Can any body help with Peugeot over heating problems?

[dougsbots]

"I own a 1994 Peugeot 405 GL; it has been misbehaving of late! It's over heating but the radiator has no signs of an over heating engine and it does not even overflow or push off steam on opening the radiator cap! The radiator coolant liquid even feels mild warm. When you start
the engine after about four minutes, the temperature indicator just shoots to maximum. Does any body know what the problem is? Is this simple enough for one to fix or do I have to take it to the garage? Will it cost me a fortune to sort?"

[Bob Carter]

Sounds to me very possibly like a broken thermostat which is stuck open. On many cars (and I don't know about yours specifically) it is easy to fix. Buy a replacement thermostat and a new gasket for the thermostat housing. That's usually where the coolant enters the engine block but not necessarily. Have a large bowl under the engine to collect coolant as you open thermostat housing (usually held on by two or three bolts) and simply change them over. Replace housing, top up coolant, and Bob's your uncle. And if you don't feel like doing it, a thermostat shouldn't cost more than �15 and fitting it is about 20 minutes work for a competent garage.

[BigDogsWang]

I don't know where it's located on your model, but the temp gauge shooting to max means that your temperature sending unit is knackered. It's a common problem. It's a small unit which screws into the cylinder head, and looks like a miniature spark plug and it's job is to tell the temp gauge on the dash how warm your engine is running. Shouldn't cost too much to repair. Don't go to a Peugeot main dealer though, unless you've more money than sense. Any local back street garage should be able to do it.

[greenster]

I had exactly this on a 405 SRi. The problem was that the radiator was completely blocked. There was no flow whatsoever. You could knock down some of the heat by turning the heating up and putting the fan on. Don't go to Peugeot where a new rad will cost you hundreds. Your local Motor Factors should charge you about �60 plus Very Awful Tax. Fitting is straightforward. (It isn't an open thermostat by the way this would caused overcooling)