Overheating Daihatsu Hi Jet

[texol]

Ive not let the temperature go into red but the fans not cutting in, the van seems to hold its temperature when moving. I have discovered a small pinprick hole in the metal pipe of the cooling system on the top of the engine. From my small knowledge of engines could this be causing my overheat or is it more than likely something more sinister?

[Waggers]

from what you have described the overheat seems like it's resulting from the fan which is not working. this would explain why the temperature holds when moving as cold air is being forced through the rad and lowering the coolant temp. when you sit in traffic the electric fan kicks in to provide the cool movement of air you need. i'm not sure what this pinprick hole is. is it actually leaking coolant so that you have to top it up? I think it's likely to be a simple electrical problem, possibly a faulty temp sensor or fan switch. if you are a member might be worth calling the AA - they can probably tell you for sure. You can bypass the fan switch and run the fan constantly - a quick fix if you get stuck.