Overheating C8 HDI auto

[Stekelly]

So I got a call yesterday evening from the girlfriend. Herself and her sister were in town at a concert. As they were coming up to the car park the stop light came on and the tempp was at 130.So she got it in to the carpark. I headed in at the end of the concert and met them round the corner. Had a quick feel under the bonnet and it seems like some pipes were hit and some very cool so I'm thinking it's a sticky thermostat.

So I sent them on their way in the Scenic and I drove the C8 home. Journey was about 9-10 miles . first 3 or so is city centre but with very light traffic.I stuck the heating on full and the temp sat around .Rest of the way home was mostly at around 50 on dual carriageway. I knocked off the heating to see if the temp went back up but it sat under 90 the whole way. When I got it home I popped the bonnet again and had another badly lit fumble . Again I can feel hot and cool pipes but the temp sat at just under 90 for the couple of mins till I knocked it off. I'll have the car back again later to run a few checks with a view to doing what needs doing in the morning. So any other areas I should look at ?

When I took the car initially they had the cold air on and she reckons they had it on on the way in too.


EDIT. Should have said , no coolant loss. When she rang me when she got back to the car I got her to check the level and it was just above min she said. When I got there it had been running for a bit (they drove it a bit cos the car park was closeing) it had expanded up to about half and when I got home it was a bit higher again.

[Peter.N.]

Had they been in slow traffic?

Peter

[Stekelly]

She reckons nothing major. The quays in Dublin have a good few sets of light on the last 2 or 3 miles to the venue so there would have been a bit of stop start driving. She took a route through residential areas on the way in so it didnt get a run on the dual carriageway on the inward journey.

[Peter.N.]

Just wondering if the fan is not working, that will only show up when driving slowly or stationary and would account for it being OK when you drove it. I have had several XMs on which the fan has not worked and its probably taken me two or three years to find out because I never normally get stuck in jams.

Peter

[Stekelly]

It's possible. I'll run it in the garden later and see does it kick in. I did test it a few weeks back on the lexia when playign around, so it was working then

[Stekelly]

Drove it over to mine tonight (about 5 miles) and left it running for a few mins but cant get it to go over 90. I'll give it a propper test in the morning.

On another note, I'm not entirely happy with the gearbox so I think an oil change is in order. Anyone know how much ATF this thing takes?

[citroenxm]

Ahhh Steve, Had this on a customers C5 2.0 HDi... Temp kept shooting to over heating, message on dash OVER HEATING.. no coolant loss... Put a thermostat in... same still kept happening.. cooling fans on.. messages etc etc..

However, fault WAS found.. it was the Temperture sensor on the side of the head on the coolant house. Im guessing your C8 is the 2.2.. Ive NO idea where the sensor/sender is. The sensor does two jobs on the HDi, drive the guage and also talk to the ECU..

After a sensor change normal service was resumed...

[Stekelly]

It's the 2.0 so at least I'm dealing with the same engine.

I tried my best to make it do it again today but all is normal. Temperature is staying at about 85 all the time, which I thought was low if anything? Went up to 90 when I sat in the garden with it running for a bit. So possibly the start of the dodgey sensor?
I didnt get a chance to stick the Lexia on it today , but I was assumign it would just show as a logged fault that the temp was high if at all?

Cheers

[citroenxm]

No Steve. Lexia told me nothing, but the sensor was all it could be as i had fitted a thermostat and flushed the engine and reverse flushed the rad.

Get a sensor steve, and stick one in.. its on the end of the head above the gearbox.. Blue plug on it..

[Stekelly]

Cheers Paul. I'll get on that.

[jennycb]

I had exactly the same problem as this on a 2.0 HDi Fiat Scudo in the past, turned out to be the temperature sensor playing up, so I would try that, they aren't too expensive.