2014 Grand Picasso 2.0 Overheating

[binraider]

Hi There,

Preamble:
i had overheating when i bought the car last year - the dealer were cowboys and would not give me a full refund so i swallowed it as the small claims court waiting list in their area was 12 months.
Anyway i did a combustion gas test which was fine and then i replaced the Thermostat which sorted out the overheating.

On a run down from Norfolk just recently (i often drive back and forth from London to Norfolk) it overheated in the last 5 miles of the journey. By waiting it out and doing little stops i managed to get home.

Anyway i just did an actuator test and both the slow speed and high span radiator fan tests passed, with the fan working fine. Now the question is: Is there a sensor or something that may have failed that would stop the fan from working when its needed even though there was a positive actuator test?

Should i be looking at the radiator for the cause? The car has only done 57k.

The section where it overheated was a long slightly uphill 50 mph section of the A2 if that matters

Thanks in advance
Marshall

[Paul-R]

Did it overheat while you were waiting in a queue or while you were actually driving?

[binraider]

Actually driving - on the 50mph strech of the a2 which has a slight incline uphill

[Paul-R]

I would hardly think the engine is being stressed heavily in such a situation. What happens if you put the heater on and set it to blow hot?

[binraider]

I dont think it would have overheated as that was a strategy i used when the thermostat was leaking

[PaulC5]

Is it overheating based on looking at the temperature gauge or have you looked at live data to see what the temperature sensor is giving or are there other signs such as steam from under the bonnet ? When it is overheating is the engine fan running ?

[binraider]

Based on the temperature gauge and the scary warning. I cant tell if the fan has been running, almost all the times it has overheated i have either been on a dual carriageway or in parts of the city where there is nowhere to stop, so when i have pulled over i have immediately turned it off

[PaulC5]

Could be the coolant temperature sensor is faulty. Next time it happens and you stop, before turning the engine off look to see if the engine fan is running. If you get a code reader with live data you can see what temperature the sensor is giving and decide if it is realistic. They do not cost much, as an example for £35 https://www.gendan.co.uk/product_FXNT200.html

[binraider]

Hi Paul,

Isn't the coolant temperature sensor in the Thermostat? Thats only a couple of thousand miles old so it would be a bit rough if its failed already