Overheating when Idling&weird dipstick reading

[palix91]

Hi guys,
I couldn’t find specific post to my problem, i think. Please direct me if I’m wrong. When I’m idling temperature start going up, usually when engine is warm, gauge is somwhere around letter N(on the spot where sign NORMAL is) when I’ idling, It goes up, sometimes heater on max temperature on max too helps keep it low. Any ideas what should i check? Cooling liquid is on max. I never get it to red, am I right if i think that when it reach red, fan starts and keep going until it cool it down a bit?
And another issue I have is, when Im reading dipstick, it’s covered with oil only on one edge. How can I get correct reading. I tried it 30 minutes after druving. Only in the morning when i take dipstick out there is no oil on edges but only oil a little bit under min. I refilled it immediately. Thought that low oil level might be cousing overheating but its still getting up when idling I tried to ilustrate it.
Sorry for my eng guys

 

[zinc2000]

Could be thermostat not working correctly causing overheating, once you are driving these little engines more or less cool themselves but obviously when idling you have no air flow.

Oil....always check with cold engine to get correct reading, top up if its on min! oil up the sides is normal for hot engines and should be ignored as it will tell you nothing
Not normally any connection between low oil and overheating, unless of course you run out of oil!!

 

[Frank]

[post]367297[/post] Hi guys,
I couldn’t find specific post to my problem, i think. Please direct me if I’m wrong. When I’m idling temperature start going up, usually when engine is warm, gauge is somwhere around letter N(on the spot where sign NORMAL is) when I’ idling, It goes up, sometimes heater on max temperature on max too helps keep it low. Any ideas what should i check? Cooling liquid is on max. I never get it to red, am I right if i think that when it reach red, fan starts and keep going until it cool it down a bit?

If I'm understanding correctly what you are writing here, then so long as this is happening on a '97 or '98 Puma then you are OK. If it's on a later Puma then you have a problem.

https://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?p=347505#p347505

Early Pumas didn't have the temperature gauge digitally damped down by the ECU, i.e. people feel happy to see the needle in the middle, so that's what Ford gave them.

 

[palix91]

Its ‘97 Puma , Glad to hear that. And with my oil trouble, is it possible that it takes about half a litre from oil 4mm under min. lvl to minimum marked on dipstick? and another half to top it up?

 

[Frank]

[post]367303[/post] And with my oil trouble

I don't think you now have any oil trouble. Only check the oil when the engine is cold and never fill over the max. as with these engines (plus the vct) that is as bad as the oil being below the min. Change the oil and filter when/if the oil is black.

I keep mine dead on the max line and check it once a week, but it rarely needs topping up.

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

Also bear in mind that fresh oil lasts longer, so to speak. The service interval is 15.000 km, but usually at 10.500 I hear engine changes note and gets slightly metallic sound to it. We say oil is starting to break up and after that starts happening, the oil starts dissapearing and I need topping up. I use Ford Formula F oil. If I replace oil at 10-11.000 km, I need no topping up and engine sounds lovely and much softer on idling.

 

[palix91]

I changed oil and oil filter approx 2 months and 2700km ago. Fully topped up. I checked oil level last weekend and it was 0,5cm under min. mark, now I put in whole 1litre oil and will check it tommorow. It should be somwhere around 3/4 . Is consumption like this normal?

 

[red]

It's probably not normal but is not uncommon, I used to top my old one up every week after 300-400 miles driving. Could suggest you have a leak or you're burning oil.