Citroen Xsara - Old Model - Engine Running Hot

[adamm]

Hi

New to this - have a bit of technical knowledge but not much! I have a V reg Citroen Xsara West Coast - done 69000, well serviced, good condition, runs well. Ever since i've had it under heavy load the temperature gauge has crept up slightly - not greatly and i've tended to ignore it - and there's never been a problem. But lately its creeping up more. Coolant is topped up - appears to be in good condition. No obvious leaks. No obvious signs of a failed head gasket. Doesn't lose any coolant - heater and air con work fine. In normal circumstances the temperature gauge sits in the middle around 90 or slightly above. But just lately, under heavy load, its crept up almost to the red zone (it has never overheated, the engine stop light has never come on) - but yesterday i drove up a steep hill near where i live and i thought  i would have to stop - but within a few moments of levelling out the gauge had gone back down to 90 in the middle. Now, i know its hot at the moment, and a few folk i've asked have said something along the lines of 'they do that - don't worry about it - its just things working properly' - but i'm not convinced at all. In every other car i've owned the temperature gauge has not varied that much - and it seems to be getting hotter - although as i said, it is hot weather at the moment. Could it be the thermostat not working properly? Do i get that checked or do i carry on unless i have a problem? The only other possible related thing could be that on one or two occasions back in the winter when i started the car cold i heard for a few seconds a trickling water sound - that lasted a few seconds max! The car has not done it for months and i have had the car serviced since then and my garage which i trust said don't worry about that..........any advice much appreciated. Like i said, a very good car for its age.........

Thanks

Adam

[paul.h]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Which engine is it ? Does the engine fan cut in when the temperature gauge starts to go up ? Are there any external blockages of the radiator ?

[adamm]

hi

thanks - its the 1.4 engine - 1360cc i think - yes, as far as i can tell the fan does cut in correctly........no, can't see any external blockages to the radiator - as i said though, i'm not an expert - but as far as i can tell with my limited knowledge everything appears to be working fine - apart from the temperature rising from time to time......i'm sure there is something thats been missed but haven't found it yet!!

[paul.h]

Looking at Citroen's procedures, your car should have 2 engine fans and both are 2 speed fans. Cut in temperatures are 96°C for the first speed and 101°C for the higher speed. The air con should cut out if the temperature increases to 112°C and a high temperature warning given at 118°C. The thermostat should start to open at 88°C. Post cooling running of the fans is up to 6 minutes if at 105°C. The radiator cap is 1.4 bar which is equivalent to steam at 126°C, so the cap should not lift if everything is working until after the high temperature warning.

 

Between the 2 fans is a triangular looking box with 3 relays inside. If the fans are not cutting in at 2 speeds then it may be possible a relay is faulty so you could check these. With the air con running a fan will run anyway so checks should be done with the air con off. I would check the fans with the car stationary and the engine running and ideally diagnostic equipment used to see what temperatures are shown by the temp sensor as the various actions happen - thermostat starts to open (check by touching the radiator top hose and it will become hot), fans start at the first speed, fans increase speed to high speed. I have done these checks on our C3 with a code reader giving live data and the temp would rise enough to start the fans on low speed but then it would cool so the high speed did not happen.

 

You have checked the coolant level is ok but you could also check the engine oil level since this will also remove some heat. The temperature sensor (on the thermostat housing) is probably ok and reported faults with these seem to be the gauge suddenly goes to max or goes to max before the engine has warmed up.

[adamm]

thanks