Car Overheating Issue

snnl

Morning MSE,

I'm after a bit of advice and if I miss anything out, feel free to ask!

We have a 2011 Vauxhall Meriva 1.4 (petrol) that we've owned for about 6 months. The car itself has no previously failed MOTs and a FSH since new (all paper work and stamps), however over the last week the car has been playing up and 'overheating'. I say that as I'm not sure its actually overhearing (but then again I'm no mechanic)

A week ago, my wife said the engine temp gauge rose to around 100C (just short of the red) and the little car with a mechanic symbol flash up. Being only 5 mins from home, she just continued and parked up and left it to cool down and didnt drive it again that day.

I checked the oil and coolant levels that evening, both on the low side but not empty, and topped them up to be sure.

Wife drove it the next day, no issues, no warning lights.

I drove it Saturday morning, again no issues, no warning lights and we assumed it was just one of them things. However on the return journey (a 25min drive) after 15 mins, the gauge shot up again and rose to just under the red. Car with the spanner symbol popped up as before - then within about 2 mins it shot into the red, cars beeping, error code 4 pops up and we pulled over about 5 mins from the house but didn't I turn the engine off.

I get out check the car to check it over and let it cool down for a bit. Coolant was still at the level it was after i topped it up, oil was still fine and the engine didn't seem excessively hot. However the fan was blowing something good! The air con was working (although that cut out as thats part of the error code 4). The fans blew hot/cool air fine.

After 20 mins and two young kids crying in the back, we drove the last 3 mins down the road home. Car was still in the red, beeping and with the error code showing.

The odd thing was, the car drove perfectly fine, no performance issues at all while driving. After letting the car cool down, i went out later in the evening (3hours later) and started it up. The temp read 50C on the bottom line, but i could here the fan kicking in instantly. Then the temp rose to 90C within about 5 mins even though I've not driven it anywhere.
After another 5 mins the temp rose another 10C before dropping, it then fluctuated for a bit jumping up and down in temperature.

I took the car out the next morning (after a cool night) to Halfords, which is about 5 mins away, to get a bulb and pretty much the same as above, rose quickly to 90C and then jumped up and down for a bit and then settled on 90C after driving for 5-10 mins around town. The whole time the car drove and seemed fine, checked the engine at Halfords and all ok.

At no point have we seen steam/smoke or anything else come from the engine that would set alarm bells ringing.g

Any ideas what's going on? Ive got it booked in at a local garage for later this week but was wondering if this is something serious or something like a faulty sensor and going to cost a lot.

Thoughts?

Browntoa

I'm with you , fault on a sensor probably

snnl

Browntoa wrote: »

I'm with you , fault on a sensor probably

It makes the most sense as nothing else adds up, do you know any ways I can check this myself? I trust my garage not to rip me off but I always try and go in with as much info as possible!

Jackmydad

You could check the temperatures with an IR thermometer. They give slightly different readings depending on the surface they're pointed at, but should give an idea of what's happening.

The danger of assuming it's the sensor is that you ignore it, and there is consequential damage.
Having said that I agree that it sounds as if it could well be a sensor.

Geodark

Air lock? belt slipping? when was the car last serviced? has the water pump ever been replaced? have you had a sniff test done on the engine to check for HG failure? you wouldnt always see steam from the engine if it overheats.

it could just be the Temp Sensor, but with the damage that could be caused by an overheating engine I would definitely get it checked out.

Norman_Castle

Could be a failing or sticking thermostat which is opening and closing but not consistently. Not sure about your car but possibly very cheap to change.

snnl

Thanks for all the feedback, most helpful!

Am i right in thinking that if the car was genuinely overheating, as in hitting the red which is near 130C on the Meriva, the car would perform badly and would be impossible to drive and/or get worse?

Im hoping the fact that it drives without any issue it means its the lesser of the evils...

Also, don't worry we aren't recklessly driving the car still whilst its in the red and ignoring the warnings!

It's being looked at on thursday's, so keeping fingers crossed now!

angrycrow

The risk is that if it is a stuck thermostat you won't get any loss of performance until the damage has been done. By damage I mean failed head gasket and warped cylinder head.

Get it checked ASAP.

flashg67

Different car, but we have a Citroen C1 that kept showing the overheat warning and fans kicking in, but drove fine. Turned out to be a sticking thermostat, so definitely worth getting it checked in case it's not just a sensor. if the car is actually getting too hot, damage will occur eventually.

markudman

If you do not want to take to a garage, the sensor for this engine is about £10.00, Just go buy one fit it top at anti freeze and cross your fingers.

Norman_Castle

snnl wrote: »

Am i right in thinking that if the car was genuinely overheating, as in hitting the red which is near 130C on the Meriva, the car would perform badly and would be impossible to drive and/or get worse?

The warning light will tell you when it is getting too hot or risking overheating. An overheated engine could run badly and damage could be caused.