Technical Temperature fluctuating

[toodlepip]

Had the old girl during the summer with a blocked heater matrix. Constant flushing seemed to do some good but still nowhere near 100%.

Fitted a new matrix last weekend (gfscarparts off ebay - excellent service).

Lots of heat now but the temperature gauge is dropping from about 90 by about 10 degrees when we stop.

During the summer I had a new water pump, rad checked at the same time and a new thermostat, so with the new matrix it's pretty well all new, or in tip top order.

Because of problems with the thermostat and the water pump we were getting readings that were all over the place but it is still moving about. Header tank is not under pressure when the fillercap is removed.

I was wondering about whether the head gasket might be starting to go, but I had that tested as well and all seems well there.

Run out of ideas now, any suggestions anybody.

JRD 20 diesel, year 2000.

 

[Thebus]

Similar thing happened on my uly, 96. Found to be a duff rad, very broken!

 

[celticbex]

My R reg did same, flushed matrix, new radiator and fan..... fine for a couple of months, then head gasket went, completely new engine now and no heat again, if we flush it and fill the water up, it gives very slight warmth.... reckon this head gasket's going too!!!

 

[toodlepip]

The heat is ok-ish, not the searing heat required in this weather so that is an improvement, but it does take up to fifteen miles before it starts producing any real heat.

I don't quite know whether I am making too much of it as there is no sludge in the oil, no bubbles in the coolant, and we are not losing any water so it might just be me, but I was looking at this http://www.directcarparts.co.uk/pro...-head-gasket-cracked-engine-block-repair.html

Anybody any experience with it. An American product, it seems it might be widely used over there.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Probably a duff thermostat. Was the replacement fitted a genuine Fiat part of a pattern part? If pattern then this is probably your problem as there's a lot of duff ones in circulation

 

[Brittleware]

I'm about to fit a Gates thermostat. Probably the most reliable brand out there IMO.

 

[toodlepip]

Got the thermostat from an auto parts place. I got two actually, one at £3.95 from a discount car place. It didn't fit, got my money back, went to another, got one that fits and it cost £23.

Anyway it looks I might have been over reacting a bit. The temperaure fluctuating has stopped, it settles in at about 85 degrees, its pumping out enough hot air to actually have to turn it down a bit so it might have been a bit of air in the system causing me concern, and it is warming up a good deal quicker.

I did an oil change yesterday as well. Oil is nice and clean, apart from being black, and no traces of anything nasty in there so my worries about what is going to go wrong next is fading a bit.

That heater had been bugging me for some months and it must have made me a bit paranoid.