Peugeot 206 overheating??

rubypuddingrubypudding Posts: 2,615
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I wonder if someone could advise me about something as I'm a little worried.

About 2 weeks ago on a really hot day we took our S Reg Peugeot 206 out for a spin - we parked up for about 30 minutes (not in the shade) and then set off again, stopping about 5 mins later to admire the view. When I stopped the car this second time the engine continued to make a really loud noise, even with the ignition turned right off. This freaked me out so much that I tried to start the engine again but it just made this loud 'cranking' sound but wouldn't start - in the end all I could do was wait by the side of the road for another 2/3 minutes until the noise went. The car started perfectly then. I know now that the engine noise was probably the fan cooling the engine but I have no idea why I couldn't start the engine while it was running and why it made that horrible noise.

I asked everyone I know about what might have happened and keep getting told it was because it was such a hot day, nothing to worry about,

Anyway, it did it again last night. I drove approx 30 mins at 7pm so it had cooled down quite a bit but still hot. I parked up, turned the engine off but 2 minutes later started it up again in order to move the car to a more shady part of the car park. While backing the car into the space I wanted, it made that dreadful cranking noise again and the engine/fan came on and took 3/4 minutes to finish - key was out of the ignition again.

In between this two incidences I have taken the car in for a change of battery and the coolant etc has been checked. The car's temperature gauge appears normal - it certainly never goes past the half way mark.

Should I be worried or is it just a case of the car trying to keep cool in the hot weather?

Many thanks in advance

Comments

  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    Mmm, does the engine sound like its running on after you switch it off, but sort of 'lumpy'...
  • rubypuddingrubypudding Posts: 2,615
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    To me it sounded like the engine running because I'd never heard it make that kind of noise before - it sounded pretty smooth though if that's any help?
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    It sounds like ignition timing, but I don't think you can alter it, without going to the dealer.
    If you use standard unleaded petrol, you could try using the super unleaded.
  • rubypuddingrubypudding Posts: 2,615
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    Bugger, that sounds serious :(

    Would it be beneficial to use super unleaded anyway? Could you please explain the difference between the two sorts of petrol if you wouldn't mind?
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    Bugger, that sounds serious :(
    Try the petrol first, the heat can affect it. So a higher quality petrol might help.

    If its is ignition timing its controlled by the ECU, and that's expensive.
  • rubypuddingrubypudding Posts: 2,615
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    I forgot to say that the little yellow light that warns of engine problems didn't come on during the 2 incidents
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    The super unleaded is higher octane , so burns better.
  • rubypuddingrubypudding Posts: 2,615
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    Cheers for the advice - I will go for super unleaded and see what happens. I runs very well 99.9% of the time but I am concerned whether I'm making the problem worse by not having it seen to.
  • David (2)David (2) Posts: 20,632
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    As a side note I noticed with my 2 previous cars, and my current one, in hot weather after a bit of a run, if you stop and the sun is burning down, and switch off the engine just before the auto cooling fans activates, go away for 2/3mins, come back turn the key, the engine Temp is much higher than normal and the cooling fan starts working straight away to correct it. I put this down to the engines getting hot, but not quite enough to switch the fan on. If you switch off, the engine keeps getting a bit hotter especially in this weather, until it cools (if you leave the car switched off for longer).

    Not sure what difference the S.UL will make unless you have a performance car that makes use of it. Cars that are not designed to make use of it will in theory work the same on S.UL as they do on standard UL. But not sure if there are any other issues which S.UL might be better for. Maybe its cleaner or more pure which could be usefull.


    Sounds like the clanking sound is related to the cooling fan. Does the clanking sound at any other times? (eg, when the cooling fan is not running).

    Dave
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    David (2) wrote:
    As a side note I noticed with my 2 previous cars, and my current one, in hot weather after a bit of a run, if you stop and the sun is burning down, and switch off the engine just before the auto cooling fans activates, go away for 2/3mins, come back turn the key, the engine Temp is much higher than normal and the cooling fan starts working straight away to correct it. I put this down to the engines getting hot, but not quite enough to switch the fan on. If you switch off, the engine keeps getting a bit hotter especially in this weather, until it cools (if you leave the car switched off for longer).

    Not sure what difference the S.UL will make unless you have a performance car that makes use of it. Cars that are not designed to make use of it will in theory work the same on S.UL as they do on standard UL. But not sure if there are any other issues which S.UL might be better for. Maybe its cleaner or more pure which could be usefull.


    Sounds like the clanking sound is related to the cooling fan. Does the clanking sound at any other times? (eg, when the cooling fan is not running).

    Dave
    That might be the position of the water temperature sensor. If its high up on the cooling system, when the water pump isn't circulating the water, the hot water rises. Giving you a false reading...
  • rubypuddingrubypudding Posts: 2,615
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    David (2) wrote:
    Sounds like the clanking sound is related to the cooling fan. Does the clanking sound at any other times? (eg, when the cooling fan is not running).

    Dave

    No, only heard it on these two occasions

    I did wonder whether it had anything to do with the fact that I restarted the car in hot temperatures and stopped them again pretty quickly - perhaps I hadn't given the engine time to run through the little routine it needs to do
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,864
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    Using Super Unleaded will make absolutely no difference to the running of the car, only to your bank balance, don't bother.

    As for the coolant heating up when you switch off, this is not unusual, if the cooling fan is not designed to run after the ignition is switched off, the latent heat retained in the engine block, plus it's insulating abilities, will allow the coolant to increase in temperature...........I parked my car in an open and unshaded carpark after a motorway trip on Monday, it was still registering over 40o after leaving it for over 5 hours.

