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overheating problem HELP
gy351100 - 27/6/08 at 06:51 PM

Hi all
A friend of mine has been having a problem with over heating on his Nissan Primera 2.0i 16v (p12)
Symptoms are:
Every 2 to 3 weeks the temp gauge suddenly goes up and down quite quickly and the fan kicks in
The engine is deninitely over heating but the gauge seems very unstable
There is no evidence of any leaks but the water level needs to be topped slightly
I suggested possibly a faulty temp sensor
Any other idears anyone
Cheers
Keith

eznfrank - 27/6/08 at 07:11 PM

What's the oil and level like?

matt.c - 27/6/08 at 07:14 PM

Head gasket? Have you looked at the colour of the engine oil?

mr henderson - 27/6/08 at 08:53 PM

Thermostat not opening properly? Is the radiator good and hot when the engine is overheating?

John

gy351100 - 27/6/08 at 10:24 PM

quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
Thermostat not opening properly? Is the radiator good and hot when the engine is overheating?

John


The thermostat not opening properly doesn't explain why the gauge goes up and down

tks - 27/6/08 at 10:53 PM

one thing bad doesn't mean another thing cant be right...

so maybe he has a short / fault temp sensor (which many times is mounted n the thermostat)

but the overheating could be a 2nd problem.
maybe it overheated the sensor!! and it went mad...

britishtrident - 28/6/08 at 08:23 AM

Slow coolant leak causing loss of coolant circulation -------- to track it down requires a pressure test on the system with the engine cold. This is the only way to trace slow leaks.

Modern engines run so hot leaks just flash off into steam which contrary to popular belief is completely invisible.



Of course the simpler way is just to tip in 1/4 of a container of K-Seal (NB not Radweld or Barrs-Leaks which should not be put near any modern engine)



[Edited on 28/6/08 by britishtrident]

britishtrident - 28/6/08 at 08:46 AM

I should add Japanese cars use a different glycol based antifreeze-coolant from European and American manufacturers.

The Japanese red antifreeze while still ethylene glycol based has a different additive blend, while the two types will mix using european antifreeze in Japanese cooling system will often result in leakage.