Car overheating

[Undertaker]

Hi,

I've got an astra 1.4 ls 1996

the car was overheating, so I checked, and the fan wasnt working. I then bypassed the switch so the fan was on all the time. It was still over heating so I got the radiator checked, and that was faulty so I changed that.

Then fan doesnt come on when the car gets hot, but i've bypassed it and its still getting hot, over 100 near to red, however certain times the temperature will drop

Q..

Am i looking at a faulty thermostat? my uncle has looked at the water pump and that looks ok.

or is it worse and the head has gone? what are the symptoms of a head gasket failure, oil and water hasnt mixed so far. i'm worried about it being the head gasket, because it wont be worth fixing, i'd rather get another car than spend some money trying to fix it.

any ideas?

[Over Carl]

Could be themostat, just remove it and fit housing back. Car will take a while to warm up, but wont overheat anymore if the 'stat is faulty.

Is water level staying contant? Also if oil/water is mixing, before you get that mayonaise gunk, you will see a tiny film of oil in the water bottle.

Could be a blockage in your cooling system - flush it and I think you can get some stuff to help clean it out.

[Undertaker]

thats the job for tommorow, i'm getting the thermostat disconnected and putting a new one, i really hope its that

i'll have a quick look for the oil film

[Nikki]

could be a head gasket going

[Undertaker]

It was the thermostat after all, well atleast its sorted now

[lithho]

thats good mate, even if it was the head its not a big job really to do on those.
If the cars in half good condition it would have been worth fixing any way

[Undertaker]

update, after getting everything back to normal the radiator fan stopped working, I think air is getting into the system because I can hear gurgling sound from the heater matrix as soon as you start the car.

Could this be a case of head gasket failure, I can't see any oil in the water reservoir, but I think I noticed the mayonaise effect on the oil cap but not 100 percent sure, I've wiped it and will check tommorow

Is it ok to still drive? I'm going to get rid of the thing in April, thats when the tax and insurance runs out. Reckon it will live til then?

[Undertaker]

the thing wouldnt start today for ages,

just had a look and its gunking up badly, decided to get it fixed cuz I travel a fair bit everyday to work

does 200 sound about right?

[Over Carl]

If its a head gasket, that's a bargain.

[Undertaker]

all done for 200 quid, including new radiotor switch which had gone too. finally got my car back three days later.