I own a base spec Citroen ZX, and while I am happy enough with it for day to day use I am worried by its lack of an engine temperature gauge,the only warning you get of any problem is when a warning light comes on, but I hate to think what the consequences would be if the bulb or wiring failed for this light, surely all cars should have a temp gauge.
I have noticed this is also the case in other base spec french makes, Peugeot and Renault as well as Citroen.
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Those in the Citroen Car Club have been going on about this for years with the BX. The diesel had just two warning lamps for coolant temperature and they only seemed to come on after the thing had boiled.
Many have retro-fitted water temperature gauges.
David
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its the same with my citroen bx, it often comes on when you are in a traffic jam, and when it does come on, then i just panic.
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Early Audi Coupes have a warning light rather than a water temperature gauge. They do however have an oil temperature gauge. Go figure.
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fiat multipla is the same - the only gauges are fuel & speedo
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Same with Pug 106, fuel and speed only.
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Older car - but Renault 21 2.1 diesel was same. Most disconcerting especially with a dodgy radiator
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MY Ford F150 Lariat 4WD has water temp gauge, oil temp gauge, battery charging gaugae and more warning lights (door open, seat belt, ABS, airbag etc etc) than you can shake a stick at.
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Its very easy to retrofit one ,something I would do and also include an oil temp and pressure while your at it.
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That's it, David.
It's uncanny you should mention the Maplin thermometer. I bought one with this intention, but never got around to fitting it. I had thought I was being very original! I won't bother now.
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There is a positive side to this. If you've no temperature gauge then you're more likely to lift the bonnet more often to visually check water level, hoses, belts etc.
My C15D only has speedo, fuel, and clock. I usually look under the bonnet once a week to make sure no b*****d has pinched the engine!
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Current Ford Festa (and I did mean to type it that way) as well. Surely a temperature gauge is not an expensive addition to a car - why have so many manufacturers removed them?
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Dan J wrote:
>
> Current Ford Festa (and I did mean to type it that way) as
> well. Surely a temperature gauge is not an expensive
> addition to a car - why have so many manufacturers removed
> them?
'Cos they want you car to boil over...
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When the light came on in my BX diesel, it needed a new engine shortly afterwards. The engine had done 160k, so I'm not sure whether the overheating was the cause or effect.
There was an article on the web about fitting a gauge to a BX; it involved a salvaged dashboard from a BX model with the gauge and fitting the appropriate thermistor temperature sensor.
I've found the thermostatic switches that operate the radiator fans are also unreliable. I bought a new one because the old one was several degrees out. I tested the new one before fitting and it was even worse. The wiring is exposed, so I don't trust them.
I wired a manual switch in parallel in a Renault 21, using unused wiring in the loom for optional extra lights.
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afm,
The Bx instrument upgrade you mention is on an enthusiasts site.....
www.tramontana.co.hu/citroen/cooling/cooling.html#...e
A really detailed description of how to salvage a GTi instrument set and fit it to a diesel to give a coolant gauge. I think it may be easier to just fit an extra gauge from Halfords/Ripspeed or your local car shop. This would go for any car without one.
I know some folk who have tried fitting small digital remote probe thermometers from Maplins but these struggle to cope with the car environment.
Also some folks fit a tell-tale so they know the fan is running and that could help warn of failure.
David
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If the presence of a temperature gauge is of such importance, why did you buy a car that didn't have one?
Andy
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To be honest I did'nt even notice this until I had handed over the money, I assumed all cars had one anyway (even my Y reg Austin metro had one!).
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Lets get real here.
no vehicle has a guage or light which is accurate or reliable enough.
They all tend,at best,to react to something which has already happened.
Its to do with cost,you see......
if you know you have an engine which is prone to problems,like,for instance, theXUD,then you just have to keep a weather eye on the water level and oil condition.
And dont go thinking that buying a Merc absolves you from this.......I am reliably informed from inside that MB has yet to make a good four cylinder engine,but,hey why would you want one?
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Robin,
This is one comment I must pick up on from your nights work.
Now and again you see a vehicle with a temperature gauge that is slow to react, or possibly even goes to the same position regardless of the actual engine temperature. And that may be broken.
But I wouldn't want others to be put off temperature gauges by your comments.
They do indicate the present rather than the past in most cases, and knowing the normal behaviour of your cars temp gauge can save an engine if you take notice of an abnormally high reading.
For example if you push your luck with en exceptionally heavy trailer and the gauge is heading into uncharted territory then you can ease off the pace a little.
The temp warning lights are, however , completely useless as normal behaviour is off and abnormal on....no warning betwen those two stages.
The XUD engine isn't prone to problems, it's prone to operator induced failure..... helped by many not having temp gauges!
David
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