Esteem - engine overheating - TECH2 gives normal reading

ad75 · 29th January 2008, 18:39

Last saturday evening while at a traffic signal I noticed the engine temperature gauge to be above the half mark.switched off the ac & still it didnt come down.it was continuously above the half mark & it climbed to the 3/4th mark.then the radiator fan would switch on & the guage comes below half.

monday morning took it to a mass near my house.they replaced the coolant.charged me 250 bucks.On the way from mass to office the needle was again touching 3/4th mark.

this mass guy was suggesting removal of the valve which activates & stops the flow of coolant, saying its required in cold weather only

today took it to RNS.they connected TECH2 & said that the raidator fan was switching on at 98 degrees which they said is the correct temp.they said that it could be a problem with the guage on the dash & they will have to check the same.i asked them to replace the sensor to check if it was faulty, thy did not have stock.they say that unless the temp needle touched the "H"(max) mark, there is no problem,

Im in a fix,
should i continue driving the car?.will it damage the engine?
if the sensor is faulty, won't it give wrong values to the ecm/scanning tool(tech2 in this case)?

Plan to take it to bimal tommorow, have to sit on their head to sort this out.

Jaggu · 29th January 2008, 23:19

check sensor, i had a similar issue with iKON which was solved with replacing sensor.

vikram_d · 29th January 2008, 23:33

Check for any coolant leaks. I had the same problem with my esteem and it turned out to be a very minor coolant leak. Behind the engine near the gearbox is a seal which when broken start leaking coolant.

Check to see if the coolant is leaking from there and also check the coolant level in the reservoir to see if it is reducing.

If there is no coolant leak then it must be the sensor.

GTO · 30th January 2008, 13:32

Quote:

this mass guy was suggesting removal of the valve which activates & stops the flow of coolant, saying its required in cold weather only

Please dont! That is required for the car to maintain its optimum running temperature. I agree with Jaggu, check your sensor.

nicejits · 30th January 2008, 14:57

I will also suggest to chk sensor,, i had same issue in my old M800, Once since i was traveling to Baroda, Temp Shooted up, stop the car, fortunately Road-side garage was near by, Mechanic chked the car and told that Sensor was gone .. for temp purpose he did direct connection ,, i manage to travel 450km on that , but after returning home we did change sensor..

suren181 · 30th January 2008, 15:13

I would also suggest you to check if the radiator is clogged, the sensor needs to be checked too.

This happened to me in my Santro once and I was stranded on a bridge and the culprit turned out to be a clogged radiator, which was later flushed and cleaned.

Gasolinejunkie · 30th January 2008, 15:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by ad75

this mass guy was suggesting removal of the valve which activates & stops the flow of coolant, saying its required in cold weather only

Its called the Thermostat. And whatever you do DON’T TAKE IT OUT.
It aids in fast-warming of the engine, without the thermostat the engine takes at least 30 minutes to reach operating temperature and that means on an average office run you might not even reach normal operating temperature.

Very often it could be a faulty thermostat and replacing it should fix your problem. Check the specifications to see the thermostat opening temperature (I think its 91ºC but that could be the Australian spec). Boil some water with the thermostat and a thermometer in it and see when the thermostat opens, if it doesn’t open when its meant to, treat yourself to a new one.
Also
- Check if your loosing water/coolant, it could be heating because the level is low
- Flush the cooling system from the heater core.
- If you can get the radiator reconditioned, and get it tested for flow. It could be a faulty water pump for improper circulation.
- Maybe you need to take your car to a radiator/cooling-system specialist.
Note; The amount of coolant in the system doesn’t aid in cooling. In fact water cools better than coolant.

ad75 · 30th January 2008, 18:54

hi,

had written to maruti regarding this issue,the maruti guy asked me to take the car again to RNS.

i took the car today, they did a radiator flush & asked me to check it for few days.they say that the sensor, thermostat & the coolant circulation are fine.

they connected the tech2 again the radiator fan is switching on at 98 deg.& switching off at 91deg.the guage was at half mark today at RNS.

the coolant level has not gone down.its the same.

does anyone know the temperature at which an esteem mpfi radiator fan should swich on?

they say that in esteem and baleno the temp needle on the dash goes upto 3/4th mark & its normal.i had never seen this in my car for the last 8k kms.

can anyone confirm this?

vikram_d · 30th January 2008, 19:10

3/4 is not normal in an esteem. My car never used to go up above half. It always use to stay a little below half.

Jaggu · 30th January 2008, 20:22

half mark is fine, but not above half, some variation will happen from meter to meter. best is to refer to your old readings than to compare with others.

fan kicking in at 98 seems to be fine, though i dont remember the exact temp at which it does.

