Technical Helpppppppp

[Teldunk]

Hi wonder if anyone can help me identify the problem,

I bought the panda 57plate 3 weeks ago.
Was running completely fine, until last couple of days.
The temperature get’s higher and now it’s loss power, im not good with cars at all so don’t know what is wrong with it.
I’ve done the oil and coolant checks but that all ok so I’m confused x

 

[koalar]

how High is the temperature going ?

 

[DaveMcT]

Check the fault codes.

If the coolant is ok, it might be the temperature sensor making the engine continue in cold start mixture. Another is the crank position sensor but they usually work or they don't work (engine stops) so it's less likely.

BUT - you must be sure the coolant level is correct. ANY loss of coolant will blow the end gasket.

 

[Teldunk]

how High is the temperature going ?

It’s going about 3/4 of the way up

 

[koalar]

It’s going about 3/4 of the way up

sorry loads of question at the moment we don't even know yet whether it petrol or diesel

that's pretty High for these cars, going to sound silly, but doors it smell very hot ?

1.1, 1,2 or 1.3D ?

any knocking noises ?

if you turn the heater on hot and fans on max does the temperature instantly start to drop, are the heaters blowing red hot ?

 

[Teldunk]

sorry loads of question at the moment we don't even know yet whether it petrol or diesel

that's pretty High for these cars, going to sound silly, but doors it smell very hot ?

1.1, 1,2 or 1.3D ?

any knocking noises ?

if you turn the heater on hot and fans on max does the temperature instantly start to drop, are the heaters blowing red hot ?

Smells burning when high revs, but I’ve just noticed it doesn’t seem to stall when I left it in gear and switched engine off also the accelerator, only need to slightest of touches to accelerate
Sorry it’s a 1.2 petrol
Noise wise I’d say the engine sounds louder

 

[koalar]

Smells burning when high revs, but I’ve just noticed it doesn’t seem to stall when I left it in gear and switched engine off also the accelerator, only need to slightest of touches to accelerate
Sorry it’s a 1.2 petrol
Noise wise I’d say the engine sounds louder

Running an overheating car is a recipe for disaster. Ignoring everything else let's make sure there is no air in the system.

here's the procedure to purge air out of the coolant system

0010T20 ENGINE COOLANT - CHANGE - Fiat - NUOVA 500 - eLearn - 4CarData

yes it's for a 500 but the procedure is identical.

are the heaters piping hot ?

if they are it could be a sensor fault. But odds are there's air in the system and the heaters are pumping out warm. With the engine warmed up and the blower on two its in pretty uncomfortable to put you fingers near the vents normally

 

[koalar]

only carry on and do this If there is air in the system and it re-enters

I don't like saying it but jumpy acceleration, overheating and down on power "could" be pointing to a compression issue.

I would be tempted to pay a garage to do a compression test, to eliminate the head gasket. Otherwise we could go round in circles eliminating everything else first

only having the car for a few weeks doesn't help. We don't know if all the symptoms happened all at once.


oil on map sensor
plugs
coil

and the list goes on and on could be the down on power

 

[johnpu]

get the engine up to the normal temp on the gauge. Turn of the engine, if you can hold the top hose going to the radiator then hold the bottom one, if one is cold and the other hot the thermostat as not opened and need changing

 

[koalar]

get the engine up to the normal temp on the gauge. Turn of the engine, if you can hold the top hose going to the radiator then hold the bottom one, if one is cold and the other hot the thermostat as not opened and need changing

I can see where you are coming from

But also on a working Panda the top is hot and the bottom Hose cold or warm

if the thermostat isnt opening at all both say cold

 

[koalar]

does the temperature only rise when stationary in traffic ?

when the gauge is above halfway can you hear the fan cut in ?

 

[johnpu]

If the thermostat is open when the engine is hot both hoses are hot, that's as it should be
If the thermostat is closed when the engine is hot the bottom hose will be cold or cooler
because the coolant cant be pumped to the radiator
The way the cooling system works is the coolant only goes around the engine and to the heater in side the car to warm your feet up and get the engine to its best operational temp as soon as posable to save you fuel.
When the engine is at the right temp the thermostat will open allowing the coolant to go to the radiator and be cooled down

 

[koalar]

If the thermostat is open when the engine is hot both hoses are hot, that's as it should be
If the thermostat is closed when the engine is hot the bottom hose will be cold or cooler
because the coolant cant be pumped to the radiator
The way the cooling system works is the coolant only goes around the engine and to the heater in side the car to warm your feet up and get the engine to its best operational temp as soon as posable to save you fuel.
When the engine is at the right temp the thermostat will open allowing the coolant to go to the radiator and be cooled down

still see what your trying to say

except to me it reads the wrong way round to me, sorry

hot coolant is pumped into the top of the radiator as the thermostat opens, and falls through the radiator as it cools (especially if the cars moving or fans on)

the bottom Hose is always cooler than top on a working car

testing the temperature of the top Hose ✔ is a Good way to diagnose thermostat problems


if it warms up as soon as the car is started its stuck open, if its cold when the car is up to temperature its either stuck closed or there's a circulation problem.


of cause I could be wrong

 

[DaveMcT]

Coolant thermostats are made to fail open, so when they do go wrong, the engine cannot overheat.

An engine that is getting too hot has nothing to do with the thermostat and everything to do with a coolant leak and blown head gasket. Let it go too far and you will destroy the inlet manifold and who knows what else.

A simple £10 chemical test of the coolant will tell you if the head gasket has failed.

50ml Combustion leak tester kit PETROL head gasket block fluid sniff detector | eBay

BT-1 50ml Combustion Leak Tester Kit for PETROL & LPG engines. In the presence of these gases, the test fluid will change colour to yellow. - bottle with test fluid ( 50ml or 100ml). - GREEN, combustion leak could be present but also could be caused by contamination with coolant.

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