Thermostat, High Temperature, Radiator Fan Keeps Running

[crooner]

Hi , my cars temperature warning light came on today , so i pulled in right away because the last time this happened it overheated and i had to get the head gasket replaced  , is the thermostat easy to replace

 

Also, after switching off the engine the radiator fan is still running , anyone know whats going on

 

citroen c3 14 LX 2004

[paul.h]

If not already done, check the coolant level is ok. It could be one of the temperature sensors is faulty rather than the thermostat. High temperature (real or just given by one of the temp sensors) will also put the engine fan on and this can continue for a few minutes after the engine is switched off. If you replace the temperature sensors (there are 2) then get Citroen ones since cheap ones might not work properly. Some topics to read

http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/22554-cooling-fan-problems/?do=findComment&comment=83642

http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/22559-p0118-code-on-citroen-c3-2005-14-petrol/

http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/22595-temp-high-temp-warnings-fixed-by-new-sensor/

 

Thermostat replacement is not difficult but it comes as part of the housing so all of it is replaced. Getting all the air out is not too easy though but it helps if you make a filling funnel to raise the expansion tank level filling height - have a look at this for a diy one http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/24799-coolant-filling-tool-alternative-to-cylinder-4520-t-and-4222-t/

[crooner]

thanks but just to let you know i took filler cap off , took off the 2 bleed screws , but only about 1 litre came out , so i wasn't sure if that was all the water that was in the system ,  i changed the thermostate anyway & filled it up ran it topped it up a few times ,iv'e put about 4litres back in ,

it seems to be running alright i just have to keep my eye on water level ,

 

any problems i will look through the information you have been good enough to post ,and may have to look at making one of your diy expansion tank fillers

[paul.h]

According to the Haynes manual there should be about 7 litres of coolant. If you got 1 litre out and then 4 litres in, it could be the head gasket is leaking. Check the oil level, the oil filler cap inside for mayonnaise, steam from the exhaust, check for any leaks.

[crooner]

According to the Haynes manual there should be about 7 litres of coolant. If you got 1 litre out and then 4 litres in, it could be the head gasket is leaking. Check the oil level, the oil filler cap inside for mayonnaise, steam from the exhaust, check for any leaks.

 

oil level / filler cap /steam from exhaust all seem to be okay , yesterday i discovered a heavy leak which seemed to be coming from one of the two hoses just below the small bleed bolt , it wasn't coming from the bleed bolt , so i wiped it clean & ran the engine, to my surprise the leak stopped , 

at one time i took the header cap off & water was overflowing from the tank , took the car to two local garages expecting them to know about the air lock problem & if all the coolant comes out at once how much the would expect to put in ,but never got a confident answer 

anyway car is now running okay will keep an eye on water level , havn't put any coolant in yet just water will it be okay to run with just water for a week or so till i can be confident the problem is sorted

[paul.h]

If the engine was hot when you took the tank cap off then the coolant could boil and cause the water to overflow.

 

There will still be some anti freeze left in from when you changed the thermostat, probably not enough to prevent freezing in winter but most people would do what you have done and just filled up with water for now until any leaks are sorted.

[crooner]

car still running no leaks not overheating , can you tell me how much antifreeze concentrate i should put in , if there is still coolant in the system after draining from bottom radiator hose & filling with just water twice , surely the remainder must be diluted  , should i put in about 3 ltr pure concentrate to let it mix  . thanks in advance

[paul.h]

I would do what you suggest, drain out 3 litres and then add 3 litres of 100% anti freeze. If it is not the same anti freeze used when the head gasket was changed or not a Citroen recommended anti freeze, then you might want to flush out as much of the old stuff as possible before putting in the new, just in cast the old/new are not compatible.

[crooner]

UPDATE , i suspected a head gasket so bought a block tester ,fluid turned yellow meaning head gasket blown , iv'e scrapped the car as it is 2004 not worth putting money into  ,   

thanks paul for all your replies

[paul.h]

Pity the gasket had failed but when a car gets old the point always comes when they are not worth repairing.

 

Have you decided what car you will be getting to replace it ?

[crooner]

i now have a citroen c3 1.2 vti 86 you already replied to my post DASHBOARD FUSES you said you had bad experiences with the vti 

i had the citroen C3 14 LX for 14 years with only head gasket oil leaks being my only major problem ,so thought i couldn't go wrong with 

another C3 i don't know why the vti would be different , i'm hoping you were just unlucky 

[paul.h]

I saw the fuses topic after I had replied to this one, hence asking here about your new car.

 

I think your car will be an 82 rather than 86 since I could not find any on line. I have put your new car in your signature so you will not need to mention it when posting. The problems on the old 4 cylinder vti engines may not have anything to do with the newer 3 cylinder ones and I can not recall any posts on here with problems.

[crooner]

'I saw the fuses topic after I had replied to this one, hence asking here about your new car.

 

I think your car will be an 82 rather than 86 since I could not find any on line. I have put your new car in your signature so you will not need to mention it when posting. The problems on the old 4 cylinder vti engines may not have anything to do with the newer 3 cylinder ones and I can not recall any posts on here with problems.'

 

 

that's a relief my heart sank when you mentioned the  problems you had  with your vti ,

 

 

i'm still trying to find out how to get that fuse board down to put a fuse in for my dash cam , i may have to look at using the fuse board under the bonnet 

[paul.h]

To remove the glove box bsi fuse board it is not as easy as the earlier C3.

 

On this one the glove box lid needs removing (open the lid, at the bottom are 2 pins that need pushing in to the middle of the lid and removing, it needs unclipping from the ram and then the lid can be removed), the square fuse box cover already mentioned before and the panel at the right end of the dash need prising off, remove a switch top right of the glove box, the glove box then needs removing by undoing some screws top/bottom and right side and then unclipping it. Then to get the fuse board out, after disconnecting the battery, unplug any connectors, unclip it at the bottom then push it up to get it out of the side clips and then pull down and out.

 

I did an internet search on problems on the 82 vti engine and did not find anything, so it looks promising for its reliability.

[crooner]

Thanks for taking the trouble to do the internet search on 82vti ,

thats good news you didn't find any problems