Keep an eye on coolant level for next few weeks and also if the temp needle. If not check the meter console and wiring.

esteem_lover · 30th January 2008, 21:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by ad75

does anyone know the temperature at which an esteem mpfi radiator fan should swich on?

they say that in esteem and baleno the temp needle on the dash goes upto 3/4th mark & its normal.i had never seen this in my car for the last 8k kms.

can anyone confirm this?

mine is a carb & the gauge is always at a constant 60%. Reaches there pretty quick & stays right there. Check your coolant level twice a day to rule out any leaks.

rr_zen · 30th January 2008, 22:25

The maximum my needle has touched so far is just a little below the half mark. Never have I seen it climb beyond that anyday. I am not sure if its normal to see the needle go till the 3/4th mark. Sounds a bit strange to me. Mine is an MPFI Esteem, by the way.

1100D · 30th January 2008, 23:13

What makes them say that the Thermostat is fine? All the symptoms look like a thermostat issue. The Radiator Fan switching on/off at certain temperaturs only means that the sensor used to trigger that is working fine. So if the same sensor feeds to your temp gauge, the gauge too is fine.

I strongly beleive its the thermostat, which shouldn't be a costly device to change.

dadu · 31st January 2008, 09:41

Change the sensor first, irrespective of what they are saying. It isnt very costly. Use a MGP only for replacement.

Run it for a few days and see if that helped.

If not then change the thermostat valve. Based on whether these helped resolving the problem or not, further diagnostic can be done.

alankarmotor · 1st February 2008, 13:42

THE CORRECT TEMP FOR THE RADIATOR FAN TO CUT IN IS 98 DEG. AND CUT OFF IS 92 DEG. IF U NOTICE THERE ARE THREE WIRES IN THE CONNECTOR OF THE SENSOR ,TWO WIRES SEND THE VOLTAGE READING TO THE E.C.U TO TRIGGER THE RAD. FAN ,THE THIRD WIRE IS CONNECTED TO THE TEMP. GAUGE . SOME TIMES IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT THE PART OF THE SENSOR (WHICH IS AT THE TIP OF THE SENSOR)WHERE THE TEMP GAUGE IS CONNECTED FAILS,LEADING TO THE GAUGE OVERREADING,REPLACING IT WITH A (MGP) SENSOR WHICH SHOULD COST AROUND RS.650/=. HOWEVER IT SEEMS THAT THE TECH2 READING IS BEING TAKEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN STATIONARY POSITION, TAKE THE READING WHILE THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN AND THE AIRCON IS ON,THIS WILL INDICATE IF THERE IS CLOGING IN THE COOLING SYSTEM INCUDING THE RADIATOR. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE THE READING SHOULD BE ORE THAN 98 DEG. EVEN 99 DEG IS UNACCEPTABLE. FINISH THIS EXERCISE AND REVERT BACK, I WILL BE IN A BETTER POSITION TO ADVISE. MY NICK NAME IS POMPY AND MY CELL NOS. ARE (09835020200/09334116002) I WILL BE TOO GLAD TO HELP WHENEVER NEEDED.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ad75

Last saturday evening while at a traffic signal I noticed the engine temperature gauge to be above the half mark.switched off the ac & still it didnt come down.it was continuously above the half mark & it climbed to the 3/4th mark.then the radiator fan would switch on & the guage comes below half.

monday morning took it to a mass near my house.they replaced the coolant.charged me 250 bucks.On the way from mass to office the needle was again touching 3/4th mark.

this mass guy was suggesting removal of the valve which activates & stops the flow of coolant, saying its required in cold weather only

today took it to RNS.they connected TECH2 & said that the raidator fan was switching on at 98 degrees which they said is the correct temp.they said that it could be a problem with the guage on the dash & they will have to check the same.i asked them to replace the sensor to check if it was faulty, thy did not have stock.they say that unless the temp needle touched the "H"(max) mark, there is no problem,

Im in a fix,
should i continue driving the car?.will it damage the engine?
if the sensor is faulty, won't it give wrong values to the ecm/scanning tool(tech2 in this case)?

Plan to take it to bimal tommorow, have to sit on their head to sort this out.

