Ok bit of a long winded one here so bear with me...

At the weekend i'd been out for a spin in the car, done about 40 miles. Got back in the car and sat for 10 mins with interior light and radio on, went to turn it over and nothing. Called the aa 3 hours later he turns up and jumps the battery. First time problem solved. Champion!

I noticed the epc light was on after starting the car so scanned the ecu with a bluetooth odb reader and cleared the 2 powertrain fault codes. No problem.

NOW! I jumped in the motor tonight and the engine management light was on so again scanned it and it gave fault code p1296. Something to do with coolant.

Since i got the car a few months back i had noticed it took an eternity to heat up and never hits 90 so had the thermostat changed a few weeks ago in with a service. Still doesnt hit 90 but goes to about 85 max.

Anyone have any advice or knows if the two are linked? (Car not starting and this more recent fault code its throwing up)?

Thanks in advance

Coolant sensor ?

^^I reckon, would be unlucky to have a duff new stat...plus I dont think the stat would throw a code. Deffo worth trying temp sensor next

For info - http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/17704/P1296/004758

 

But  before you do anything, see if the fuse box on top of the battery is showing any signs of melting near the fuses, as unless you are running some high power aftermarket stereo, it is odd the battery should appear to be flat after such a short period of time, which is when all this started if I read your post correctly?.

 

It is very possible a faulty temp sensor could cause misfueling issues when cold making the car difficult to start and cause mpg and running issues when warm, but it is highly unlikely to render the car with no power to crank the engine - which I presume is what you meant when you said the car had nothing?.

 

Low battery condition could mean you need a new battery, have you had a voltmeter on the terminals to see what the battery shows with the engine off and with the engine running to check if the car is charging?.

 

Just out of interest, are you charging the battery at any point when you have had to jump start the car?.

P1296 17704 Powertrain Cooling Malfunction.

Most times it's coolant temperature sensor and/or thermostat but not always the cause. I am currently investigating my p1296. Suspected ecu, throttle body/sensor, injectors, crankcase breather.

I have a new cts and thermostat but still get the code. Engine runs ok then bad then ok again, rinse and repeat.

Edited 5 November, 201510 yr by shivadow

Ordered a cts so i'll replace that first off. As i say just had a new stat so cant be that. Its never thrown a code up today so i'll see how it goes. Thanks for the replies people

Run a fuel additive through it. Sounds mad but it has made real progress with mine although im still testing it..

It gets ran on vpower all the time anyways mate

Ok, so i gave you a leg up and you brushed it aside like it was nothing. Fair play.

Just remember that I'm the one who recently solved this error code.

The car not starting is very likely to be a separate issue to the coolant issue, but just bear in mind all these systems look for certain things to be a stable base, and battery voltage is one of them. Have you carried out any checks on the battery voltage yet?,

 

Did you check the fusebox yet as these systems feed through that box for functions related to the climatronic and fan control systems. They also supply voltage for some of the core ecu systems, so any short here will give you problems. If you do a search on here you will find this to be a very common problem, which normally shows up around this time of year. The wiring loom for this area is quite complex and in some ways very vulnerable to poor connection quality so wiring diagrams for this system are quite involved to say the least on elsawin.

 

Do some basic checks and come back to us so we can move logically through the wiring diagram to try to sort your issue or issues. Is the car standard or have any simplification mods been done at all, or is it remapped?.

 

On your coolant issue, when the engine is running, can you see a flow of water back into the reservoir from the return hose with the cap off and revs at 1200 -2000 - will need someone to operate the throttle while you look, if not, you may have a water pump starting to go, but in fairness, this normally results in overheating, but there are cases of the opposite occurring..

Ok, so i gave you a leg up and you brushed it aside like it was nothing. Fair play.

Just remember that I'm the one who recently solved this error code.

Nah not at all just saying i doubt id need additives. Cheers for the advice though

So have you replaced the cts? Does it keep throwing the code or has it solved it?.

Hopefully solved.

Edited 8 November, 201510 yr by shivadow

No ive not replaced it yet. Just got the cts yesterday so will fit asap and report back.