Team-BHP - Indica Xeta - Engine stays at zero heat

Facing a strange problem, maybe it is not a problem at all but want to get your opinions on this please::

My Xeta's temperature needle usually stayed around the halfway mark. When the halfway mark was reached, I could hear the fan start running, and then the needle would move back slightly to the cooler position.

I recently got the car serviced, and opted for engine decarbonizing apart from normal servicing. After the service, the temperature needle stays at zero position. Tried driving some 50kms continuously, it still stays at zero, as if it is not working at all. But there is NO "Check engine" alert.

I thought, it has to be a problem with the temperature sensor not connected properly, or something like that.

Took it back to the service center. The guy said, "It is staying at zero because it is not getting heated at all". I said, how can that be. He idled the car for 15 minutes and showed me the needle had raised very slightly. He said, "See, the sensor is working fine. The fact is that there is no heating and everything is fine in your car."

Is this possible? :confused: This is the first time I am seeing my car's temp needle stay at zero (after 2 years of driving it).

Just a guess, is there a possibility that the fan's running is now connected to the engine regardless of its temperature (without the need for a sensor to switch it on)? If so, is that healthy?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajushank84 (Post 1789389)

The is a piece of Horse crap that the SA gave you. Few checks you can perform.

Start you car during morning and see if the fan immediately starts, If yes the w/s guys have bypassed your thermostat

Start the car take it for a spin and try flooring the accelerator to see if the car is struggling to pickup, if yes the car is cold.

Try the same thing after running 5-7kms, and see if there is any difference.

Finally i suspect the temp guage can be at fault, since you said it moved very little once.

All old indicas had heating issues, so people youally by pass the thermostat, even then the needle should show the right reading. Like over heating is a problem and can cause serious damage to the engine under heating is also a equally big problem. If the car doesnot reach the optimum operating temprature then might cause some irreversible damge to it.

Pramod

+1 to pramod kumar. I think it must be a fault with the gauge if the fan is not running and not the sensor or you would have got the "check engine" light. Usually the ecu only checks the temp sensor and it is not designed to check with the gauge(i am not very sure though) .If your service advisor says that your car is at zero temp and running normal again, drive it for 50km and ask him to touch the coolant or exhaust manifold inside with bear hand let me see if what he will say then?

Ok, here's what I found. The fan does not get switched on as soon as the engine is started. I tried idling the engine for 10 mins with the bonnet open, couldnt feel any heat that I would normally feel, and the needle stayed at zero. The driver at my parking lot who usually helps clean my car, was also confused seeing this. Either the engine should heat up, or the fan should start running. Neither was happening.

Took the car out for a spin, revved it hard. At this driver's suggestion, I didn't slot in the fifth gear. Revved it hard at all four gears (at around 3k rpm). Pickup was normal in all the gears.

Here's what I found. The temp needle does go up, and the fan does get switched on when it goes up, and then the engine cools down. But it doesnt happen at halfway mark as it usually would. Instead, the fan gets switched on when the temp needle touched the quarter way mark itself, and cools the engine immediately.

After coming back to office, stopped the car and opened the bonnet. Again was surprised to see no perceptible heat (didn't touch anything, though). But usually, the bonnet itself would be very hot to touch, which it wasn't.

Called the A.S.S guy. The guy says that this is the normal level for the fan to get switched on, and that the previous level was too much heat.

I don't own a Xeta so i don't know about it. But i have never seen any cars temp gauge at zero when engine is running no matter how fast or frequently the fan runs.In most cars the temp gauge needle is always near the half way mark.I still think there is some problem with your car somewhere but cannot tell you what is the culprit. why don't you check other xeta cars at the service center or if anyone else you know who owns another xeta where their temp gauge points.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deutscheafrikar (Post 1789764)

drive the car in traffic and see what happens with the gauge. Anyway it's not zero any more, sinc eyou say it reaches the quarter mark. Maybe they cleaned the radiator and condensor during the service. Ty driving low gears in traffic with and without the Aircon
Regards

Thanks! It looks like the car behaves normally when AC is OFF. On the way back I tried driving for sometime with AC, it showed zero heat. Then I tried switching off the AC, and the needle would go up to around quarter mark (picture below) and then fan would come on, and again it would come back to zero. This happened multiple times.

This was the maximum the temp gauge showed:

@Rajushank - when in doubt with one TASS, give a try with a different TASS or some local garage & take their opinion; ask them a question like what do you think? & probably the first thing they would say is "Sir meter problem", so give a reason that you've just changed the guage from TASS yesterday & if they say like they need to open up, then say you'll come back & ask if they've seen this kind of problem before; just try checking their experience with this kind of problem & let them give their own theories & check if this theory matches with the TASS where you usually service from.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajushank84 (Post 1789540)

After coming back to office, stopped the car and opened the bonnet. Again was surprised to see no perceptible heat (didn't touch anything, though). But usually, the bonnet itself would be very hot to touch, which it wasn't.

But whatever you tested above, the outcome is really weird; I used to drive for about 10mi in winters of Detorit; on any fine day it would be -10 to -15 & by the time I come to office the guage will be at half the level & it cools off in no time; this was the case with several cars that I'd there.