xantia radiator/thermostat/aircon problem ?

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redzzed
Posts: 75
Joined: 17 Jan 2011, 21:40
Location: england
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xantia radiator/thermostat/aircon problem ?

Post by redzzed »

Xantia 1.9 td SX aircon 1996 .

Since a routine cam belt and timing belt change i have an intermittent problem which is becoming more regular :

The temp warning gauge orange light is coming on and usually the red STOP warning sometimes comes on at the same time , usually they go off after
4 mins , and come on again a few mins later .The temperature is usually at about 70 degrees when this happens , although if i get in stop/start
traffic is does go up to 80/90 degrees.
The radiator fans are usually on and even stay on when the car is parked and recently drained the battery whilst i was in tescos for 30 mins .
I have now removed the fuse for the rad fans (f25)
ALSO there is another fan or whine somewhere underneath the fuel filter which i can hear cutting in and out,when it cuts out it sounds a bit like a
(soft) washing machine spin dryer winding down .

I do NOT have the aircon switched on and i dont use it ...it would nt work properly anyway cos the filters are the same as when i got the car 2 yrs ago (old)
There IS water in the radiator and it is brownish , cos the rad is rusty and the water is also hot , not surprisingly .

There are no leaks but i do have water in the passenger footwell, this is CLEAN water and gets worse when it rains , i have inspected the door seal
but can t really see anything wrong with it .The radiator water level remains constant .

The engine runs fine as does the suspension steering and it accelerates ok .

All of this seems to happen more when the engine is cold or when i am doing town driving , on motorways at a steady 70 mph
it hardly happens .

any ideas as to what is causing this are appreciated .The car has done 148,000 miles .
current : 1997 xantia 1.9 td sx a/c
previous cars :
1997 zx memphis td
1996 zx volcane td
1994 zx volcane td
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Mandrake
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Re: xantia radiator/thermostat/aircon problem ?

Post by Mandrake »

Some thoughts.

The warning light in the temperature gauge also comes on if the coolant level is low - if it comes on immediately when starting a cold engine, stays on for anywhere between 30 seconds and a few minutes then flickers and goes out its most likely low coolant level - as the coolant warms and expands the level increases just enough to satisfy the sensor, so check your coolant level.

Another possibility is there is an air lock in the cooling system - I'm assuming that when you did the timing belt you changed the water pump as well, thus disturbing the cooling system ? If I were you I'd do a full air bleed procedure in case there is still an air lock in the system.

Depending on where the air is trapped it may be making the coolant level sensor think the level is low, also it may cause the temperature gauge to read low - the engine could in fact be overheating and bringing on the high temperature warning light (same light as the low coolant level light) despite the temperature gauge reading ok, as the two sensors are in different locations. Thus doing an air bleed to ensure there are no air locks should be a priority.

Finally its possible you have a bad connection to the bitron relay. On my Series 1 8 valve petrol Xantia it was located underneath the left headlight - its a box the size of a cigarette box attached to a fly lead with a sliding lock connector. Disconnect this and give the contacts a good clean with contact cleaner.

Symptoms of poor connections here include the temperature gauge warning light flicking on randomly and intermittently even on a cold engine with coolant topped up, intermittent fast radiator speed when the engine is not above 90 degrees, radiator fans staying on slow when the engine is off and so on. I'm not 100% sure whether your car will have the bitron in the same location, I'm sure someone else here will know where it is on your car.

Normally I would suggest the bitron as the most likely cause, but the fact that it only started happening after the timing belt makes me worry that there could be an air lock as the timing belt job shouldn't have disturbed the bitron, so check both.

PS water leaks into the passenger footwell that are not coolant are most likely due to a crack in the windscreen scuttle on the left hand side where cold air is drawn into the climate control - rainwater will literally be running down the windscreen through the crack into the air vent, then through the fan ducting onto the floor. Lift the bonnet and check the black plastic between the windscreen and the engine bay on the left hand side. On my Dad's Xantia we ended up using some black silicone sealer to seal a crack that it had there.
Simon

1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White

2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
allanmc
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Re: xantia radiator/thermostat/aircon problem ?

Post by allanmc »

I have a 2000 series 2 xantia 110 bhp and when I switch the heater control to windscreen the stop signal comes on and the light in the temp. gauge flashes
Xantia 2.0i SX Auto, 1999
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Old-Guy
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My Cars: 2011 Grand C4 Picasso VTR+ 1.6HDi in Kyanos Blue
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1998 Xantia 2.1 VXD Estate in Mauritius Blue - R.I.P. (terminal tin-worm)
x 17

Re: xantia radiator/thermostat/aircon problem ?

Post by Old-Guy »

redzzed wrote:There IS water in the radiator and it is brownish , cos the rad is rusty and the water is also hot , not surprisingly .
The rust isn't from the radiator (it's not steel/iron, though the block is), but is a sign of rampant corrosion because any 'anti-freeze' in the water is too dilute or too old to prevent galvanic corrosion between the mix of metals exposed to the cooling system.
You would be well advised to drain, flush, refill the cooling system with the correct mix of anti-freeze and SOFT water, and then bleed the system, ASAP before the corrosion causes major problems.
2011 Grand C4 Picasso VTR+ 1.6HDi in Kyanos Blue
1995 Xantia Estate SX 1.9TD in Vert Vega "The Green Lady" - after 11 years now owned by XanTom
1998 Xantia 2.1 VXD Estate in Mauritius Blue - R.I.P. (terminal tin-worm)
redzzed
Posts: 75
Joined: 17 Jan 2011, 21:40
Location: england
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Re: xantia radiator/thermostat/aircon problem ?

Post by redzzed »

Thx for the replies, i didnt add that the heater fan and heater itself are both working ok .

I will be looking around for the bitron relay and having a go at that , i do suspect that it is coming on by itself , also will have a go at the rad drain .
I did have that done about 9 months ago and he said that there appears to be a blockage , but i havent had a problem with it until this one .
current : 1997 xantia 1.9 td sx a/c
previous cars :
1997 zx memphis td
1996 zx volcane td
1994 zx volcane td
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