Help needed

[Sharon]

Afternoon, new at this forum lark so will have to bear with me please, I have 1.2 80 16v, and the dear old duck (T Reg) is getting incredible hot under the collar over the last 2 weeks, having had a cinq engine blow on me very conscious of fluid level so needless to say was the first place to check. She was services 3 weeks prior to any of this heating lark so was contemplating whether it was an air lock, but having said that she was almost on the red line 3 miles after leaving home on a cold engine yesterday. Anyone have any ideas?

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

could be:
thermostat
water pump
air lock
but hitting the red line after 3 miles is NOT good!

 

[Sharon]

Was starting to wonder whether the thermostat was mis reading, or whether the cables connecting thermostat could be influenced by the other elements in the engine bay! The thing happens so sporadically and it only happens when I'm in the car, hence no witnesses to the occasion don't really want the garage thinking I'm paranoided!!!!

 

[Tom]

Does the heater work?

 

[Sharon]

no problem with the heater, air con or climate control, can quite happily drive with hot feet trying to get the temperature down in the engine bay.

The weird one was when she as getting warm last week I stopped and looked at fluid reserve (being a woman and all - just looked) pumped the pipe a bit, started her up, drove a bit further down the road, hit a pot hole (again like a woman) and the gauge came down to normal level of half way up.

Its 15 miles to work and by the time I get here with the heater on 18, the thermostat is about 3/4 of the way to the red line, yet doing a journey of 45 miles, she didn't play up once!!!!!

 

[Tom]

Now that is a bit ****ed up!

I'd have to say it sounds like a dodgey sensor or wire. Best get it to the garage though.

 

[Anonymous]

Why don't you move further away from where you work?

On a serious note if you are in the Midlands you could try Angel Tuning out for diagnostics - £25 instead of £65 at a dealers, they may even help fix it and the propriator is a damn good looking bloke

 

[Wimmy]

May sound daft but it could also be a faulty gauge. Mine plays up occasionaly with my fuel gauge. Give the window a tap near it when it rises, it MAY go down if thats the prob

 

[Dan]

I can second this. sexi maaaaaaaaaaaaaan sexi maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. lol

Dan

 

[Tom]

That sort of diagnostic won't solve this problem, its a bit simpler

The guage goes nowhere near the ECU.

 

[patrick]

Dont believe anything dan says.....he even called ME a sexy man


*What we got here, is a failure to communicate*

 

[Sharon]

I didn't know if there was anywhere on the pipework where air can settle while the engine cools down, apart from the fluid reserve, she mainly gets hotter first thing when on the way to work, although she gets hot on the way home from work she doesn't get as hot if you know what I mean, even driving sensible at 40 mph gets her hot, I live in cornwall, so unfortunately visiting a garage in the midlands is a no no.

 

[Tom]

Usually the heater would stop working if that was the case.

 

[Sharon]

She has always been serviced at Fiat dealerships so has had the same lubricant used all the time, thought it may have been something to do with furry pipes, but still that doesn't make sense with the hap hazard way it happens!

 

[Sharon]

Okay on the way home from work get stuck in a traffic jam,am at this point expecting the car to heat up and she stays the same all the way home on the half way line on the thermostat. Which is just typical if you ask me!!!!

 

[graham]

nicola, is your car having hot flushes?
sorry i couldn't help it.

WWFC. the WORLDS first greatest football team.

 

[graham]

sorry sharon, i must pay more attention.

WWFC. the WORLDS first greatest football team.

 

[Sharon]

Thats alright only had slight minor identity crisis!!!!

its not me with the flushes but the little duck, being tempremental,

don't think she has quite hit the menopause just yet though!!

 

[Danny]

Does the temp needle very suddenly go up and just as suddenly come down, like in a manner of seconds? That really puts the finger on poor sensor/ gauge electrics as engine temp can't really rise of fall that quick. Had same problem, usually when it was really hot outside and a real worrier it is too as you shouldn't ignore the gauge. But if everything is OK under the bonnet ie no abnormal hot smells and the guage is sharply rising or falling then you know it's more of an indication problem.

On mine it seemed to be the connector on the water temp sensor (awkward to get at but it's a two pin plug underneath the throttle assembly. Just taking it off and moving it on and off was enough to clean the contact.

I've found by experience that the engine coolant level max mark on the 1.2 is actually a bit low and causes water starvation when initlaly warming up with big gurgling noises throughout the heater system almost as if the head gasket is gone. It's your choice but I've found it necessary to have the level 15mm above the max level mark (but no more) and then that's the end of the water starvation AND the water temp gauge going berserk in really hot weather

 

[Anonymous]

could possibly be a sticking thermostat, stickin gopen or closed.