Technical Temp gauge high

[Pib007]

Hi all, just picked up my Panda yesterday and the gauge went very high and I heard a gurgling noise from the dashboard, stopped for 10 minutes then set off again temperature down to half but no heat for the heater inside the car. Any suggestions/ideas.

 

[koalar]

Hi all, just picked up my Panda yesterday and the gauge went very high and I heard a gurgling noise from the dashboard, stopped for 10 minutes then set off again temperature down to half but no heat for the heater inside the car. Any suggestions/ideas.

Coolant level is the first check

Undo the cap and see if it goes up or down

No heat from the vents is serious the coolant isn't circulating around the system properly

There a bleed on the top of the matrix hose

Check carefully for leaks

Is the coolant a nice pink or blue colour or just water

 

[koalar]

I can't encourage you enough not to drive the car while the coolant isn't circulating

What starts as a very simple problem can soon escalate

It this point it's normally fairly straightforward

Most likely is low coolant and there isn't enough to push over it ove the N shape at the top of the heat hose

 

[jrkitching]

I can't encourage you enough not to drive the car while the coolant isn't circulating

I can.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DRIVE THIS CAR AGAIN UNTIL THE COOLANT PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED.

If you do, there is a good chance you will cause serious damage to the engine.

And until you are sure it has been fixed, drive with the heater on. If it stops producing warm air, pull over as soon as possible, turn the engine off, and (carefully) check the coolant level.

When the car is seriously low on coolant, the level can drop below the sensor for the temperature gauge. Then by the time it registers that the engine is overheating, the headgasket could already have failed.

It has happened before on this forum, and more than once.

 

[Pib007]

Coolant level is the first check

Undo the cap and see if it goes up or down

No heat from the vents is serious the coolant isn't circulating around the system properly

There a bleed on the top of the matrix hose

Check carefully for leaks

Is the coolant a nice pink or blue colour or just water

Cheers, do you have any photos of said bleed?
Thanks

 

[koalar]

Facing the enging on the right hand side

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I can.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DRIVE THIS CAR AGAIN UNTIL THE COOLANT PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED.

If you do, there is a good chance you will cause serious damage to the engine.

And until you are sure it has been fixed, drive with the heater on. If it stops producing warm air, pull over as soon as possible, turn the engine off, and (carefully) check the coolant level.

When the car is seriously low on coolant, the level can drop below the sensor for the temperature gauge. Then by the time it registers that the engine is overheating, the headgasket could already have failed.

It has happened before on this forum, and more than once.

Don't want to alarm you but I completely agree with all said above. It's almost certain, from your description, that the coolant level is much too low and as such will allow the engine to overheat. The temp gauge misbehaves for the reasons stated above. If the temp sensor, which is high up in the engine, is not immersed in coolant it will misread. These engines really don't like running with low coolant and, although otherwise very robust and reliable, don't tolerate getting overly hot.

I wouldn't be driving it again until the level is topped up and even then that would only be to get it to a place that can pressure test the cooling system and repair the leak. It's possible the head gasket may already have suffered degradation but you won't really know whether that has happened until a repair is attempted and the engine run for a while. However, let's look on the bright side, if you've caught it in time and the coolant level hasn't dropped too much, then you may have got away with it - Good luck!

 

[rmjbn1]

I understand you've only just bought the car?

I'd assume it's been low on coolant for some time and fear the worst. May be why it was sold?

Trade sale? Any chance of raising this issue with the vendor?

If not, a common source of coolant leak is a metal pipe across the front of the engine, behind the exhaust manifold. Check if it's wet on the underside

 

[Mike1alike]

The temp spike and gurgling noise almost always point to a cooling circulation/level issue, not a random gauge fault. Gurgling noise from matrix is always air trapped there.
As mentioned above, first check the coolant level and make sure the system is properly bled. Air pockets or low coolant can make the gauge spike and the heater go cold because coolant isn’t circulating properly.
Pull over safely, let it cool, then check the coolant reservoir and look for leaks or signs of trapped air. Don’t drive the car again until coolant and flow are verified.
If the engine is running without proper cooling for any length of time, it can warp heads or blow a head gasket, and that can happen surprisingly fast once the temperature goes deep into the red.

 

[jackwhoo]

1.2 petrol
There is a fiat procedure for filling and getting any air out while filling, 2 bleed points
I have posted link to correct procedure over and over again.
It's on forum somewhere .

 

[Mike1alike]

1.2 petrol
There is a fiat procedure for filling and getting any air out while filling, 2 bleed points
I have posted link to correct procedure over and over again.
It's on forum somewhere .

Yo do yourself a 'template' with that and do post it over and over again, whenever it's needed.
This is the forum! People mostly ask, don't read very much the old post...

 

[jackwhoo]

Yo do yourself a 'template' with that and do post it over and over again, whenever it's needed.
This is the forum! People mostly ask, don't read very much the old post...

That's great Mike you can do it and get the credit

 

[jackwhoo]

Plus it will get you another post on forum getting you closer to top contributer

 

[Mike1alike]

That's great Mike you can do it and get the credit

Thanks. I actually did it myself, explaining the bleeding process in some threads. I think I did it enough times, too.
So... I'll pass that to the next willing soul...

 

[Mike1alike]

Plus it will get you another post on forum getting you closer to top contributer

Are people having a problem with me being 'awarded' that title?
It was being said that I'm actually a bot and that's how I git there...

 

[jackwhoo]

Thanks. I actually did it myself, explaining the bleeding process in some threads. I think I did it enough times, too.
So... I'll pass that to the next willing soul...

Don't give up here's a link for you

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

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Are people having a problem with me being 'awarded' that title?
It was being said that I'm actually a bot and that's how I git there...

Not at all, I notice I've been awarded various things. My main interest though is in the cars and us folk in our efforts to fix them. You can award me stuff if you want, or not, doesn't mean much to me.

 

[Mike1alike]

Don't give up here's a link for you

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

There's no need to take a pi*s, you know...
But thanks, anyway...
(Thanks for nothing!)

 

[Mike1alike]

Not at all, I notice I've been awarded various things. My main interest though is in the cars and us folk in our efforts to fix them. You can award me stuff if you want, or not, doesn't mean much to me.

Of course 'awards' on forum are little things that don't make much of a difference. I didn't asked for it, I didn't know they existed until after some more intense activity I noticed that 'title' attached to my user name.

Of course it's much more rewarding to help if you can and for me, I have a very strong 'feel good factor' many times on this forum when discussions go the right way, when there is depths into technical stuff and when people fix the problems they've come with here.
There's always something new to find out, everyday.

 

[jackwhoo]

There's no need to take a pi*s, you know...
But thanks, anyway...
(Thanks for nothing!)

Hi Mike , I apologise, was Not taking the pee intentionally nastily but see how it could look like that.

it would be really good if you could put that link up on forum as a guide or something that stays visible.
I don't know how and only use my phone for forum which limits what I can do.
You may remember I have stuck up for you in the past when others were being unpleasant to you.
Best wishes
Jack