Overheating

Hi guys

New owner...

My GTA v6 turbo is doing some funny stuff...the temp needle is mostly at the midpoint, but the red warning light for the fan comes on, on a steady run on the motorway. Sometimes the temp needle goes crazy, but only for a minute or two.

I would expect the fan to come on when in traffic, but not at speed.

Am I missing something?

Colin

Hi guys

New owner...

My GTA v6 turbo is doing some funny stuff...the temp needle is mostly at the midpoint, but the red warning light for the fan comes on, on a steady run on the motorway. Sometimes the temp needle goes crazy, but only for a minute or two.

I would expect the fan to come on when in traffic, but not at speed.

Am I missing something?

Colin

The warning light is the engine bay cooling fans, not the rad fan. I am sure clee will be along shortly to point you in the right direction

There are temp sensors in the engine bay that trigger the fans

This happened to me the first time I had my GTA. Turned out to be the engine cooling fan (offside one, not the turbo extractor fan) that had seized up.

As blueg33 has pointed out, these fans are controlled by one of the engine bay temp sensors located just in front of the turbo. If the engine bay reaches a certain temp, then the engine bay fans come on regardless of whether the car is moving or not.

If the temp goes above a certain amount, then this is detected by the other engine bay sensor and a warning light comes on in the dash. At this point your engine bay is just on the verge of melt down.

Check the fans by 'carefully' shorting the engine bay sensor. both the turbo heat extractor and engine bay fans should come on.

Not sure about your temp needle issue. that could be something different.

[Alpineandy]

It should be pointed out that the first 'uneducated' guess for anything involving electric on an Alpine should be "check the earths".
In this case some 'educated' advice has turned up as well

[mettersl]

Check the sensors above the engine are the right way around, the parts book is wrong, the manual tells you the correct orientation which is cooler one(turns on the fan) upper, hotter one (warming light) lower.
Assuming they both work that is, and the gear box scoop is fitted....
Cheers

What is it with these cars?!

Who knows what a gearbox scoop is...more investigation required on that one...dig out the manual...but then is it reliable? Or does it show the thing the wrong way around?

Mon dieu.

Thanks everyone for the input

My GTA v6 turbo is doing some funny stuff...the temp needle is mostly at the midpoint, but the red warning light for the fan comes on, on a steady run on the motorway. Sometimes the temp needle goes crazy, but only for a minute or two.

Hi Colin,
Second things first...... The Temp gauge going crazy..... I suspect you will find the leads going to the temp sensor on the thermostat housing (offside) are shorting out the sensor. Check the wiring from the sensor back to the wiring harness..... shorting wires will make the needle go full scale... open circuit wires will make the needle go to zero. (ie:- poor connection)
With regard to your first point, bearing in mine mettersl point about the position of the sensors by the turbo, it is important to identify the opening temperature value of each sensor, you should be able to read the values in degrees off the rim of the sensors, having done that, make sure that the upper one is the 80/90 degree one and the lower one is the 110 degree one..... having done that the 80`/90` one should have two black leads coming off it, and the 110` one should have a black and brown/ yellow dash marker, on it. Whilst doing that, check the condition of the wires for charring as, like the other one, if they short, the dash light will come on, and / or the fans will start.
Hope this helps

[mettersl]

Might be worth having a look at this thread.
http://www.renaultalpineownersclub.com/ ... e+bay+fans
The question about which sensor where is answered here.
Cheers
Lee (mettersl but not Clee)

Thanks for all the help.

I have checked the sensors. They seem to be the right way around, and I can hear the engine bay fans come on. However, I am guessing that I should feel air and a vacuum respectively on the two air vents at the sides. I can't feel anything, so maybe the fans aren't hooked up; or they're spinning but doing nothing.

Where are the fans? And am I describing something that is a common problem?

Any guidance would be great.

Colin

If the engine bay fans are kicking in its getting hot.

Driver's side vent you should feel a suction but on the otherside it'll blow down the pipe behind the spare wheel and onto the floor behind the rear tyre. Should definitely be noticable, but obviously the 'lagged' pipe needs to be there in order for it to not just end up back in the engine bay.

Colin, This should give you an idea of how the rear duct cooling system operstes.