Bit of a non- locost cry for help...
My mrs' fiat punto has had some engine over heating problems, we just popped the bonnet and after a mist of steam cleared we noticed the fan
wasnt working. So where's a good place to look, thermostat or fan its self?
Also she said that the heater blows cold air when she wants hot and hot air when she wants cold?
strange machines them fiats.
Probably need to look for an air lock or some other reason, whilst the fan may be dodgy I wouldn't expect you to need it to run anyway, they are not normally need'd unless stood in traffic for ages on a very hot day........
i would second the airlock theory,
take the engine cover off and look for 3 air bleed screws, one could be on the metal pipe on the front of the engine, one on a rubber hose on the back
and one down the side, open these systematically with the engine running and close them off when you get coolant through, start from the lowest bleed
point and work towards the highest,
i would investigate the cloud of steam though, check all hose clips, if they are ok then check for water in the oil (mayonaise like substance around
the oil filler cap) if you have water in the oil then your head gasket is buggared
might be able to get a few pics of the bleed valves if you need,
you could start at the basics like check the fuse and see if you have a 12v feed at the fan if thats ok check for water leaks or air locks in the
system the head gasket is prone to going and if left to long it burns a track in the head from the water hole to the cylinder i believe that happens
on no1 cylinder
[Edited on 7/17/2007 by DRC INDY 7]
Locate the cooling fan thermoswitch , disconnect the terminal{s} and bridge them . If fan is not working test for live feed and earth . If both present then the fan motor may be faulty. If the fan operates with connections bridged then it's possible the fan switch is faulty but Punto head gasket failure is not uncommon.
rigghhhttt,
fuses are good,
head gaskets still intact,
air lock? this sounds interesting, im not touching it for a minute as its piping hot but novacaine, is there a possibility i can poach some pics off
of you?
oh just got an electric shock off of bridging it but im giving it a go now again.
Cheers fo the help so far guys.
Nath
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Locate the cooling fan thermoswitch , disconnect the terminal{s} and bridge them . If fan is not working test for live feed and earth . If both present then the fan motor may be faulty. If the fan operates with connections bridged then it's possible the fan switch is faulty but Punto head gasket failure is not uncommon.
Sounds to me like the good old punto headgasket, what age is it, wat is the mileage?
The older punto headgaskets are good for about 30k miles. (if your lucky)
If all else fails, start the car from cold and leave to run for a couple of mins, remove the expansion bottle top and if the water builds up into the
bottle and overflows, the system is building pressure which can indicate head gasket failure, also as novacaine said if there is evidence of oil and
water on the oil filler cap definatly a headgasket problem.
Mike
[Edited on 18/7/07 by mike smith1]
what year is the car and what engine?
Is the top hose getting hot?
Is the radiator hot all over?
Does the heater in the car get hot?
Paul