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Overheating - Suspect Thermostat

#21 User is offline   nottadam 

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Posted 06 April 2015 - 02:54 PM

Hi
There is a way to rule out the heater matrix...just join the two pipes together with a piece of tube to bypass the HCV.
It doesn't look like the rad is blocked from what you say.
It is possible that the temperature sensor in the head is not reading correctly. This is what will be giving you the temperature readings on your scanner, as well as the temperature gauge and fan control , it's the only reference the ECU has got.
Just as a rough guide, when at normal temperature, after a run, all the hoses will be hot, hot enough for you not to be able to hold them for more than a few seconds.
Paul
FRP#008, 2001 1.6 Med Steel Blue, Fiesta 1.5 TDCi Zetec S

#22 User is offline   IanClements 

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Posted 06 April 2015 - 07:45 PM

Thanks for replies so far guys, going to have to leave it until the weekend now. It's booked in for some bodywork on Thursday but hopefully it'll be back for the weekend for me to tinker with again.

#23 User is offline   IanClements 

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Posted 01 May 2015 - 04:30 PM

Haven't updated this thread for a while as I've been away a bit lately and haven't had much chance to work on the car but I've got some Holts RadFlush to try out tomorrow in case the radiator's partially blocked or something like that. I haven't used it before but it seems to get good reviews although it says not to put it in the expansion tank but direct to the main system which is a bit confusing, guess I'll just take the top hose off the rad and put it straight in there, maybe dilute it a bit first so it doesn't just clog up.

#24 User is offline   IanClements 

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Posted 04 May 2015 - 04:17 PM

An interesting weekend overall, flushed the cooling system (many times) with RadFlush, got a load of gunk out and thought I might have fixed it but didn't make a difference in the end. Today I had a look at the cylinder head temp sensor and it basically came off in my hand, possibly because I wasn't using the right tool (pliers) but I managed to find a replacement from a local parts shop (on a bank holiday!) and fitted it; this one however underreads massively so the choke is always on. Looks like I'll be down at the Ford dealer in the next few days for the correct part.

#25 User is offline   IanClements 

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Posted 06 May 2015 - 06:56 PM

Not sure if anyone's still watching this thread, i wouldn't blame you all for switching off after all this. Anyway, I got hold of the proper Ford sensor today and it works but i'm back to square one, if anything I think this one's slightly more sensitive which is not surprising considering it's new.

This is totally doing my head in now and not sure what to try next, I guess I might block off the heater matrix at the weekend and see what happens. Luckily it's alright if I keep the revs low and the heater on but the fan still kicks in regularly.

#26 User is offline   nottadam 

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Posted 06 May 2015 - 08:10 PM

I'm still watching this Ian, I've ran out of things to suggest now though. You seem to be going through everything that you should.
I don't know if this will help, but what I found with ours was a piece of the plastic pipe from the broken HCV inlet had worked its way to the thermostat and was restricting the flow of coolant.
Also, I don't know if you've noticed, but the hose which comes from the HCV to the thermostat housing has a rigid piece of tube inside the rubber hose, at the bend where it goes in to the thermostat housing. This is a potential blockage point if anything has got into the system.
Paul
FRP#008, 2001 1.6 Med Steel Blue, Fiesta 1.5 TDCi Zetec S

#27 User is offline   IanClements 

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Posted 06 May 2015 - 08:41 PM

Thanks Paul, I think that's the kind of thing I'll have to start checking. I might drain the system and disconnect hoses one by one so I can test for blockages.

#28 User is offline   IanClements 

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Posted 09 May 2015 - 11:53 AM

OK, another weekend with the Puma coming up. So far today I have removed the radiator fan so I can check how warm the rad's getting and it seems to be OK feeling warm all the across and top and bottom. My next step was to disconnect the HCV hose from the block and try and pour water down to see if it can work it's way back around to the radiator drain point (plug out), however it doesn't and water just backs up. Could this mean the heater matrix is blocked as someone suggested earlier?

My next step is to remove the other HCV hose from the thermostat to see if the water will run out past that but i'll have to take the alternator off to get at it so might not have checked it until tomorrow now.

#29 User is offline   IanClements 

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Posted 10 May 2015 - 11:44 AM

OK, after leaving the car for a couple of hours yesterday the blockage in the matrix I had just seemed to disappear so I think it was probably just airlocked at first; having disconnected various hoses and poured water down pipes etc I now know there are no blockages. When I refilled the system I left the right hand HCV hose off until coolant dripped from both ends and then put the hose back on, this seemed to do the job of bleeding the matrix which is a useful tip for next time. Still overheats though.

I'm noticing that there are two thermostats listed for the 1.6 now, one that opens and 74 degrees and the other at 82 degrees; I have the 82 degrees version. I through the old one away so I can't check which one that was but could it be possible I have the wrong stat in now? I have aircon and there's a part of me that thinks it might need the lower opening temperature.

#30 User is offline   IanClements 

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Posted 27 May 2015 - 04:47 PM

I think I've finally sorted this by installing a 74 degree thermostat and a bleed valve by the HCV to get any airlocks out. Cylinder head temp still seems to go up over 120 degrees quite easily but no further and I haven't heard the fan kicking in. I gave it a good thrashing around Wales over the weekend just to make sure with no issues, will now have to pay some attention to brakes and suspension to get it how I want it.

#31 User is offline   eldoodarino 

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Posted 27 May 2015 - 06:23 PM

View PostIanClements, on 27 May 2015 - 04:47 PM, said:

I think I've finally sorted this by installing a 74 degree thermostat and a bleed valve by the HCV to get any airlocks out.


wow.. how did you come by this information can I ask?
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#32 User is offline   IanClements 

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Posted 27 May 2015 - 07:27 PM

There's techincal service bulletin from Ford for the Focus (TSB 005/2001) that says to use a different thermostat and there's a bypass coolant mod also (seen it referenced on this forum before now), but I thought I'd just put a valve in for now so used on of these - http://www.ebay.co.u...K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT - on the right hand hose to the HCV, then did a lot of hose squeezing. Not sure if it was that that made the difference to be honest as I didn't get any more coolant in than usual so maybe just the thermostat. That hose to the heater matrix that winds around a bit definately looks like an air trap to me though.

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