Ford Fiesta (1995 - 1999) - 96 1.25 cooling problems

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Tue 6 May 2008 01:16
96 1.25 cooling problems - darrenwall
i got a 96 model 1.25 zetec fiesta ( mileage says 7000 but its had 7 owners before me and no service history so thats probably 107000 ) and while stuck in traffic today i noticed the temp gauge slowly creeping up to a lot higher than it ever has been ( it never goes any higher than the " O " in the normal part of the gauge but today for the first time since i owned the car it went upto the letter " A " ) . After owning a few peugeot diesels im pretty paranoid about temp gauges so i always keep an eye on them so i turned the heaters on full to help cool it down and pulled over . the water level was fine and when i opened the cap it wasnt overpressured like the head gasket had gone . since this has happened the temp gauge goes up and down noticably when im going up or down hills .
it hasnt overheated yet but does anyone know how i can cure it and get the engine temp to remain constant again ?
another problem im having is that when i put my foot down from under 2000 rpm there is a rattling noise when the engine is under load and the last few days its happening all thro the rev range when i accelerate , its not a knocking noise but i cant explain it , i recently changed the oil and put 10w30 in there and that aint made any difference , any advice ?
thanks in advance Darren
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Tue 6 May 2008 09:55
96 1.25 cooling problems - Peter.N.
If it only happens when you are stuck in traffic the chances are that the radiator cooling fan is not working. When you are moving at a reasonable speed the force of air through the radiator is sufficient, but when stationary, it needs the fan. If the temperature drops when you start moving, that's what it will be.

If the temperature goes above normal when climbing hills at a reasonable speed, you probably need a new radiator. Could be a faulty thermostat, but if the temperature is normal most of the time you can probably rule that out.

The noise under load, does it sound like a diesel engine? If so that is 'pinking' due usually to over advanced timing or getting to hot, maybe due to the mixture being weak.

Edited by Peter.N. on 06/05/2008 at 09:58

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