Fiat 500 overheating

[Abbiefisherx]

So last week my fiat 500 2015 1.2 petrol overheated whilst stuck in traffic on the motorway. I was stuck and had no where to pull over which meant I drove for another 20 minutes in which the light went on and off twice. I topped the water up and used one bottle and it was full to the brim. It worked fine for a week before overheating again whilst in traffic I seen smoke coming from the bonnet but the light didn’t turn on as it was one bar from full heat. I pulled over as soon as I could and turned the engine off to cool down.

I took it to a garage and they basically told me I should think about selling it ASAP and that he couldn’t get it to overheat and couldn’t fix it. He said he seen white smoke coming from the exhaust and a growling noise and said it might be the head gasket but he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t give a straight answer as to what the issue was he just kept stating that I should look at selling it as it will cost a lot in the long run. I was left shocked and confused as to why he hadn’t gave a solid answer to what the issue was. I have had the car just over a year and this is the first problem I’ve ever had with my car. I am getting a second opinion on Monday but what do you guys think? If it is the head gasket would it be worth repairing or do you think it’s best to get rid of the car?

Also if anyone in liverpool knows any good garages to recommend?

 

[Ralf S.]

It could be a head gasket... although any garage that has no idea how to test for a faulty head gasket is probably worth avoiding.

What can happen when the head gasket fails is that oil can get into the coolant, so with a cold engine, have a look in the reservoir next to the radiator and look for any "sludge" or mayonnaise type of brown goo. That will be oil ... and it's a head gasket.

You may also get coolant in the oil, so also remove the oil filler cap and look for the same brown goo under the cap. A tiny bit may just be condenstion.. but a lot would be coolant, so that's a head gasket.


If you're lucky, the overheating might just be caused by a radiator fan that's not working.. since it's supposed to come on and cool the coolant when the car isn't moving... which is what happened to you, twice.

After a drive (so the temperature has reached "mid" point on the gauge) open the bonnet and leave the car idling until the temperature gets to about 3/4 of the way up the gauge. The radiator fan should come on to cool the car. If it doesn't, then that would be why its overheating.. which could be a simple matter of working out why the fan isn't working. The fan gets a signal from the ECU so it's fairly reliable.. but the fan itself could be faulty or there may be a wiring issue etc.

While it's idling.. don't stick your fingers or hair into the fan.. but feel the top of the radiator. If it's cool, while the rest of the radiator is hot and the hoses are hard, then that's air in the system, which is usually exhaust gas (head gasket).

Head gasket isn't too severe to change... so it's not the end of the world and certainly not a reason to sell any car, never mind a 6 yo one.. ? But if you're not confident doing the above, get a proper diagnosis from someone who knows what they're doing.

And post "Technical" issues in the 500 Forum... there's more people there who will see your post and can help.


Ralf S.

 

[Abbiefisherx]

Thank you for all the info!

It’s been at a garage yesterday and they have confirmed that it’s the fan motor that’s broken and it’s costing £350 to get a new one.

I was just worried about any damage that may have been done to the engine due to me continuing driving after it was overheated. He has checked the head gasket an said that it looks fine an he didn’t see any smoke or anything coming from exhaust.

I’m relieved but as the same time confused why the last place said that to me if the car of fine apart from the fan being broken!

 

[John202020]

Look on EBay for a second hand one, it's only a few screws and connector probably s tenth of what the quote was, does the car have AC? a common failure is the thermostat housing, note if you brimmed the filler it's now too full, white smoke could be steam from a leaking thermostat running down
Quick look £65 brand new fan

 

[Troubles with 500c]

Everyone thinks a failed head gasket is the cause, but as suggested by many here it’s often a symptom of another underlying issue.

In this case it’s good they have diagnosed a broken fan, but this doesn’t explain the loss of coolant. Did it boil over?

I think I would be tempted to buy a test kit to check the head gasket.

I also agree with John that replacing the fan is straightforward and you can pick them up quite cheaply. Do you know anyone handy with the spanners that could help you.

 

[Baglady1990]

I’d be having a compression test before spending any money on anything
I’m very familiar with a blown engine .. take no ones word get a compression test then decide what to do!

 

[jrkitching]

This isn't the usual overheating scenario which is quite often reported on this forum.

What usually happens is that the coolant drops to a dangerously low level, and the remaining coolant isn't sufficient to properly cover the hot parts of the engine, leading to localised hot spots and, very often, head gasket failure. These incidents are typically characterised by loss of heater function, the temperature gauge moving rapidly to maximum, and the overheat warning light illuminating. Unfortunately, because the coolant falls below the level of the temperature sensor, the overheat is often not noticed in time to prevent serious engine damage. That's why it's particularly important to carry out regular coolant level checks on these cars.

This case is rather different, and in a good way which gives me cause to be optimistic about the long term health of this engine. It seems the fan has failed, so the overheating will have been gradual and, critically, the coolant level likely wouldn't have fallen sufficiently low for localised hotspots to form. So the head gasket should have survived unscathed, and no permanent damage will have resulted. The fact that the temperature gauge rose gradually above the normal level to something less than full scale deflection is indicative of the sensor still being immersed in coolant, which is good news. Fix the fan, top up (or preferably change) the coolant , and all should be well. Note that if it's been topped up with plain water to get home, then a full drain and refill will be necessary in order to obtain the correct concentration of antifreeze/anticorrosion additive.

The fan doesn't often fail, so those obtained from salvage vehicles will likely be serviceable. I'd certainly be looking to source a more reasonably priced alternative to paying franchised dealer parts prices, but the repair is otherwise straightforward and shouldn't prove expensive.

Obviously I'd keep an even closer eye than usual on coolant levels once it's fixed, but unless there are any further symptoms, I see no reason to lose confidence in the car or to prioritise its replacement.