any vauxhall experts??

[pete23]

my wifes got a x reg 1.8 corsa diesel, been a great car.

but this week its started to overheat, not a massive amount but enough for the fan to kick in after ten mins of sitting with the engine running.
and while driving the temp gauge is sitting a tad higher than normal.

any thoughts on what the prob could be??

ive checked the obvious, water, belt tension, any suggestions??

cheers.

 

[ytre]

Hello Pete, could be the water pump failing, or faulty thermostat or at the very worst the head gasket starting to go. Take it to your local and get a block test done. They can add fluid to the expansion tank and test it for head gasket failure. It shouldnt cost that much if even anything.

 

[tigler]

Check for the obvious like steam from the exhaust, hard rad hoses, oil in water or water in oil, peculating expansion tank, leaks etc. Personally I would go with thermostat, it is a routine service item and should really be replaced every 2 or 3 years.

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

May sound simple but for gords sake replace the thermostat housing gasket. Someone put a new stat in our fiesta and didnt, It used water but was not visibly leaking when sitting cold, Sniff test proved nothing, That took some working out!

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

The 1st question should be whether it is using water over a period of time or not. If no, then that eliminates a lot of possibilties. The OP did state he checked the water, but hasn't stated whether it is losing water or not.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I have a similar issue with the V6 Essex in my Scimitar. Gets hot when pushed or idling, sniff test OK, no difference in hydrocarbons, bank to bank. One little clue may be that it is slower to warm than it used to be. Now that could be down to the ambient temperature, but I would hope to find a stuck thermostat. Possibly stuck halfway so it cocks up the cooling at bothe ends. Running Evan's coolant 180 too, so have to CAREFULLY drain it to re-use. It has enabled me to continue using the car because it will not boil, unlike August when a 70 mile trip resulted in the coolant being blown out twice.

 

[RonA]

If it is the naturally aspirated (as opposed to the turbo version) I to owned an R plate identical corsa. At about 90000 miles the engine started overheating, I cured mine of the problem by replacing the rad, they tend to build up crud inside & even after adding a chemical cleaner couldn't move it. New rad only cost me anout £45.
As you say great little car, got 130,000 miles out of mine before it headed of to the great scrap yard in the sky.

 

[keithski122]

I was gonna say check your rad.My suzuki had this, found out after replacing thermostat,then water pump, in the end the radiator was barely flowing.

 

[leso55]

if its not using water, i'd replace thermostat and try backflushing the radiator, could be getting sludged up, probably about the cheapest options to start with.

 

[TAITSIE]

With the engine hot try and feel the surface of the radiator, it should be the same temp all over, if one area is hot and another cold good chance its blocked
PS disconnect the fan first, you dont want it starting if your fingers are near it !!!

 

[pete23]

cheers chaps, its not using any water, no oil in water or water in oil.

a few things to go at there, thanks.

it will prob end up going at my local.

 

[flash of light]

before you have your engine in small bits, have a feel for colder areas on your rad.

 

[normspanners]

Something to check

I have a similar issue with the V6 Essex in my Scimitar. Gets hot when pushed or idling, sniff test OK, no difference in hydrocarbons, bank to bank. One little clue may be that it is slower to warm than it used to be. Now that could be down to the ambient temperature, but I would hope to find a stuck thermostat. Possibly stuck halfway so it cocks up the cooling at bothe ends. Running Evan's coolant 180 too, so have to CAREFULLY drain it to re-use. It has enabled me to continue using the car because it will not boil, unlike August when a 70 mile trip resulted in the coolant being blown out twice.

I am a mech and with the fords they have about 5 different colour temp senders each 1 works at slightly a different voltage therefore reading a different temperature I spent days on my old cortina years ago after an engine swap trying to work out why it was overheating swapped the sensor because it was adifferent colour and bingo. I have had it that the car ran perfect for years to find that it had the wrong unit in just check what was the original though that might be difficult with it being a non ford manufacturer
Norm

 

[garethp]

Do you mean 10mins of tick over on an already hot engine? If so I would have thought the fan kicking is was normal? As long as it switches off fairly quickly I wouldnt be worried.

If you want to start checking things I would agree with the others and put a new thermostat in first, its cheap and easy to do and flush out the rad if you can. Dont forget the antifreeze - at this time of year its easy to get caught out by a unexpected cold night

 

[ajlelectronics]

I am a mech and with the fords they have about 5 different colour temp senders each 1 works at slightly a different voltage

Yes, then there is the Reliant specific one that is different again! The Scimitar uses Smith's circular gauges and a Ford sender will not do. I have been round the system with an IR temperature gun to confirm findings. Just waiting for me to have the time and weather to change the thermostat.