    Sounds like the OP has a noisy cooling fan coupled with a fuel evaporation problem, which would be far from unusual given the recent high ambient temperatures.

    It's extremely unlikely to be the ignition timing; as has already been pointed out, that's controlled by the ECU, and if that's going down you'll get an management warning light up on the dash and a fault code registered in the engine diagnostic system........try going to your local Peugeot dealer and getting them to do a diagnostic test if you're really worried.
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    Modern cars don't suffer from fuel evaporation , unless its dodgy petrol(water or some other contaminate in it) or a timing problem.
    There are much hotter places than the north of this country.
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    When the 'engine' is making this noise again, blip the accelerator and see if the engine speed increases - I suspect it won't

    If it does, the the engine is actually running on and needs attention.

    If not, then the noise is from the electric fan that some makes of car allow to run on even when the ignition is off and the key is removed - this is vital to avoid the car overheating and suffering damage since alough the engine has stopped, it is still giving out a lot of heat. The reason it sounds louder than usual is because the noise of the engine is not drowning out the noise.

    (Interestingly, the reason some manufacturers don't allow the fan to run with the ignition key removed is because customers complain the 'engine' continues to run on even when the ignition is switched of - so the car is designed to ensure the fan will never be needed once the ignition is switched off)

    There should be no reason why the car won't start even though the fan is running, so can't really suggest any reason for this especially since it started again no problem a few minutes later - perhaps you inadvertently flooded it?
  • noddylpdnoddylpd Posts: 1,905
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    You could try taking it to a garage and asking them? :rolleyes:
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    noddylpd wrote:
    You could try taking it to a garage and asking them? :rolleyes:
    I'm guessing the OP knows of that option, but rather than experiencing a sharp intake of breath together with a grease monkey scratching his head and saying it's going to be expensive, the OP would prefer to know the likely causes.

    In this instance, to pay a mechanic an hours labour (possibly £75 or more) required to get them to be sure they have experienced the same noise after warming up only to be told that the electric fan is operating as normal would be a bit OTT. As for the failure to start once, but it did a few minutes later, then I doubt any mechanic could diagnose such fault until it became more repetitive.
  • David (2)David (2) Posts: 20,632
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    If you look inside the engine bay when the engine is hot, mind you dont get sticking you fingers near any fans, etc as they could auto start at any time.

    Under normal use, if the engine is very hot when you go to start the car (maybe you have just stopped for a couple of mins), the fan will auto start when you start to rotate the key to the IGN position (dashboard lights come on), which is before you have started the engine its self. Shouldnt make any real world difference (dont forget cars are sold in much hotter countries than the UK), apart from putting more strain on the battery. Not sure about different brands of cars, but I think most nowadays should start easily without you touching any pedals (eg, the little computer does it for you). Some automatics and paddle shifters may need you to press the brake pedal during startup.


    Dave
  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    My 206 did something a bit similar once, including the big red STOP light coming on the dashboard.
    Turned out that the radiator had overheated and had an air bubble in it, so once I got rid of that and topped up the water it was fine.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 346
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    Modern fuel injection cars should not suffer from overrun after switching off the ignition. With the old carburretor you could still get fuel into the engine and preignition due to weak mixture or wrong plug could occour. Now the ECU stops all injection of fuel.
    It is possible that the ECU is programmed not to start the Engine if the Fans is on prior to trying to start. This could be to prevent a drastic overheating situation arrising.
    It is normal for some cars to switch on the fan to prevent the coolant boiling from the heat remaining in the engine and no airflow through the radiator as the car is stationary. I had a car that would wait about 2 minutes after the engine was switched off and then run the fan. Most disconcerting if you were in a quiet car park.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4
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    I used to own a 206, and in hot weather the fan would always come on after I switched the ignition off. This is not a problem in itself, the clanking however could be a loose bracket or something?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,864
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    The main thing highlighted here is that none of us have got a chuffing clue what's going on!

    We haven't experienced the noise, under what conditions the problems occur and we don't know what the ECU is doing or any of it's vital sensors, which could have all manner of problems that none of us can even guess at.

    Like I said earlier, a diagnostic check is the only way to move forward; if the car is running on, there's obviously a timing/fuelling problem and that's all done electronically, so plugging in the box is all you can do.

    These days, any sensor problem can cause all sorts of seemingly unnassociated faults, a couple of weeks ago I had to deal with a Merc with an ABS light that wouldn't go out.......plugged in the box, registered a fault with the ABS, but it came back with an unknown code; when I changed the blown brake light bulb, the ABS warning was successfully reset!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 121
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    Just a thought, could it have been a 'bubbling' noise.

    I had a Cavalier that used to do this in hot weather.
    Basically, after stopping and starting again a couple of times, in hot weather, the coolant was settling in the hot engine block, then boiling.

    I was told by a mechanic to listen for air escaping from the coolant reservoir cap next time it happened......
    and sure enough, it was... A new cap cured it.
    Apparantly, if the coolant is kept at high pressure, (as it is meant to) it takes a higher temp to make it boil.

    As for the cranking noise, dunno, maybe it didn't wanna start until it cooled off a bit more

    As has already been said, see a proper mechanic.
  • rubypuddingrubypudding Posts: 2,615
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    Thankyou for all advice given - I have actually taken the car to the garage twice in the last month to ask about this but am just told it's normal due to the heat so no diagnostic test required.

    If it happens again I will insist on one though
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