Overheating - Should I return the car? Urgent!

[Cleo66]

Hi

I bought my 1.6 Puma on 31st October and have had overheating/ temperature gauge problems since!

I posted on here and got some useful advice about changing the HCV and flushing out the system and replacing the coolant (Thank you) and I have done all of that however it hasn't made any difference.

I don't know even if it is overheating or not - it sounds strange but the Puma is fine in stationary traffic and temperature gauge stays dead in the middle up to about 40-50 MPH though the really loud fan comes on now and again (though the temp gauge hasn't moved) but if you take the car over 50 MPH the temperature gauge rises quickly to about 3/4 towards the red though it doesn't go into the red and if you slow down again or put the heater fan on full it returns to the middle again quite quickly (less than a minute). I am driving it around with the heater temp on full and the heater fan on 1 though I can put it on warm and it doesn't seem to make much difference to the temp gauge going up - the heater blows hot and cold air and I have changed the HCV.

I have spoken to the garage (which is a one man band that is miles away from where I live) who sold me the car who says that he didn't realise it was overheating as it was only driven a few miles a day in town and didn't go above 40 MPH, though he also told me that he knew the person who sold him the car and it turns out that where he said this man worked, he hasn't worked there for 3 years! So I am doubting his honesty now! He has said that if I am not happy with the car he will refund my money but I part-ex'd my previous car which he said had a dodgy head gasket and he sold it a £100 loss and says that he will refund me less the £100 difference.

What on earth do I do? I am getting worried, I do not have loads of money to spend on mending the car but I really want to keep her. She has 35,000 on the clock and only has a small amount of surface rust on one wheel arch that I was going to restore.

Can anyone tell me if they have experienced the same sort of thing please and did it ever get sorted? Was it fixed by changing the whole lot, radiator, water pump, thermostat, etc? How much roughly did it cost? Does this overheating problem happen to a lot of pumas? I am trying to weigh up whether I cut my losses now and return the car and try and find another decent puma with low mileage or do I persevere with this one but I do not have a bottomless pit of money to spend on her. I do not want to be sitting in a traffic jam in the middle of summer with the heater on full sweltering! I would like to use the air conditioning that the puma has!

PLEASE HELP - the garage wants an answer quickly whether I am going to return the car.

 

[martinthrapston]

there are several possibilites,water pump is on its way out,or the rad is blocked...

 

[Cleo66]

Thanks not sure it is the rad (hope it's not as it's not easy to get out by the looks of it!)

I flushed the water through the system when I changed the coolant and the water was passing through the radiator and out of the drain plug and after I have bled the system three or four times I have felt the radiator as on some other posts it said to check all the hoses and feel the radiator for cold patches incase of an airlock, all hoses are hot and the radiator seems hot from the top all the way down to the bottom though of course I cannot get to all of the radiator because it is blocked by the fan in some places but thank you as I don't feel that it is a hopeless cause!

 

[Cherie]

Just throwing ideas around... thermostat?

 

[Cleo66]

Thanks Cherie - think I will try that next on Saturday and will let you know

Think I am more inclined to keep the car and try and fix her than start all over again with another one!

 

[pumapilot]

First of all, was the HCV a genuine Ford item? if it was Ebay item, then i'd suggest that is your problem.

As for keeping your car, it sems a no-brainer to me, very low mileage, minimal rust etc.

Where are you located - your profile does not say.

If you want to find a Puma friendly garage near you, then click on the Puma garage list in my signature block.

 

[Cleo66]

Thanks Pumapilot

Yes HCV was genuine I bought direct from Parts Counter at my local Ford garage - I checked the finis number and after changing I have checked that there isn't an airlock in it also. I also got their coolant - 3 litres and 3 litres of de-ionised water so 50/50 mix.

I had already read the warnings about the Ebay HCV's and took note!

Apparently the same goes for the thermostat too as other ones don't have a thick enough seal? I will get a genuine Ford one just to be on the safe side.

I am in Boston in Lincolnshire so although there are no garages in your list in Boston there are a few that are not too far away. Thanks for the list.

Think you are right - the car is in really good nick apart from this annoying problem and a temperamental 6 CD Changer! However I think I am going to hang on in there and get her back to her former glory and she will hopefully last a good few years yet! Feeling more confident already and that it is not hopeless!

Thanks

Cleo

 

[pumapilot]

In dash Ford 6 CD changer is very tempramental, and prone to failure, can be fixed, but likely to fail again.

 

[Cleo66]

Yes so I have read on the forums! The car decides which CD to play and when - takes the pressure off me trying to decide which one to play!

Not too worried about it at the moment - if the CD's don't play I can listen to the radio or the extremely loud fan whirring to keep the engine cool! :lol:

 

[monkeyjim]

I have very similar symptoms to yourself, wondering if you've had any luck because my garage haven't!

 

[Cleo66]

Hi monkeyjim - it's really annoying isn't it - i feel for you - I love my puma except for this worrying problem.

Does yours overheat when stationary - mine is fine unless you go over 50 - 60mph? It is fine in traffic - Does your fan kick in also alot? Mine is really loud but it doesnt' stay on for long. Mine doesn't go into the red - only about 3/4 but then goes back to halfway again in a matter of seconds -once the fan comes on.

