I just bought this car from a dealer, the car was there as a trade in and the dealer sold it as is where is, i drove the car for over an hour and it overheats, the fan goes on and off but after one hour the fan stays on all the time and i can hear the boiling sound from the radiator, no leaks. Mechanic told me it could be the head gasket, i dont want to go into a guessing game, i want to be certain what to replace, so what do you think guys??
thank you in advance
Check for oil in coolant/coolant in oil. May not be head gasket, possible that thermostat is stuck closed. Stat is a quicker cheaper fix so start with that. If you're not confident checking for mayo (emulsified oil) or bubbling in header tank etc then get a garage to do a sniff test, shouldn't be too expensive, it detects combustion gases in coolant. Good luck
The oil in engine very clean no creamy look stuff, isnt thermostat to tell if the engine is hot or not? i can hear the boiling water in radiator. you right it bubbles a bit when i open the radiator led but not always... what does that mean? thanks for the input mate
The thermostat is closed when starting from cold to warm engine up quicker, when coolant reaches a certain temperature the thermostat opens to allow the coolant to flow through the top hose to the radiator. If the thermostat is stuck closed then it will cause overheating. Re bubbling in radiator, when engine is cold remove radiator cap and start the engine, rev the engine while looking for bubbles rising in radiator. If it does bubble then it is a good indicator that the H/G is going/gone. I assume you haven't had the car long enough to know if it is losing/using coolant?
ohhh you mean the water valve that opens up when it is warm to allow water to go through the engine? Guess what, my mechanic removed it today and asked me to drive the car without it and try if overheating presist! i only have the car for a few days yeh.. but no leaks on ground at all.
Thats the one! Have you driven it since and is it still overheating? Any white smoke from exhaust? Not just vapour with it being cold but sweet smelling white smoke that hangs about?
If the thermostat was removed entirely the temp needle should always be very low.
I'd still check the oil cap for a creamy substance. Check the coolant too see if there's any blobs of oil floating around in it. Also, smell the coolant, does it smell of fuel?
never hav the chance to drive it now but tomorrow i will go for a drive (for detailing). it has no temp-needle its just a stupid red-light, Nissan saving money on needles!!
will let u know guys tomorrow. coolant is really clean just water No smoke from exhaust may be a few water drips when i press on the accelarator..
No temp guage Thought only peugeot were guilty of that! The fact that the coolant is plain water is a little worrying tbh. It should be coloured with antifreeze, with it being clean water it may mean that it has been constantly topped up with plain water after using or losing coolant
it has had a green water but when the mechanic removed the thermostat it lost a bit of green-water so i topped it up with a plain water just for testing now... i hope it is the radiator which is easier than head gasket.... mechanic said %90 HG.....
Aah, ok. So it did have antifreeze in it. Thats a good sign. I would seriously consider a sniff test, H/G replacement aint gonna come cheap I'm afraid.
Yes it did have the antifreeze water in it, when i bought it i had to drive 180ks to get the car and we had to stop like 3 times on the way every time the red light comes on (and stays on) but we made it home safe.
Ok today i put the car on the road for long hours and nothing happened after removing the water-valve (as mentioned above), the red light went on one time for like 30 seconds after like 2 hours of driving, then went back off again, and thats the only time it went on, 2 hours later all was good and the A/C was on too.
*** to test the water-valve or thermostat my mechanic put the cigarette-lighter underneath it and it took like 4 minutes to open up under the lighter heat, the thermostat looks new as it has been replaced recenlty i would guess by previous owner and white gasket was there...
An air lock means there is air trapped in the coolant system preventing water from circulating. A probable cause of your overheating.
You need to bleed the coolant system to get the air out.
Usually this is fairly straight forward.
Remove the radiator cap when engine is COOL.
Start the engine and let it idle, keep an eye on the radiator cap and check for any bubbles. Gently squeeze the coolant hoses and add coolant as needed.
You might not see much until the thermostat opens at a certain temperature.
Keep an eye on the temp gauge too!
If the thermostat is new and it's airlocked, it sounds like it hasn't been done properly.
Lets hope there's no lasting damage.
sounds like everything is alright after removing the water-valve (thermostat) never had any problem, i think i should replace it with a lower pressure size thermostat....
