Fiesta only heats when driving

by8auj6csd3ioq

06 festa only heats when driving. Engine turning over in yard cold air from blower. Also hear sloshing sound . And when open bonnet and open coolant the coolant level goes way down then up. Is that right?

biko

It sounds like you have low coolant and need to top up.
Find out what coolant you need, and then let car run with heater blower on max while pouring in coolant slowly until it reaches the max mark on reservoir.
Car should be a operating temp so be very careful when removing the cap*

Secondly you need to know why coolant is low.
Was it always this way?
Is there water under car on the ground?
Is any of the footwells damp?
Moisture inside the windows?

*you can either let car run with cap off from cold but this will take ages. Just use a rubber glove and keep your face away from the potential spray.

by8auj6csd3ioq

Secondly you need to know why coolant is low.

Was it always this way?

no

Is there water under car on the ground?

no

Is any of the footwells damp?

no

Moisture inside the windows?

no

when i open first it was full, then goes down and comes up again?

seemed to get better after i had it open. Could there be air in it?

biko

When coolant is low there can be air in the system yes, running car with heat on max and adding coolant slowly should push the air out.

Fill up and keep an eye on it over the next days/weeks

by8auj6csd3ioq

It is still only heating when tghe car is revved. if I leave turning over in yard it won't melt ice on the windscreen. My other car would get really warm inside when i left it turn over to clear the ice off the screen

And i have never seen coolant level going up and down in the container when car idling before, is that normal?

http://www.dummies.com/home-garden/car-repair/how-to-check-a-vehicles-coolantantifreeze/ says Never add coolant to a hot engine! If you need to add more liquid, wait until the engine has cooled down to avoid the possibility of being burned or cracking your engine block

biko

Did you fill up with coolant to the mark on the reservoir?

Kashton Numerous Lady wrote: »

http://www.dummies.com/home-garden/car-repair/how-to-check-a-vehicles-coolantantifreeze/ says Never add coolant to a hot engine! If you need to add more liquid, wait until the engine has cooled down to avoid the possibility of being burned or cracking your engine block

I addressed this in my first post but in short - if you are not comfortable working with a hot engine/hot coolant then run with cap off from cold (fill while still cold).

by8auj6csd3ioq

Did you fill up with coolant to the mark on the reservoir?

yes as much as possible the level keeps going up and down as i am filling in. I have not seen that before. When i start the car there is a sloshing sound.

I addressed this in my first post but in short - if you are not comfortable working with a hot engine/hot coolant then run with cap off from cold (fill while still cold).

noted thanks

biko

It is not unusual that the coolant will change level rapidly if there is not enough coolant in system, or it is airlocked. The pressure changes will push it around - if system is fully filled then there should be hardly any change at all, even with car running there might be some slight bubbling.

The sloshing you hear and the change in level indicates the system is still not full, possible there is air in the heater matrix, it's fairly common to get trapped there.
You can try squeezing the coolant hoses when car is off to see if you can unlock air in them.

To fix air in the heater matrix you need to run car with heater set to max setting on the dash to allow the coolant to flow as much as possible (car doesn't have to be a operating temp) and with the cap on the reservoir open (and the cap on the radiator too if there is one).
While car is idling you can rev it up a bit a few times to speed up the flow and push at the locked air.

What you're looking to do is to "burp" the car

Isambard

i don't think it matters what the heater is set to as this is only a flap that directs the hot air into the car.

I'd say the coolant is definitely too low and the system is trying to compress the air in the system and when it stops doing that what fluid there is flows back to the reservoir.

I'd do as Biko says and run it with the cap(s) off and gently top it up as the air is expelled. Probably 1000 rpm or so would be enough

clfy39tzve8njq

Sounds like an airlock alright good advice given here. Why the coolant is down in the first place is the question though.
Has the car overheated at any stage

highdef

Is your car petrol or diesel? Was your last car petrol? Diesel cars are well known not to heat up for quite a while when driving. While a petrol engined car will deliver warm air within a couple of minutes, a diesel engined car may not deliver warm air to the cabin until you have driven at least 5km at a decent speed.

I have a 2018 Ford Focus and it takes almost 10 minutes of driving on country roads before the temp gauge suggests that I will get half decent warm air from the vents

NickNickleby

I'm not a mechanic, so I'll just relate a little history with my 05 Fiesta.

Discovered low coolant level. No other symptoms, heater fine, no overheating of engine. Filled coolant. Couple of days later, down below Min. Looked in engine compartment and saw coolant dripping off the bottom of the water pump / pulley area. Brought car to mechanic to get water pump replaced.

Honest guy, knew straight away what it was - leaking Coolant Reservoir. There was a crack underneath it, and the coolant was leaking out slowly when hot and dripping down on top of the other stuff. I think I must have caught it in time before air locks etc.

Philb76

Had similar experiences with an 04 14tdci was a pin hole in coolant heating pipe

by8auj6csd3ioq

Sounds like an airlock alright good advice given here. Why the coolant is down in the first place is the question though.Has the car overheated at any stage

not overheated

by8auj6csd3ioq

Is your car petrol or diesel?

petrol and the other one was petrol

by8auj6csd3ioq

I'm not a mechanic, so I'll just relate a little history with my 05 Fiesta.

Discovered low coolant level. No other symptoms, heater fine, no overheating of engine. Filled coolant. Couple of days later, down below Min. Looked in engine compartment and saw coolant dripping off the bottom of the water pump / pulley area. Brought car to mechanic to get water pump replaced.

Thanks. i do not see leak. Of course that does not mean there is not a leak but no sign of wet under car hard to tell in rain anyway. no wet in footwells

Thanks guys.