I have subscribed to your threads on all the puma forums and I read them with interest in the hope that someone can suggest a fix for you (and me!)

I have changed the HCV and the expansion tank cap - expansion tank cap is only about £9 from Ford parts counter and that made a bit of a difference - I can go up to 60mph now without the needle moving whereas before I couldn't go above 40mph - try changing that next it's a simple fix to try that you can do yourself and not very expensive. Mine doesn't seem to make a difference how far or how long I drive for - it is the speed that triggers it.

I am going to try and change the thermostat next myself - they are about £15.00 from Fords parts and will follow the instructions on these forums and my Haynes manual - if that doesn't work it will be the water pump next but they are about £90 from Fords! I will wait till the snow clears before I change the stat as I haven't got anywhere warm to work in just an open car port. I will keep you posted on any progress I make.

Whereabouts are you in the country? I am in Lincolnshire.

I will keep my fingers crossed for you for a solution. Good luck and keep me posted

Private message me if you want and perhaps we can put our heads together on this problem?

 

[Cleo66]

Hey monkeyjim - my other half has googled this problem too and he has found the same problem on the 1.6 Zetec SE engine on a Ford Fiesta and a Ford Focus and also my particular problem of it running hot when I go over 60mph has been highlighted by another person who had trouble with overheating on 'motorway driving' - try google search on the 1.6 Zetec SE engine overheating or motorway driving overheating - maybe we can find something else to help us?

Cleo66

 

[monkeyjim]

Hi Cleo,
I replied to your other message. I didn't google 1.6 Zetec, just Puma overheating. Seems that this is a massive problem, but still can't find any answers!

 

[Hodgie]

Good Evening

i own a 1.7 "R" reg ford Puma and it seems to be overheating recently. Same symptoms as you previous described, its fine until we reach the dual carrageways or motorways then the temp shots up to the red line, it even produced steam out of the bonnet the other day. Did a flush of the coolant and then re filled problem still occurs. After i finished the journey today the engine was very hot but the radiator was stone cold, is this normal? The clutch is slipping at the momment so we know this needs to be changed but was just wondering have you had any success in finding the problem at all?

Many Thanks
Hodgie.

 

[catlady]

Have any of you done a compression test? It looks like head gasket to me.

 

[Cleo66]

Hi Hodgie

Im afraid that I am no further forward with sorting this out - with the cold weather we are having it is keeping the problem under control though mine never goes further than 3/4 way on dial however I am going to be booking it into the garage after Xmas for them to change thermostat, check water pump, check radiator, etc. I will post on this thread any results and more importantly if anything works!!!!

Regarding the radiator being stone cold - don't think that is normal - sure I have read somewhere on this forum that it is supposed to be the same temperature all over - I have checked mine for blockages, air locks, etc and there are not supposed to be any cold patches on it at all. Maybe you have a blockage??? Try searching for radiator blockage and see what comes up.

I will keep this thread updated so as to help others with a similar problem

Cheers and Happy Christmas!

Cleo

 

[Hodgie]

thanks for your replies. on wed i replaced the heater control valve and i have had no problems with the car since, everytime we use to hit 50-70 it would overheat straight away and now it doesn't go past the third mark!! good result so far, just the clutch to change now and that may take some time!

merry xmas to all
hodgie

 

[Cleo66]

Hi Everyone - update regarding this problem. Any new ideas anyone?????

Have had Cam belt changed and auxiliary belt, whilst they were doing this have had the water pump and thermostat replaced also. Doesn't seem to have made much difference to the running hot problem, the temperature gauge is still going to 3/4 now and again when I am going over 50 mph, but it only does this briefly and the fan kicks in and temp gauge returns to 1/2 within perhaps about 30 seconds? But once it has done this it will keep going up to 3/4 then back down to 1/2 again now and again when the fan kicks in but it never stays at 3/4 for any length of time.

I have to have the heater on full heat and fan on speed 1 normally to keep it on the 1/2 mark and then it goes up to 3/4 briefly like I said when I go a bit faster.

Sometimes if the temp gauge hasn't moved over halfway but the loud fan is on and I am going say 50 - 60mph when I slow down to go round a corner the temp gauge needle goes to 3/4 then back to half again in the time it takes to go round the corner! Any ideas anyone?

Also the temp gauge moves to 3/4 when I slow down from 50-60mph but then goes back to 1/2 quite quickly.

Also, I live 12 miles from my work and after the car has been sat on my driveway all night and then I drive it into work even if I go at 50 or 60mph it doesn't overheat, then I drive to the shops at lunchtime which is approx 4 miles and then I drive home again and the car only overheats on the homeward journey in the evening once I get out of the town centre which is approximately 6 miles from my work! Does this make any sense????

Please can anyone give me any more ideas to try???

Cheers

Cleo

 

[martinthrapston]

might be worth changing the radiator,as silly as this sounds it isnt,it provides the means of cooling the system down,it may well be blocked and causing part circulation,if you have had everything else changed this is the only thing left

 

[Scotty1.7]

How about dodgy wiring?

You've changed all the main culprits of the issue so I'd say try the dash electrics= they could be abit squiffy.

Did you 'burp' the car when you flushed the coolant?