General overheating

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General overheating

silentlou85

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Aug 31, 2007
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i bought my s reg fiat siencento 899cc about 2 weeks ago for 500 pounds 70,000 miles and i love her already but am starting to wish i had bought something else.
first of all she sounds ok up to 4th gear but when i try going faster and into 5th the sound changes and sounds like shes finding it hard to get to 70. maybe thats normal for the teeny engine she has.

the main problem thats scared the living daylight out of me twice is that the car works fine and dosent overheat until i get into a traffic jam...even a small one results in steam coming out of my bonnet on the side where the water tank is....also water pours onto the road and a sign comes up on my dash...maybe an overheat sign...also it sounds like its boiling when this happens. i then have to park up, lift the bonnet to let it cool then add some water as it becomes low. the water seems to come from the cap on the tank.

this is my first car and i know nothing about cars , i am wondering if this problem is just that i need a new cap on the water tank or is it more serious. the water tank becomes very hot.

i dont wanna take it to a garage until i have an idea of whats up as im a student and if its going to cost lots i may have to garage it for a whil,e.

cheers louise
 
Re: please help.

Possibly a common fault with the radiator fan sensor failed so your cooling fan doesn't operate, don't know anything about your model but you can check this yourself if you can see the sensor screwed into the radiator with 2 wires coming out. pull the wires off with ignition on & touch the wires together to make the circuit, the fan should come on, if not then it maybe your fan motor
 
Re: please help.

Make sure when you are refilling the bottle that you follow the bleeding instructions carefully.

Then check operation of your fan. as suggested above. Remove the sensor plug from the side of the radiator, short out the two connectors with an opened up paper clip, then switch on the ignition. The fan should immediately run fast, if it runs slowly and the paperclip heats up, the motor is knackered.

If it doesn't run at all, check the fuse for the fan.

Come back to us, but get it sorted immediately, if not further anguish awaits.

Cheers

D
 
Re: please help.

Make sure when you are refilling the bottle that you follow the bleeding instructions carefully.
D

No swearing please :devil:

Surely theres no need to remove the sensor which involves draining out water, it just needs to touch the two wires together to complete the circuit
 
Re: please help.

how much would the fan or headgasket cost to be replaced? im gonna have to get it done asap as im now scared of traffic jams...and i live in a city centre thus its nearly impossible to avoid them.

cheers for all your help
 
Re: please help.

Where in the world are you?

In the UK,

fan motor, circa £60 plus an hour at the local rate.

HG, again about £60 gasket set and skim, plus about 3 hours labour.

You can save the labour by DIY.

Cheers

D
 
Re: please help.

how much would the fan or headgasket cost to be replaced? im gonna have to get it done asap as im now scared of traffic jams...and i live in a city centre thus its nearly impossible to avoid them.

cheers for all your help


you already checked the sensor ( £12) & it definately wouldn't start the fan ?
 
Re: please help.

thanks guys, it was my fan...the wireing had coroded so it wasnt working at all.hopefully no more driving a sauna...xx
 
bridged the fan with paperclip...fan spins up quickly straight away....doesnt seem like theres a lot of hot water going into the radiator to test my brand new radiator switch...ive been told it may be an airlock and they can be hard to get out of the system sometimes...could this be and how would i check this? :) cheers
 
just had this problem with my seicento, was because of expansion bottle cap not holding threads so the pressure loosened it and spewed water out. What i've done as a temporary fix until i get a new one is get some electrical tape, pull it really tight around the threads of expansion tank so the cap will take to it, go around it twice. Then pop cap back on, u will feel its tight now, then once cars warming up u will be able to bleed system easily and get rid of any air locks. Hope this helps
 
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