Canadian Fiat Owners!

Tia · Post by **Tia** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 12:16 am

I have a 1980 Fiat Spider which I have just put back on the road after 2 years. She's running good, but the heat gauge registers hot, while upon checking the engine is not hot. My mechanic thinks it's the sender???, but he doesn't have a line on where to get it. I used to know of a supplier in Toronto, can anyone help me out here?
Thanks!
Tia

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 2:08 am

I can't ever remember seeing a Spider temp sending unit fail and just read high. Since the car has been sitting for 2 yrs, I'd take a serious look at the thermostat and make sure that the cooling system doesn't have an air bubble.

mdrburchette · Post by **mdrburchette** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:24 am

Does it go to red when it is first started cold or does it have to warm up before the gauge reads hot? Like Mark says, you could have a thermostat sticking or an air bubble if it does it when warm, but it could be a one of the senders in the head if it does it when first started cold.

mbouse · Post by **mbouse** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:57 am

Fiats are quite difficult to purge air from the cooling system if you are unaware of the correct procedure. Because the radiator cap is not the hightest point in this system, you must follow certain steps to ensure that no air has been trapped. If you fail at this simple, but tedious procedure, you will trap air and therefore not cool the engine properly.

Even those of us who know the procedure by heart, frequently have to perform it more than once. Mechanical failure of any part is not necessarily the culprit. A simple air bubble may be causing the problem.

Your system should have a UNION coupling at the center of the head (T-connector). In the center of this should be a brass fitting.

Get the nose of your vehicle as high in the air as possible....rear end near dragging on the ground. Ramps or jack stands are a must for this. Once you think you have all the coolant possible in your rad, put the cap on and open this fitting. Pour additional fluid in until it runs out. If you have a water choke, you will have to remove one or both of these lines as well to purge trapped air in that portion. Replace the lines and the fitting after you've topped of with additional fluid.

Run the engine with the heater on full blast for at least five minutes. Recheck the fluid level at the fitting. Repeat if necessary.

Like I said, I have this procedure memorized, but at times have to repeat it a couple of times. Simple but tasking.

Tia · Post by **Tia** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 11:58 am

The gauge reads high after driving it for about 5 to 10 minutes, gets up to about 195, close to but never in the red. I'm going on the couple times I had it out last year. Also the cooling fan comes on when the gauge hits hot and stays on for 20 to 30 minutes after the fiat is parked. Annoying and not good for my battery I suppose. Air in the lines makes sense, I've owned the car for about 7 years now and the ever running fan has always been a problem. The last owner by passed and installed a toggle switch to manually turn it on and off, but I had it removed a few years ago. Going to try your suggestion to bleed the lines ..wish me luck!
Tia

mdrburchette · Post by **mdrburchette** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 3:12 pm

Usually, when you have air in the system, the car will get hot and the fan will not come on. After you check for air bubbles, you may want to pull the t-stat and check it in a pot on the stove to determine when it's opening and closing. You may also have a flow problem, which will make it necessary to have the radiator flow checked. The fan does not normally have to run for as long as you are describing to cool the engine. You may also want to check for a head gasket failure.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Sat Apr 01, 2006 3:40 pm

195 is the temp that the fan should turn on. The switch in the bottom of the radiator may be bad if the fan is running for 20-30 minutes. Check the temp at the bottom of the rad, if it's well below 190 after sitting and the fan is running, you need to replace that switch. As for bleeding the cooling system, I have found it much quicker to use either the choke hoses or the throttle body heater on an FI car than to use the fitting in the water tee at the front of the motor. But like Denise wrote, if the fan is coming on, it's not an air bubble trouble. You may have a plugged radiator, that would explain the hot running even with the fan on. Try measuring the temp across the radiator once the engine is warmed up.