Can i mix the the new litre of coolant with water i do not want to be buying coolant if it is leaking

Philb76

Op have you had to replace coolant yet is it disappearing or not when it happened to me leak could not be seen cos coolant heating pipe is at back of engine and be put on ramp i wud not dilute coolant

biko

During winter it is not recommended to use water mainly in coolant system as it can actually freeze during the night and cause problems this way.

You can use tap water for now until you are satisfied there is no leak, and then celebrate with a coolant flush (remove all old coolant and fill with proper mixed coolant that has the right mix of anti-freeze and distilled water).

But you need to have a good mix in the system.

FUBO

airlock or head gasket

NickNickleby

Kashton Numerous Lady wrote: »

Thanks. i do not see leak. Of course that does not mean there is not a leak but no sign of wet under car hard to tell in rain anyway. no wet in footwells

Thanks guys.

Can i mix the the new litre of coolant with water i do not want to be buying coolant if it is leaking

Hi Jack,
my leak wasn't obvious, even when I was looking for a leak. Even given how fast it was leaking, there was never a puddle or wet patch under the car.

I'd be using dilute coolant until its fixed. REad the instructions to see how far to dilute it. Apparently you can affect its cooling properties as well as its anti-freeze-ability. (I think).

cheers
Nick

by8auj6csd3ioq

I filled up the coolant yesterday. Started raining just as  i began so just poured it in.  It heats when left to idle today. Must keep eye for possible leak

Thanks everyone

by8auj6csd3ioq

I do not see any leak but it is getting cold again except when revved, the level is down. Is there anything you can put in like radweld

NickNickleby

Hi Jack,

Best time to try to see a leak, is after getting the engine hot, then turning it off and watching carefully. In my somewhat limited experience, when the engine is stopped, the coolant stops circulating, and the residual heat in the engine causes the coolant to heat a bit more and this increases the pressure in the system, making leaks more easily spotted. (this worked for me 20+ years ago, so the usual caveats apply).

hope this helps, and I'd keep it topped up while waiting to find the cause and not diluted in the present weather conditions :eek:.

I've never met an enthusiast for Radweld. But maybe someone will come along and extol the merits of the current version.....

Cheers and good luck

clfy39tzve8njq

Don't use radweld. Drive your car until it's well up to operating temp. Pull in safely and open the bonnet. Have a look and a listen to see if you can detect a leak.
Be careful though as components will be hot and be careful of the fan that could activate.
The coolant bottle itself can leak could even be a faulty cap. Thermostat housing or water pump are other common places. As well of course as all hoses.

Wailin

If there's no sign of a leak it could possibly be the head gasket. Remove the oil cap and check for gunk under the actual cap.

Gravelly

Is the bottom of the radiator hot? Sounds to me like a possible waterpump fault. I've seen broken/loose impellers give similar symptoms.

by8auj6csd3ioq

I drove it and then looked. no sign of leak. When i loosened the cap .on the coolant container with engine still running, the level rose and there was a sort of sound like air escaping. i think if i took off the cap it would have come out, was sort of bubbling a little

thanks everyone

clfy39tzve8njq

While I wouldn't be saying it's a head gasket or water pump from OP's description I would be getting mechanic to check it because the coolant is going somewhere.
The best scenario is a leak.

clfy39tzve8njq

If you've definitely ruled out a leak best get it checked by a mechanic.

NickNickleby

Had a head gasket fail years ago. Initial symptoms was a 'fog' following me round . After a while this fog became very noticeable, and shortly thereafter the car started misfiring. This was the point of no return - the engine had warped and new gasket and head skim cost a fortune. THe misfiring was caused by coolant water leaking from the cooling system into a cylinder.

If you see a lot of water vapour - 'fog' out the exhaust, get a mechanic to look at it asap.

In my own case the failure was caused by sh!tty maintenance at the main dealer, who wouldn't admit to it. The car was less than two years old. (they obviously hadn't done the 're-torque head cylinder bolts' bit at the first free service. By all accounts that I've heard, head gasket failure is pretty rare. I know no one else who's had it.

once again, good luck. (I still think its a hidden leak, though:D)

by8auj6csd3ioq

No gunk under the oil cap. Quite clean. The car had cooled since earlier. Going out half hour ago i left it run in the yard and it heated and was grand till i stopped at lights. Then it blew cold air until revved a bit and is ok when driving

Gravelly

Kashton Numerous Lady wrote: »

No gunk under the oil cap. Quite clean. The car had cooled since earlier. Going out half hour ago i left it run in the yard and it heated and was grand till i stopped at lights. Then it blew cold air until revved a bit and is ok when driving

Sounds more and more like water pump - possibly a dislodged impeller.

by8auj6csd3ioq

Thanks

Sounds more and more like water pump - possibly a dislodged impeller.

is dislodged impellera big thing

Gravelly

Kashton Numerous Lady wrote: »

Thanks is dislodged impellera big thing

It means a new water pump. If it's due a timing belt then do both at the same time.

khaldrogo

Common problem with the 1.25 fiesta........frost plugs leaking.

Is it running OK? Any lights on dash?

by8auj6csd3ioq

"Is it running OK? Any lights on dash?" going fine no dash lights

clfy39tzve8njq

Kashton Numerous Lady wrote:

"Is it running OK? Any lights on dash?" going fine no dash lights

I wouldn't be ignoring this could end up costing you an engine

Philb76

Hi jack as said above u need to get this looked at an engine can overheat and be destroyed very quickly also with impending weather u could end up getting stranded

by8auj6csd3ioq

I meant it is driving ok no warning lights on the dash

clfy39tzve8njq

Kashton Numerous Lady wrote:

I meant it is driving ok no warning lights on the dash

Know what you meant but fact is car is losing water somewhere and I wouldn't be ignoring that. By the time you see lights on the dash could be lights out for your engine