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Old 15th October 2013, 14:56   #1
BrainKing
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Default Thermostat?

Battery was playing up recently i.e not turning over unless jump started.

Happened again today at work so i sat there for 20 mins in the car with it running then i see loads of steam under the bonnet. Lift it and its hot as hell and its leaked and sprayed a bit of anti freeze and water everywhere and leaked loads under the car.



Called AA and he got rid of the pressure by blowing some liquid out of this pipe which connects to the heater container what holds the water and he noticed that when he accelerates by touching the thing under the bonnet, the water rises in the container and when he stopped, it would sink again. And the water gets steaming hot and creates a lot of pressure under the cap hence the steam and liquid spraying a little bit.



He mentioned it could be the thermostat thats gone?



I have an MG ZT v6 engine car..2003..any idea if it is? And how much are we talking?

And the fan i think is ok cuz the heater in the aircon inside the car is good.

Garages are charging me 500....

This was yesterday btw. I drove to the garage and it seemed fine..started up straight away, garage is 10 mins away but the temp stayed on middle..still a thermostat issue?

Last edited by Dragrad; 16th October 2013 at 23:47.. Reason: consecutive posts
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Old 15th October 2013, 15:01   #2
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Take top cover off, look into the V of the engine with a torch, check for signs of leakage (will be stained pink from the OAT antifreeze)

Parts are around £50 if you want to fit yourself.
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Old 15th October 2013, 15:03   #3
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Very possibly, and do not allow garage to jump to the automatic head gasket failure diagnosis. The thermostat housing is plastic and can split.

However you must also check for correct operation of your cooling fan. If that has failed it may have contributed or caused the overheating in the first place.

Do not rely on the temperature gauge for meaningful info.
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Old 15th October 2013, 15:10   #4
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As above you need to know that your cooling fan is working, start the car and press the demist button, the fan should operate. Next thing is to use obd to monitor the coolant temperature, do a search on here for the how to.click here http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ated+clarified
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Old 15th October 2013, 15:16   #5
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Check water level, and check often, when cold. I think your fan is not working. If thermostat, it would be a problem at all times, this seems to be only when stationary.

And what is the garage charging you 500 for??

The fan we are talking about here is the fan in the engine bay. Has nothing to do with the heater fan.

Last edited by kaiser; 15th October 2013 at 15:18..
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Old 15th October 2013, 17:11   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trikey View Post
Take top cover off, look into the V of the engine with a torch, check for signs of leakage (will be stained pink from the OAT antifreeze)

Parts are around £50 if you want to fit yourself.
How do you take it off? / easy to put back on?

Quote:
Originally Posted by kaiser View Post
Check water level, and check often, when cold. I think your fan is not working. If thermostat, it would be a problem at all times, this seems to be only when stationary.

And what is the garage charging you 500 for??

The fan we are talking about here is the fan in the engine bay. Has nothing to do with the heater fan.

Started steaming up under the bonnet when I was stationary for 20 minutes charging my battery after a jump start. Thats the first time I noticed any steam. When I checked the water level, first there was a lot of pressure built up and it was still extremely hot, but there was no water in the yellow radiator container. I suppose the puddle under the car is where its gone..

How would I check to see if the fan is working properly?

Quote:
Originally Posted by kaiser View Post
Check water level, and check often, when cold. I think your fan is not working. If thermostat, it would be a problem at all times, this seems to be only when stationary.

And what is the garage charging you 500 for??

The fan we are talking about here is the fan in the engine bay. Has nothing to do with the heater fan.
Garage is Wigg in Beccles.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lovema75 View Post
Very possibly, and do not allow garage to jump to the automatic head gasket failure diagnosis. The thermostat housing is plastic and can split.

However you must also check for correct operation of your cooling fan. If that has failed it may have contributed or caused the overheating in the first place.

Do not rely on the temperature gauge for meaningful info.
I have a v6 2.5

I get told they only fail in the k series engines and not mine. I think i might have freelance?

Quote:
Originally Posted by galaxyclass View Post
As above you need to know that your cooling fan is working, start the car and press the demist button, the fan should operate. Next thing is to use obd to monitor the coolant temperature, do a search on here for the how to.click here http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ated+clarified
I will do this when I get it back from the garage. I think it does work. And whats obd?

The garage reckon its not the thermostat but a leak as they can smell antifreeze. Surely that means nothing? Could be from the radiator cap being under pressure releasing the water and anti freeze no??

Last edited by Dragrad; 16th October 2013 at 23:47.. Reason: consecutive posts
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Old 15th October 2013, 17:35   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrainKing View Post
I will do this when I get it back from the garage. I think it does work. And whats obd?
Obd is the odometer that displays your cars mileage. Start the car then press and hold the trip reset button until on/off flashes, when on press the button again and keep tapping it until number 19 is shown, wait a second then press the button until number 7 is shown. The display will then show the coolant temperature accurately.
If you turn the ignition off you have to do it again. Click the link in my other post to see t-cuts excellent information.
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Old 15th October 2013, 17:44   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrainKing View Post
The garage reckon its not the thermostat but a leak as they can smell antifreeze. Surely that means nothing? Could be from the radiator cap being under pressure releasing the water and anti freeze no??
This garage clearly does not know the engine well, so be careful.

It could well be the thermostat - its not the actual thermostat that sticks, but as already mentioned the thermostat housing that bursts, causing coolant loss.

However as has been pointed out, you must check the operation of the cooling fan - it could be failure of this which is leading to problems.

Take it step by step:

1. Is the cooling fan working?

2. Where is the coolant leaking? If not the expansion tank, remove the 2 bolts that hold the engine cover on (the part that says V6 on it) and shine a torch down the V to see if there is coolant leaking or stains. If so then the thermostat housing has almost certainly split.

This is the kit you will need:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NEW-...item20d9a80836

Do not guess but check carefully!
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Old 15th October 2013, 22:24   #9
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The cooling fan did kick in once AA did a few things to it.

Nothing to do with my problem right?

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=161740

Is the thermostat that difficult to get to? What I mean is, when they say 8 hours worth, serious? I have a v6 and apparently the airbox has to come out too..?

Last edited by Dragrad; 16th October 2013 at 23:46.. Reason: consecutive posts
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Old 16th October 2013, 04:49   #10
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Sam, to check the cooling fan is working correctly:
Start the Car

When you are sat in the car press the front screen demist button ( just below the radio on the centre console)

Get out of the car and go around to the front of the bonnet and look through the grill between the headlights.

The large fan behind the grill should be running continuously.

If not then you do have a fan problem. This may not be the only problem but it does need fixing

There are a few ways to do this, all of which involve dismantling the front of the car, reading your posts so far this may not be something you wish to tackle yourself. Seek out active members on here that are close to you and they will be able to guide you to the correct person to complete your repairs and at the best cost
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