was still spluttering out whilst the car was running..

I've now taken the car into a garage and they've confirmed that it is the headgasket - arrrghh! So at least now I know, just gotta face up to the charges now.. (They said it will cost £250-300 )

Anyway, thank you all for your advice - this is a great site and I'll definitely come back again! :I

So sorry it was the head. When they fix it for you, they will probably change the Timing-Belt (well worth getting done). Hope you get it all sorted OK and keep your Punto. I think they are a great car, with such great economy and room.

I just looked at my local Fiat Garage and like the New Punto (mk3), hopefully will get one in future (3-5 years).

My 1994 75SX 5door has nearly 100,000 miles now, uses little oil between changes, and still returns between 42-49MPG on every run (town & 70+).

Glad you enjoy the site, I enjoy it too.
Happy Motoring.
Neil.

Neil - Punto Mk3 isn't out yet and will be based on a corsa chassis and probably run a hybrid GM/Fiat/opal engine.
You are talking about the facelift Mk2 (Mk2.5 if you like). They are ugly, Puntos should never have grilles at the front.

I had a similar problem in my mk2 about 2 months after I bought it. I first noticed it when the fan kept coming on after fairly long journeys on fast roads, and then a few minutes later the red heat warning light came on. I took it to the local garage and had it pressure tested and noticed a load of water jetting out all over the steering rack. There were two pin holes in the pipes going into the heater matrix at the back of the engine bay. I kicked up a fuss with Fiat as the car was just over two years old at the time. The car spent 4 days in the garage and the bill came to just over £300 quid which was all covered under warranty. I know you said yours is a mk1, but maybe it's the same problem?

Cheers,
JW

I just love my Tangerine Punto!

I had the same problem and yes the headgasket had gone. Luckily mine was still under warranty from the dealer I got it from.

I have a similar problem with a Cinq. Red light comes on etc., Is all this kosher? £300 for a cylinder head gasket!

Its not the gasket that costs £300 pounds. For a decent one its a bout £20. Its the manhours involved that bumps up a bill on engine work.