[Old Frank]

My 56 reg. Note S (30k miles) overheats when given a Welsh hill after a normal run. I keep checking the water level, which is fine until after it has overheated. Any ideas, folks? What doesn't help is that the fan, in spite of being electric,only blows when the engine is actually turning. One thing that surprised me was to learn that it is "normal" for the Note's fan to blow forwards through the radiator. I can see the logic of it blowing the warm air away from the engine when the car is stationary, but blowing against the air flow when the car's moving doesn't make sense.
A 59 Micra's fan pulls air through the radiator in the usual way, so it seems that even Nissan's own designers aren't consistent.

 

[paperman]

could the radiator be blocked with leaves etc,


bend down at the front of the car and look through the lower grill, you can see most of the front of the rad,



if that is clear then it is also possible the cooling fan has stopped working either due to a blown fuse or it has just died,



have someone check it out for you if you are not diy savvy, otherwise with the engine and ignition OFF, just give the fan a gentle spin with your hand to see if it turning ok, if so then have the electrics checked.



difficult to test properly as they only spring into life when the engine is hot.
Edited by: paperman

 

[Old Frank]

Thanks. I checked all those things, starting with a blocked rad. because McDonald's et al provide plenty of stuff to blow about, and the fan spins by hand and blows merrily when the engine is hot. I'm surprised there aren't more people with this problem because I reckon the fan blows the wrong way and I've never seen such a skinny rad. for a 1.4l engine. I know modern engines are more efficient, so they waste less energy as heat, but the Note's rad. is about one-third the size of my old Favorit's.

The lack of a temp. gauge is a real pain. With our Maxis towing old and heavy caravans over the Pennines on hot summer days, we passed many recent models steaming on the hard shoulder. We had the heater on and the windows wide open because the temp. gauge had forewarned us and we never had it boil.

The Note is due for a 12k service in a fortnight, so I hope it'll be solved then.

 

[Rich Note]

Hi Frank,

Is your car diesel? If it is, the fan may becoming on because of the diesel particle filter isregenerating.

Is the water going down?

Rich

 

[Old Frank]

Thanks, Rich, but it's petrol. Since the first time it showed me a red light I check the water level frequently and it is well up, except after it has boiled. Even then the header tank still has water in it. Long run to Brecon and back on Tues. & Wed. Hope it behaves itself, but I'll take 5l of water with me.
Frank

 

[Old Frank]

Brecon trip gave no trouble, even through Newtown (usual heavy traffic) and the hills beyond,and the water level stayed up. Mind you, the weather was cool. Perhaps we'll find out at the service, which I'm glad to hand over to someone else. I passed a donkey cart yesterday and envied the driver because of its simplicity. No front bumpers to remove to get at fuses or change bulbs. Bit draughty, though.

 

[mdvineng]

Hi Frank, did you find what the problem was? I did make a temp gauge for mine but it was a pain to install on the cylinder head ( have to remove inlet manifold etc ).
But now I've been looking into a sat nav, finally dismissed the connect system and now looking at a garmin nuvi 1490lmt, added bonus of use for walking etc and big plus if you opt for an extra unit (eco route £70) this uses the OBD2 data for lots of sensors you can monitor inluding a water temp gauge! it can also check MIL light codes and reset them.



regards

daves

 

[NissanGB]

Hello,

My name is Bryanna and I'm the Social Media Community Manager for Nissan. We are sorry to hear about your problem with your Note overheating. We suggest that you take it into your local dealership and get it checked out.

Best,

Bryanna

Nissan
Social Media Community Manager

 

[Old Frank]

I changed the thermostat as modern ones fail closed, but it still doesn't like Welsh hills and it cooked in slow traffic when we had some summer. I'm going to change the water pump next in case the impeller has dropped to bits. I think I should have stuck to Skoda Favorits. One of thosehappily went up our local 1 in 3 hill with a blowing head gasket and I only had to do something about it when it was squirting water out of the exhaust faster than I could top it up.

 

[Rich Note]

Hi Frank,What makes you think you have a problem?

BR
Richard

 

[Old Frank]

Sorry, Rich. Not looked for some weeks. Been gallivanting and hobbying.
Water pump replaced but it still can't cope with our local hills. Any ideas, folks?

 

[Boysie]

I maybe talking nonsense here, but is the coolant mixture right. The more anti freeze/less water in the system allows higher coolant temperatures, and therefore better cooling.

Have you done a compression check, to see if the headgasket is a bit suss. Also, isn't there some sort of 'sniffer' fluid that shows up hydrocarbons in the coolant.

Just random thoughts here.

Edited by: Boysie

 

[mdvineng]

A pressure test will indicate if there is a leak somewhere, low pressure in the water system will lead to lower boiling temperatures, so things to check are rad cap and expansion bottle etc and hoses. stranger things that can lead to overheating are poor connections for the engine to ecu as this can mean incorrect ignition timing (retarded ignition equals hot water) also blocked radiator cores (modern rads have much narrower passages than before). good luck Frank.


regards

dave s

 

[SneakyElephant]

My 56 reg. Note S (30k miles) overheats when given a Welsh hill after a normal run.

Have you checked it for LEEKS? (sorry couldn't resist it)

 

[Tman]

It could be a faulty temp sender cheap so worth a try

 

[Old Frank]

Not been on here for ages. Just got back from family visits. Thanks for suggestions. Coolant mix is O.K. and the trouble showed with pure water as well. Engine seems to behave too well for timing trouble. Winter weather should give us some respite, but I'll ask my expert to check timing and for leaks (and leeks,Sneaky - you never know what the local goblins might have been up to). I think we had a frost last night. The very idea - a frost in Prestatyn this early!

Hope you're all enjoying the autumn colours - can't beat a beech at this time of year. Enjoy them before some new fungus kills them, too.

 

[flash22]

hello old frank long time no post
it could well be an intermittant fault with the thermostatnot opening properly. i take it the fan kicks in when its hot ?

 

[Old Frank]

Hi, flash. Yes, the fan comes on when the engine's hot, but I don't know at what temperature, and I've had a new thermostat & pump.It only cooks on a steep hill or a long hill and in slow traffic after it's already been running and is, presumably, up to normal temperature. I'll just have to put up with it. At least the cooler weather will help. "It's an ill wind ..." I'd be happy to give it to the main stealer if they'd do a "no win, no fee" deal, but I can't see any garage offering that.Thanks for your suggestions.
Frank

 

[Boysie]

Just another thought......is the cooling fan coming on too late. Is there a sensor switch for the water temp, and could that be a problem. Maybe the setting is too high.?

I'm just thinking 'old school'.

 

[flash22]

just had a thought (i know it must be lonely up there) the cts (coolant temp sensor) the one for the ecu on the block can some times go faulty or have an intermitent fault, the ecu may not log a fault but this can cause over heating as the ecu isnt fueling the car correctly
if the ecu thinks it coolant is cold the ecu will add more fuel to the mix, or if it thinks its to hot it will lean the mix out