Hi All,
It looks like the coolant system is a common problem with these cars. I've seen a few similar threads but none quite the same as mine so thought I'd post and ask for some advice.
Basically, my car was left for about a month without an MOT.
Yesterday I took it to a test garage, initially the car wouldn't start due to a flat battery, I jumped the car and drove it to the garage without a problem. Approximately a 6 mile drive with about 3 miles at 70mph.
After the MOT was completed the garage (knowing the battery was dodgy) left the engine running for me. When I returned I found the mechanic looking under the bonnet with a rather concerned face and water all over the floor.
Apparently they heard a pop and a hiss and went to check on the car and found it had chucked it's guts up over the floor. They stopped the engine and let it cool down. We looked for a leak and couldn't find one but looking at the coolant splatter pattern I assumed it was the pressure release valve squirting coolant everywhere.
Worried about driving the vehicle home, I called the AA and asked to be towed. They checked the car and couldn't find any leak and recommended topping the coolant up and driving the car home as they followed. The car made it home without a problem (well, there were lots of ABS errors which I assumed were caused by coolant getting into the electrics).
When I got home the coolant was still about the same level as before I left the garage.
So, my question is, can anyone suggest a probably cause?
I believe the pump is working as i can see circulation in the expansion tank. I believe the thermostat is working as the car heated up fine and didn't then over heat on the drive home. I believe the temperature sensor is fine as the gauge on the dash appeared to correctly display the engine warming up.
The AA guy suggested that the fan has 2 speeds and that the first speed automatically comes on with the AC (he tested this and the fan kicked in). The second speed we couldn't activate. Is there a way to do this?
Our theory is that car started to overheat at idle and the fan for some reason never kicked in. Does this sound plausible? Which sensors and switches control the fan and the temperature gauge on the dash?
Cheers,
Dan
It looks like the coolant system is a common problem with these cars. I've seen a few similar threads but none quite the same as mine so thought I'd post and ask for some advice.
Basically, my car was left for about a month without an MOT.
Yesterday I took it to a test garage, initially the car wouldn't start due to a flat battery, I jumped the car and drove it to the garage without a problem. Approximately a 6 mile drive with about 3 miles at 70mph.
After the MOT was completed the garage (knowing the battery was dodgy) left the engine running for me. When I returned I found the mechanic looking under the bonnet with a rather concerned face and water all over the floor.
Apparently they heard a pop and a hiss and went to check on the car and found it had chucked it's guts up over the floor. They stopped the engine and let it cool down. We looked for a leak and couldn't find one but looking at the coolant splatter pattern I assumed it was the pressure release valve squirting coolant everywhere.
Worried about driving the vehicle home, I called the AA and asked to be towed. They checked the car and couldn't find any leak and recommended topping the coolant up and driving the car home as they followed. The car made it home without a problem (well, there were lots of ABS errors which I assumed were caused by coolant getting into the electrics).
When I got home the coolant was still about the same level as before I left the garage.
So, my question is, can anyone suggest a probably cause?
I believe the pump is working as i can see circulation in the expansion tank. I believe the thermostat is working as the car heated up fine and didn't then over heat on the drive home. I believe the temperature sensor is fine as the gauge on the dash appeared to correctly display the engine warming up.
The AA guy suggested that the fan has 2 speeds and that the first speed automatically comes on with the AC (he tested this and the fan kicked in). The second speed we couldn't activate. Is there a way to do this?
Our theory is that car started to overheat at idle and the fan for some reason never kicked in. Does this sound plausible? Which sensors and switches control the fan and the temperature gauge on the dash?
Cheers,
Dan
