Hi i own a Skoda Felicia Hatchback. If i am sat in trafic the temperature guage goes to red very quicky and on one occasion the engine has begun to smoke. I'm not sure if this is a fault of the sensor or cooling fan...or maybe something else...

any suggestions would be great...

is this likely to be something i can fix myself?

regards

Do you hear the radiator fan come on?

hi,

no pretty sure i don't hear it. just dont want to go and visit a garage if its something i can fix myself

where could i find a part for this?

regards

Sounds like it's most likely the fan switch in that case - try Jorily or ebay if you want to order one online, or give your local Skoda dealer or motor factor a call - either way it'll be in the region of £10-15, and is essentially a case of unplugging the wire and unscrewing it, then screwing the new one in and connecting the wire again. Even if you don't drain the system first, you shouldn't lose much coolant if you're quick.

Be aware there are a few different versions of the switch depending on the age of the car, which engine it has and whether it has aircon or not. Also, if it's been overheated quite a lot, it may be worth replacing the thermostat as a precautionary measure - when I've had cars overheat more than briefly, it's nearly always damaged the 'stat in the process. Also if it's the 1.3 engine, overheating the block can shift the cylinder liners and cause head gasket failure, so be aware of that too especially if it's been cycled (i.e. overheated-cooled-overheated-cooled...) quite frequently.

Have you checked the fuse? (sometimes the silliest questions are the one

Is the coolant level ok?

Switch test:

Ignition on, unplug the switch (it's location escapes me at the moment, but am sure someone will know), Short the 2 connectors (cable side) with a paper clip. If fan comes on = iffy switch,

You can rig the fan with some wire and just momentarily touch the + to the + on the battery. If the fan spins, the switch test was ok and the fuse was ok, I'd be at bit of a loss as to what it could be.

Alex

Hi, so i replaced all of the fuses in my fuse bo just after this started just in case. i also topped up the coolant just to be sure. I'll try to find out where the switch is and give this a go tonight. thanks for your help

fiona

Hi thanks for this, will have to look into it all in more detail. i'm just hoping i havent damaged the car as it is a 1.3L! It's only seriously overheated a couple of times so fingers crossed

thanks

fiona

D'oh, don't forget to connect the - to the chassis somewhere too

...I'll try to find out where the switch is and give this a go tonight...

At the driver's-side end of the radiator, towards the bottom.

If it's only done it a couple of times you'll more than likely be fine - that was more of a heads-up so you're aware of things that might fail sooner than they otherwise would have done. It's when the needle's struggling to get off the end of the gauge you should start actually worrying Besides, if it comes to it even a head gasket is a pretty straightforward job on the Skoda engine.

hey i had a similar problem i changed the coolant for g12+ at a 1-1 ratio mainly for the winter months but the car rarely hits 90 degrees its by far the cheapest option also im going to change the fan switch cos i think that must be a common fault cos mine doesnt work either :(

Happens on the diesels too, at least on mine. Was broken wiring right by the switch. Don't know if it gets kinked or what but check it at the connector junction.

I'd have thought it difficult to overheat a felicia in current climate in the UK so I'd look at coolant content/concentration, maybe replace the lot with G12+ diluted 50/50 as mentioned above. And when topping up do it with correct concentration coolant rather than just water, except in emergency when you don't have any to hand..

At the driver's-side end of the radiator, towards the bottom.

on the 1300cc models it's on the driver side, on the 1600cc model it's on the passenger side