Xsara 1.4 cold top radiator hose and no temp gauge life

[spaceace]

Hi there, my mum has a 2000 1.4 xsara and the temp gauge barely moves off the scale.

The heater is nice and toasty

The radiator fan kicks in and out as expected and the car doesn't seem to overheat

When the car is up to temperature the top top radiator hose doesn't pressurise - it's also very sticky rubber and probably needs replacing.

When I squeeze the top hose there is an air escaping noise that seems to come from the reservoir.

So, should the top hose be rock hard with pressure when the engine is hot ?

What could be causing the temp gauge to not work ?

Any other thoughts?

TIA
Jason

[AndersDK]

Seems the Xsara suffers from an airlock.

There are a couple of good tips here to effectively vent the cooling system :
http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=8
http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... m.php?f=11