29th January 2008, 18:39	#1
ad75 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 271 Thanked: 25 Times View My Garage	Esteem - engine overheating - TECH2 gives normal reading Last saturday evening while at a traffic signal I noticed the engine temperature gauge to be above the half mark.switched off the ac & still it didnt come down.it was continuously above the half mark & it climbed to the 3/4th mark.then the radiator fan would switch on & the guage comes below half. monday morning took it to a mass near my house.they replaced the coolant.charged me 250 bucks.On the way from mass to office the needle was again touching 3/4th mark. this mass guy was suggesting removal of the valve which activates & stops the flow of coolant, saying its required in cold weather only today took it to RNS.they connected TECH2 & said that the raidator fan was switching on at 98 degrees which they said is the correct temp.they said that it could be a problem with the guage on the dash & they will have to check the same.i asked them to replace the sensor to check if it was faulty, thy did not have stock.they say that unless the temp needle touched the "H"(max) mark, there is no problem, Im in a fix, should i continue driving the car?.will it damage the engine? if the sensor is faulty, won't it give wrong values to the ecm/scanning tool(tech2 in this case)? Plan to take it to bimal tommorow, have to sit on their head to sort this out.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 23:19	#2
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,212 Thanked: 15,892 Times	check sensor, i had a similar issue with iKON which was solved with replacing sensor.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 23:33	#3
vikram_d Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,427 Thanked: 1,185 Times	Check for any coolant leaks. I had the same problem with my esteem and it turned out to be a very minor coolant leak. Behind the engine near the gearbox is a seal which when broken start leaking coolant. Check to see if the coolant is leaking from there and also check the coolant level in the reservoir to see if it is reducing. If there is no coolant leak then it must be the sensor.
	() Thanks

30th January 2008, 14:57	#5
nicejits BANNED Join Date: May 2006 Location: Mumbai ( Borivali ) Posts: 328 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	I will also suggest to chk sensor,, i had same issue in my old M800, Once since i was traveling to Baroda, Temp Shooted up, stop the car, fortunately Road-side garage was near by, Mechanic chked the car and told that Sensor was gone .. for temp purpose he did direct connection ,, i manage to travel 450km on that , but after returning home we did change sensor.. Last edited by nicejits : 30th January 2008 at 15:00.
	() Thanks

30th January 2008, 15:13	#6
suren181 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 850 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	I would also suggest you to check if the radiator is clogged, the sensor needs to be checked too. This happened to me in my Santro once and I was stranded on a bridge and the culprit turned out to be a clogged radiator, which was later flushed and cleaned.
	() Thanks

30th January 2008, 18:54	#8
ad75 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 271 Thanked: 25 Times View My Garage	hi, had written to maruti regarding this issue,the maruti guy asked me to take the car again to RNS. i took the car today, they did a radiator flush & asked me to check it for few days.they say that the sensor, thermostat & the coolant circulation are fine. they connected the tech2 again the radiator fan is switching on at 98 deg.& switching off at 91deg.the guage was at half mark today at RNS. the coolant level has not gone down.its the same. does anyone know the temperature at which an esteem mpfi radiator fan should swich on? they say that in esteem and baleno the temp needle on the dash goes upto 3/4th mark & its normal.i had never seen this in my car for the last 8k kms. can anyone confirm this?
	() Thanks

30th January 2008, 19:10	#9
vikram_d Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,427 Thanked: 1,185 Times	3/4 is not normal in an esteem. My car never used to go up above half. It always use to stay a little below half.
	() Thanks

30th January 2008, 20:22	#10
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,212 Thanked: 15,892 Times	half mark is fine, but not above half, some variation will happen from meter to meter. best is to refer to your old readings than to compare with others. fan kicking in at 98 seems to be fine, though i dont remember the exact temp at which it does. Keep an eye on coolant level for next few weeks and also if the temp needle. If not check the meter console and wiring.
	() Thanks

30th January 2008, 22:25	#12
rr_zen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 1,799 Thanked: 400 Times View My Garage	The maximum my needle has touched so far is just a little below the half mark. Never have I seen it climb beyond that anyday. I am not sure if its normal to see the needle go till the 3/4th mark. Sounds a bit strange to me. Mine is an MPFI Esteem, by the way.
	() Thanks

30th January 2008, 23:13	#13
1100D Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Calcutta Posts: 4,390 Thanked: 4,079 Times View My Garage	What makes them say that the Thermostat is fine? All the symptoms look like a thermostat issue. The Radiator Fan switching on/off at certain temperaturs only means that the sensor used to trigger that is working fine. So if the same sensor feeds to your temp gauge, the gauge too is fine. I strongly beleive its the thermostat, which shouldn't be a costly device to change.
	() Thanks

31st January 2008, 09:41	#14
dadu Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,803 Thanked: 462 Times View My Garage	Change the sensor first, irrespective of what they are saying. It isnt very costly. Use a MGP only for replacement. Run it for a few days and see if that helped. If not then change the thermostat valve. Based on whether these helped resolving the problem or not, further diagnostic can be done.
	() Thanks