Technical Need help...Where is the thermostat in my Panda 1.2?

[DynamicPanda]

Hi,

I have mayo on my oil cap...Need to find thermostat to test..Where is it on a 2007 1.2?

Also my radiator fan doesn't kick in...

Any help would be great.

Thanks

 

[trackdayqueen]

I wouldn't necessarily worry about mayo on your oil cap, that's just likely indicative of lots of short journeys and is not necessarily an indicator of imminent head gasket failure.

You may find in this weather your rad fan does not need to turn on. To check if the stat is opening just check the hoses when the car is warming up, principally rad flow and return. Not had a 1.2, would guess (as every other engine I've had is like this) that the thermostat is likely to be on the pipe from the rad (lower one).

 

[jrkitching]

Hi,

I have mayo on my oil cap...Need to find thermostat to test..Where is it on a 2007 1.2?

Also my radiator fan doesn't kick in...

Any help would be great.

Thanks

I've never had cause to remove one myself, but according to my workshop documentation, it's in a housing bolted to the flywheel end of the cylinder head. As Trackdayqueen says, the bottom pipe from the rad is attached to this housing.

Access looks awkward & on my 2010 1.2 would seem to require removal of the battery, battery tray, ecu & coil packs. Perhaps someone who's actually done the job will come along and share their knowledge.

It should open at 87 deg C with a 2 deg tolerance either way. But given the difficulty of access, I'd start by checking the pipes by hand - you should be able to ascertain if it's working correctly by observing the change in temperature as the engine warms up.

Never seen any oil emulsification on my car, and it does some short, cold journeys, so just to be on the safe side, I'd rule out the possibility of head gasket failure by pressure testing the cooling system.

Diagram attached.

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi , all good advice,
is it noticably losing coolant?,
it may be short journey's + cold weather , the engine will naturally attract / generate a certain amount of "moisture" that will take a reasonable time of sustained heat to "bake-out".

BUT - if you are regularly topping-up the coolant then the head-gasket is a prime suspect,
if your RAD fan has been US for a while than that could well contribute..,

the Diagram in the previous post is helpful..BUT it's NOT bolted to the side of the air-filter..!!

the 'stat is actualy hidden under the battery area,
attatched to the Shiny alloy engine head, ( just follow the coolant pipes to locate it..),
under the 2 coil packs ( what look like small blocks with "chimneys" in the diagram -bottom left)

at first start-up , one hose will get hot quite quickly, then the other should warm up suddenly , after a few minutes ( once the thermostat has opened),

is there a temp gauge on your car's dash..??, it should get to half way ideally,
Charlie

 

[jrkitching]

the Diagram in the previous post is helpful..BUT it's NOT bolted to the side of the air-filter..!!

I'd agree that diagram is extremely confusing - hence my comment about it looking like you might need to remove the coil packs. Sadly it's taken straight from FIAT's official workshop documentation for the 1.2 Panda :bang:.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

It's located directly under the coil packs. Remove coil pack mounting bracket by undoing the 3 bolts holding it the head / rocker cover and yank it away from the engine. Can then access the thermostat easy peasy

What makes you think the fan has packed up? How have you tried testing it

 

[DynamicPanda]

A neighbour with know how tested it by revving the engine for around 5 minutes amongst other things, left a tap open and very hot coolant flowed out too?

I don't have much knowledge so left him to it.

He will test the fan further today, short it and check the fuse etc.

There was no water in the return hose also if that helps anyone? Regarding the mayo...But the car has had only two 10mile+ journeys in the past year and both in Nov of this year.

Replaced coolant yesterday and it was all pink so must have been changed no so long ago, no regular i'm thinking though.

Thanks everyone

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Your friend won't be able to do the short circuit test on the fan like you could in the old days as its canbus controlled. He'll have to wire a +ve feed from the battery.

Failing that a copy of fiatecuscan can test the fan but you'll need the ELM and K-Line leads.

 

[R1NGA]

There was no water in the return hose also if that helps anyone?

Err, that's not good. Do you mean the radiator return hose to the block? Suggest that you need to get your man to investigate that before driving anywhere else.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Err, that's not good. Do you mean the radiator return hose to the block? Suggest that you need to get your man to investigate that before driving anywhere else.

The return hose is to the Pump, not the block.

OP how do you know there was no water in the return pipe?

 

[DynamicPanda]

He squeezed it and checked. he confirmed there is no water but needs to check the thermostat is working or not.He told me it's a big problem argh.

I drove around 15 miles yesterday on dual carriageway too. Shouldn't I drive at all? I don't smell coolant etc.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

To be honest I've never met your mechanic but to say there is no coolant in the pipes and then let you drive it says to me he doesn't like you and wants you to knacker your engine or is just a liar about there being no coolant.

 

[SurreyAlan]

Our 1.2 only does short journeys, 3 miles each way a day but it does warm up very quickly, I'd say it was up to temp after a mile and a half, never any mayo. (Making conversation - I once owned a Vauxhall Chevette and that produced jars of the stuff - they all did).
I seem to recall reading that if you squeezed the lower hose if there was water in it then you would see the level rise in the radiator but not sure if that is right or not.

 

[DynamicPanda]

He did tell me not to drive but I had to, the temp gauge didn't rise above half way at all, no smoke, the engine didn't seem overly hot but he's going check it in a bit, I advised him to tell me not to drive it all or give me the green light if I can.

We revved it up and coolant jumps out of the tap at the top? There is coolant going around but water in the return hose to the radiator isn't there.

Thanks everyone

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Which one are you referring to when you say return hose? Top or bottom rad hose?

 

[DynamicPanda]

The thermostat is working but I need a new radiator fan :-(

Top hose if i remember...

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

The thermostat is working but I need a new radiator fan :-(

Top hose if i remember...

The thermostat can't be working if it's the top hose as the route the coolant takes is out of the thermostat, into the top hose, and into the top of the radiator.

How was the fan tested

 

[DynamicPanda]

I actually think the fan never worked since i bought the car a month ago...

The car hasn't overheated at all and I've driven quite a bit, is this the calm before the storm?

He connected it to the battery and the fan did not come on at all.

Fans are not cheap I see for a 2007 Panda 1.2

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Ah right, if he connected the fan directly to the battery then fair enough. Does your Panda have aircon

 

[DynamicPanda]

No Aircon...

Is it odd that after a 10 miles dual carriageway 50mph (mostly) journey my engine heat was at normal level?

Is the fan definitely meant to kick in??