I suppose, but its the original is it not? So if there has been no issue before..maybe it is just stuffed? either way getting the manufacturers one will only sort it out eh?
mechanic said it looks like new when he opened it, may be previous owner put the wrong type? i will try replacing it. thanks guys
one more problem, the fuel guage sometimes full sometimes half sometimes empty lol. is it the guage faulty or the petrol measurment tool inside the tank?
Your Legal Rights if You Bought a Lemon From A Car Dealer ! The Sale of Goods Act.
The dealer is legally required to collect the car, remedy the faults and return it at no cost to you or you can reject the car & claim a full refund. Claim your legal rights as follows, no luck required, just your rights. http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/
Frequently Asked Questions Home » Ask Honest John » Frequently Asked Questions
Q
CONSUMER RIGHTS. How do I reject a duff car or get compensation for problems with a car I have bought from a dealer?
A
You have to invoke the Sale of Goods Act 1979 Part II Section 14, as modified by the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, subsequently modified by the Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994, contending that the supplier is in breach of contract to you for supplying a car which was not "of satisfactory quality", or did not remain so for a reasonable period of time. Appeal Court Case law (Bernstein v Palmerston Motors 1987) has held that the supplier must be given three chances to rectify the fault for which the goods are rejected and must have failed to do so. The goods must be returned to the supplier together with all keys and paperwork. (Scott and Scott v Blade Motor Company 1997.) And the supplier (in the case of a car the dealer principal of the dealership) must be sent a letter by recorded delivery detailing why the car has been rejected as not "of satisfactory quality". Case law (Rogers v Parrish 1987) has put a limit of 6 months on the time you can successfully reject a car and obtain a full refund, though lesser refunds, taking account of mileage covered, may be obtained outside that period. The price you pay compared to market value will be taken into account. So if you buy a cheap car on trade terms you cannot reject it under the Act. And if you buy a cheap car (under £2,000) on retail terms from a trader, you cannot reasonably expect it to be perfect.
The Supreme Court verdict in Clegg v Olle Anderson (trading as Nordic Marine) 11-3-2003 has caused some confusion which some believe to have overruled Bernstein v Palmerston Motors 1987. In this case a yacht was supplied with an overweight keel in breach of its specification which formed part of the original contract. It was held that Clegg could reject the yacht at more than 6 months from date of purchase even though Mr Anderson had offered to make modifications to try to correct the fault. Basically, because the yacht had originally been supplied "of unsatisfactory quality" and this was admitted, Mr Clegg retained the right to reject it. For Clegg v Olle Anderson to apply to other cases, it must be proven that the fault existed on the date of sale and constituted a breach of the original purchase contract. Clegg v Olle Anderson cannot apply where a fault develops at some time after purchase. In those cases, Bernstein v Palmerston Motors 1987 still applies and the dealer has to be given three clear chances to rectify the problem.
The Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002, is derived from EU Directive 1999/44/EU which became Clauses 48A to 48F inclusive of the Sale of Goods act in April 2003. This reverses the burden of proof so that if goods go faulty within six months after purchase it is deemed they were faulty at the time of purchase and the trader has the onus of proving that the item is not defective due to a manufacturing defect.
The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) contains a general prohibition against unfair commercial practices and, in particular prohibitions against misleading actions, misleading omissions and aggressive commercial practices. The Regulations are enforceable through the civil and criminal courts. www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consumers/buying-selling/sale-supply/sale-of-good-act/page8600.html , www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2002/20023045.htm and http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/
This creates an offence of misleading omissions which would not previously have been an offence if the consumer had not asked the right questions. So if a salesman knows a car has, for example, been badly damaged and repaired and does not tell the customer, he could later be held liable if the customer subsequently discovered that the car had been damaged and repaired. As far as I know this has yet to be tested in court and there are no case precedents. As soon as there are and I am made aware I will include them during the first six months:
The consumer returns the goods in the first six months from the date of sale and requests a repair or replacement or a partial refund. In that case, the consumer does not have to prove the goods were faulty at the time of sale. It is assumed that they were. If the retailer does not agree, it is for the retailer to prove that the goods were satisfactory at the time of sale. This comes from Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002, derived from EU Directive 1999/44/EU which became Clauses 48A to 48F inclusive of the Sale of Goods act in April 2003
See more on your complete consumer rights on the HJ website, http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/
