Stop Engine Overheating

[Cico]

I have a 3 years old xsara picasso 2.0 HDi engine under the hood.I never had any problems with it, but last week while I was driving home the computer made sound like beep and showed me STOP ENGINE OVERHEATING, so I stopped my car and turned it of for about 1 min, started the engine again and continued driving and everything was normal.Now this happens almost everytime I start driving the car, the thing that worries me the most is that everything else looks normal.Water, oil etc.

Can somebody tell me whats the problem???

 

P.S the warning (STOP ENGINE OVERHEATING) remains on my display for about 1 or 2 seconds

[PRM]

Sorry I can't help with this but I have the same problem. Usually the "STOP, ENGIN TEMPRATURE" warning comes on after about 5 minutes driving, and only if the engin has been cold. The radiator fan comes on at the same time. I am wondering if the warning comes on at the point when the thermostat should be opening would this indicate a sticking thermostat.

I also have a water leaking problem which i will start a new post on.

 

PRM

[Johndouglas]

Can somebody tell me whats the problem???

 

Is the water level in the header tank falling? Don't check it when it's hot!!!

[sparrow]

We have had a similar problem - is the air conditioning on? It only happens when it's on for us.

[kfk]

If it only happens when the air conditioning is on check that the cooling fans are rotating.

 

The cooling fan must come on when the airconditioning is activated regardless of the temperature of the engine.....if it doesnt you need to find out why it isnt coming on because it is unlikely to work when the engine gets hot either.

 

A good place to start is the underbonnet fuse box to make sure all is ok, and then take a look at the two resistors fitted to the left of the cooling fan (Facing the vehicle from the front)........obviously nothing is going to work if the fan is jammed with objects or has sustained damage that prevents it from turning.

 

Before you stick you fingers in the fan turn the ignition off.......it will hurt if it starts spinning!

[sparrow]

Sorry to hijack this thread - the cooling fan does work when the engine is hot - when the temperature on the dash board is 24 to 28 degrees C or above. It's just annoying to have the alarm bleeping away for no reason.

[kfk]

If it only happens when the air conditioning is on check that the cooling fans are rotating.

 

The cooling fan must come on when the airconditioning is activated regardless of the temperature of the engine.....if it doesnt you need to find out why it isnt coming on because it is unlikely to work when the engine gets hot either.

 

A good place to start is the underbonnet fuse box to make sure all is ok, and then take a look at the two resistors fitted to the left of the cooling fan (Facing the vehicle from the front)........obviously nothing is going to work if the fan is jammed with objects or has sustained damage that prevents it from turning.

 

Before you stick you fingers in the fan turn the ignition off.......it will hurt if it starts spinning!

So going to my reply..........which i assume you havent checked........does the fan work when its cold and you turn the airconditioning on?

[sparrow]

Thanks, I had read it, was just adding some detail. Yes, the fan comes on about 5 -10 seconds after turning the a/c on - about the time the warning message and alarm start. Our local garage said it was an electrical fault but they couldn't find the right connector to plug into the engine diagnostics. I'd like to avoid a trip to the dealers if possible (expensive!).

[gnord]

Read all of this!

 

First determine if there is a genuine overheat problem! If so then you need to fix it, if not check for electrical problems.

 

If you have checked the thermostat, pump, radiator, etc, then you may have an electrical problem with one or more of the engine temperature sensors. I'm not 100% familiar with the particular model, but there are usually at least two of these, and maybe three. Get a haynes manual, (try ebay for a cheap one) which should tell you exactly where they are, and what to do to check them.

 

 

However, there will be one on the radiator itself. This will decide when to switch on the cooling fan. If the cooling fan is Ok, but not switching on, then there will probably be another sensor on the engine block or even another on the radiator (Check the manual!). If the electrical connections to any of these is dodgy, it may be sending a false temperature reading to the control system which then decides to warn you of a problem.

 

It might also be a faulty sensor. Haynes will tell you how to check this if it is possible to do it yourself, but you will probably need an electrical mutimeter to do this. (Try Maplin for electronic tools.)

 

There may also be another sensor measuring air temperature. That may not be a direct cause, though it could result in the ECU running the engine incorrectly leading to a genuine overheat!

 

 

Whatever the cause you really should get it fixed, apart fron the danger that if you ignore it, you might get a real coolant leak, and damage the engine, but it might also affect the tuning of the engine, (as the ECU is getting incorrect information)resulting in real overheating, and loss of power.

 

You will probably know if its a genuine overheat when the radiator cap blows, so until you figure it out carry a gallon of water in the boot. Bear in mind that contiually running with hot coolant can blow the hoses or radiator too, so just in case get hold of some self amalgamating tape, which will hold a split hose till you get the car home!

 

Best not to let it get to that state though, even hoses can be expensive, and you still won't have fixed the problem.

 

Also, it is possible that the radiator is sludged up, not likely mind you, just possible. Check the radiator is hot at the bottom as well as the top. If it is sludgy, then the water won't be getting to the bottom and cooling will be inneficient. If it is you can try a radiator flushing fluid, and reverse flush the radiator to try and clear it. Messy, and does not always work but a lot cheaper than a new radiator!