Hi guys

 

I apologize if this has been already covered but didn't actually pinpoint my problems all in one thread.

 

I've been keeping my eye on the coolant temperature gauge as I've been out on drives. And id say for the past 2 months I've noticed the coolant temp needle starts to rise about a minute after I've set off on a journey.

 

And id say after about 2 miles the coolant temp needle has already risen to the half way mark ( it stays there at 90 degrees like usual ). Usually it would take much much longer than that.

 

Also noticed today that when I turned my heater all the way to the hottest setting it blew very cold air, and when I turned back to half way it was roasting hot.

 

Now I've read on other threads that some have replaced their thermostats, or have had to flush the radiator. Not sure if anyone else has had this? I'm clueless to be fair.

 

It's an 04 fabia Rs

 

Thanks in advance 😊

Heater settings have nothing to do with the engine temperature, your test is indicative of a sticking flap motor which is very common on these cars.

Ah okay. Thanks sepulchrave, two different problems then.

Fast coolant temperature rise might be indicative of a water pump problem; any idea how old that is?

If it were thermostat failing to open, I don't think you'd see such fast rise on a diesel, or for it to stabilise at 90-ish?

 

No coolant loss?

No coolant loss

 

I've got limited service history with the car

 

Cambelt says was done at 52,000 doesn't say if water pump was done at the same time. 

 

Probably long overdue, thanks for your input Wino

Cars on 93,000 by the way 

Wait for input from others before embarking on anything as major as cambelt/waterpump work.  I don't know a lot about diesel engines. 

 

Is it driving the same performance-wise? 

If it's way down on torque and power, check that no-one's swapped in a 1.2 petrol engine when you weren't looking, 'cos they warm up fast like that. 😀

You might find the coolant needs replacing, too. You have close to doubled the mileage since the belt was changed and seem unsure if the pump was done. It is common to be done together as its mostly the same labour, with the addition of a fairly inexpensive pump (Unless done at a main dealer).  So your coolant could be due a change and may well have NOT been changed if only the belt was done.

I think I ma correct in saying long life coolant has around a five year life span. I would then suggest any properties in the chemical composition will start to degrade and the cooling effect/frost protection, will start to suffer. You did say there is no overheating per-se and no leakage but if it heats up a lot, the fan may just be working harder then it need to. 

 

Now I have said all that, I can also say, my car too, has warmed up a little quicker in the last few months so perhaps this is more to do with warmer overall temperatures during the summer months. Less cold nights mean a warmer stating point, so the oil, coolant, etc warm up quicker. Not sure about the heater settings- may be just an additional issue to the overall warming issue. I am aware of cold/cooler heater settings if you have an air lock in the coolant system but I doubt you have this unless you have drained the coolant and re-filled it recently. On filling the system, the heater needs to be fully on and the fan on full, to help the circulation of coolant. 

I mention my car warming up quicker... I had a leak a little while ago so was topping up with plain water for a week or so, until I fitted a new flange and filled with fresh coolant. 

However, the quicker warming seemed to take place prior to that and did happen afterward, too a little. I think it will return to normal now the weather is cooling down in general so perhaps use that as an indication.

 

My car has no real gauge-just a cold (Blue) thermometer symbol, no symbol for normal and a red one, for hot or if the system is low on fluid, along with a few "Beeps". 

Haha, I probably got sold a 1.2 with a vrs body kit on it.

 

I remember a good few months ago i just managed to keep up with a Hyundai ioniq. Humiliation right there 🤣

I got the car about this time last year at 89,000 and I haven't changed the coolant since then. Thanks mrgf 🙂

12 minutes ago, FabialouskodaVRS said:

I got the car about this time last year at 89,000 and I haven't changed the coolant since then. Thanks mrgf 🙂

 

I don't think you have a problem at all, it's perfectly normal for a car to warm up quickly in the summer months.

50 minutes ago, Wino said:

If it's way down on torque and power, check that no-one's swapped in a 1.2 petrol engine when you weren't looking, 'cos they warm up fast like that. 😀

 

So does the 8 valve, 1.4 mpi 😁

If there can be any comparison, my 1.4Tdi gets warmish a lot quicker at this time of year. In fact diesels only really get warm when working. ( Witness many a winter night shift on standby on site in a Transit. I used to take it for a warm up run before we stood down. And then it was on with the cold weather suit and only run the heater at low speed with the engine on idle .Any faster and the engine ran cold). Good test is to get engine up to just temperature and no more, then sit stationary with heater on full and engine idling. The temp guage should start to drop.

That is why on cold mornings it's pointless to sit with a diesel engine idling and expect the heater to get hot.

As for the heater output- it's a good way of checking for leaks if the temp guage plays silly. Set heater to max temp and check heat output. Should be hot. If output gets cold with engine working, then I'd be looking for a leak in the system first. I'm aware of the sticking flap, but if output is hot and then goes cold with no heater adjustments, then it might just be worth checking the coolant levels.

Thanks for that VWD, I'll give that a go tomorrow. I'll check for leaks also 👍

Sorry for late reply, took the car out today in the cooler weather. It did take a while longer to warm up, which is good. Although scanning through the engine bay it seems like I've got a leak from the diesel/vacuum pump. It's leaked oil all over the gearbox, loads of black sludge. 

I've now got it sorted. Had the tandem pump off a couple of days ago and changed the metal gasket. There was a lot of oil over the gearbox so got that all cleaned off.

 

The coolant temperature sensor was a little loose and was dripping coolant from the housing. Probably would need a new O ring and new clip maybe. Car runs sweet now though, temps take a lot longer to get to the 90 degree mark. 

On 28/08/2020 at 21:54, FabialouskodaVRS said:

Thanks for that VWD, I'll give that a go tomorrow. I'll check for leaks also 👍

You will find as winter draws in, that you will need longer runs to get car up to temp. I've got a problem in winter with Swimbo. She smokes and has her window partially open. At shops, she leaves it partly open, and when engine is not fully hot, turning heater on to full blast only cools down the engine. It's a question of balancing engine heat output vs fan speed. I've had a diesel car run out of coolant in minus temps and not show any problems. But a tip for those in Petrols- if temp guage gets high- turn on the heater. if it gets cold, then it's panic time. But in that case, ONLY add water to top up ,WITH ENGINE running. Negates any harm to head/head gasket.

I can't remember where I saw this but you can get a plastic cover for the front grille on the fabia, it said it's meant to help with getting coolant temps up quicker in winter time. Not too sure how much of a difference it would make to be fair.

I blank the radiator area off on my 6Y5(1.9Tdi) in the winter months.A sheet of thick plastic (its an old insulated board out of an old mains panel) that just slides in behind the grill,I drilled a few holes in it, and use tie-wraps to hold it to the grill frame.Blanks off virtually all of the grill area, just leaving the part below the bumper open.Car doesn’t warm up much quicker but the heater is better.Then just take it out every spring.