Vauxhall Corsa B (1993 - 2000) - 1998 1.2 overheating

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Fri 17 Apr 2009 19:49
1998 1.2 overheating - richbev
we have a corsa that gets hot very quickly. i thought the stat may be stuck but all hoses seem equaly hot and the rad is hot but still she boils. is it poss that the water pump is gone. when the car is revved is there supposes to be a flow of water into the reservoir.??? this does not happen. many thanks rich

Edited by Webmaster on 17/04/2009 at 21:03

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Fri 17 Apr 2009 21:35
1998 1.2 overheating - bell boy
16 valve?
8 valve?
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Fri 17 Apr 2009 22:30
1998 1.2 overheating - richbev
sorry 8 valve
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Fri 17 Apr 2009 23:01
1998 1.2 overheating - bell boy
reason i asked which engine is the 16 valve goes into melt down quicker than the more robust 8 valve and it needed turning off soonest
with the 8 valve they are now 10 years old and the head gaskets are now occasionaly going
there are also dodgy water pump copies about (i was sent one but returned it as proper rubbish)
you normally hear that the water pump is going as it sound like a bad clattering bearing noise
i can only suggest that you take the filler neck off ,run the engine up and see if it spews the contents out
be aware a thermostat will cause an engine to boil though so it might be worthwhiile changing this even though you will probably have to fit a new water pump as well at the same time if it is old
also be aware to undo the water pump bolts with care as at this age they may shear

an mot garage could also test your header bottle via his emmissions tester if you are friendly with him as it will show high hydrocarbons in the header tank (ive never done this though)
a flush through is also worthwhile as is a bleed to get rid of any air that might be trapped in the system
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Fri 17 Apr 2009 23:37
1998 1.2 overheating - richbev
now you mention it i had the filler bottle top off and ran the engine and it did start to spew the contents out but not instantly it took a couple of minutes. the water was a mucky brown colour. the car has done 56 thousand but the lad doesnt seem as if he has serviced it and not sure about the cam belt so that will probably need doing at the same time.
mega snipquote!!!!!

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 18/04/2009 at 03:41

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Sat 18 Apr 2009 17:30
1998 1.2 overheating - Peter.N.
If the water is discoloured it sounds as though its been run with any antifreeze so a good candidate for head gasket failure, although having said that, failure of the head gasket itself will not cause overheating, its the fact that the pressure in the cooling system expels the water through the overflow. If you are not loosing water but it is still boiling it will likely be either the thermostat or given its history, a clogged radiator - replacement is the best cure for that.
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Sat 18 Apr 2009 17:52
1998 1.2 overheating - richbev
many thanks for all the info.
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