Technical Bravo overheating wierd

[DanBravo1.6]

Hi,

I have an R Reg bravo 1.6sx which is playing up

The problem is that the temperature guage on the dash is telling me that the car is overheating (ie. Getting into the red) When I pop the bonnet i can put my hand on the radiator and the coolant is not boiling hot.

A few weeks earlier the temp guage was going up and down about every 30 seconds. It would go up to nearly red and then drop back down below half way. I took it to a mechanic (who i have used for years) and he used 30 litres of water bleeding the cooling system. When I got the car back it was fine for a couple of days but now is overheating and guage is staying in red.

Also this morning I could hear running watter behind the dash.

Please help, Thanks

 

[col0161]

HI
you could possibly have an air lock
hence ENGINE TEMP GAUGE getting hot because the coolant will not be circulating so the coolant will not be hot

did he open the both bleed valves when refilling the coolant and have the car level and heater fan on sound daft i know but a lot of people have had problems when refilling there coolant

are you getting good amount of heat through you heater if not you have an air lock in the heater matrix i,e not been bled properly

could also be a faulty thermostat or dodgy connection the thermo controls the speed that the coolant passes around the engine to help maintain a constant temp around halfway on temp gauge

check your heaters are blowing hot this rules out an airlock id say as theheater matrix is the highest point for air to get trapped.

check the electric connection to the thermostat. might need a clean wd40

 

[DanBravo1.6]

No the heater is not getting hot, just a bit warm, and it takes ages for it to get that little bit warm. I do not know what he did to bleed it but what would you suggest i did to sort the problem.

Thanks for the reply

 

[Deckchair5]

You still have an air lock in the system. That's what the noise is in the coolant pipes and it's the reason why you get a sudden surge of heat and then cold. Empty the system and slowly refill it exactly as it says in the Haynes manual re bleed screws. Make sure your heater control is set to hot when you refill, you don't need to have your heater fan on

 

[col0161]

i had problems filling the radiator first time but its not hard if you follow these steps this is based on the 1.4 engine but should be similar to others

1 turn ignition on NOT ENGINE and run heater on hot full

2 take bleed screw out of the top of the radiator opposite side of the filler cap facing the engine (small black plastic flat head screw),then take the cap of radiator fill it up until it comes out of the bleed valve and replace screw.

3 then on the left side at the top in engine bay there are two slim rubber pipes about the thickness of a magic marker, one of which has a plastic screw, undo this and fill the radiator unitil fluid flows out
then replace bleed screw and filler cap run the engine
heat should start comming out ogf the heater shortly this is a good sign

keep an eye on engine temp gauge until it reaches running temp which should be around half way make sure it doesnt over heat if it does repeat previous steps as you still have an airlock

good luck

 

[Helz]

One thing not mentioned is that the temperature dial can often be dodgy on these. First port of call is to thump it and see if it settles down, it's also easy to remove the dials and check the contacts.

 

[brothers]

I'm having the same problem, i've got a '99 HLX. It only happens intermittently. I have found that giving the dash a smack just above the temperature gauge puts it back to an accurate reading, I think its just a problem with the gauge not an air lock in the system or anything like that. Italian electrics are the most logical explanation!!

 

[Deckchair5]

You won't hear water running around the dash if it's just the temp gauge connector causing problems. Only an air lock can do that

If it's the temp gauge instrument connector then the only symptom is that temp gauge will rise and fall erratically and too rapidly for it to be happening in real life

 

[Helz]

I didn't read the last line

 

[Deckchair5]

You might still be right as every Bravo owner I've ever known suffers from an erratic temp gauge. Usually when you're flat out and 200 miles away from home and "Did you remember to pay for that breakdown insurance?" rings in your ears. The adrenelin rush, the cold sweat as the needle soars towards the red

All part of Bravo ownership

 

[brothers]

just saw this thought it might help. It pretty much agrees with my earlier post, giving the dash a smack works fine or you can take the dash apart and sort a loose connection.

http://www.fiatboo.co.uk/fix-a-bravo.htm

Like Helz I didnt read your last line - Running water behind your dash????? your problem might be different to mine!

 

[DanBravo1.6]

I have found the problem.... YEY

There is a leek from one of the pipes round the back of the engine. I could not tell it was leaking as there was no water patches on my drive due to the fact that it will only leak when the system is on and pressurized.

Now I have to fix the thing..... do you reckon a pipe will cost a lot and if so would you recommend going to a breakers and getting a secod hand one.

Cheers guys anyway

 

[richcinq]

Just got to Fiat and get a new one. Its not worth messing around with second hand ones. If its just a plain rubber water hose it will prob cost around £15.