A/C off due to high engine temp

[SioneF676]

It’s been a year now since I’ve driven from Sydney to Taree. On the way there I got a notification on my dashboard saying A/C off due to high engine temp. I’ve taken it to the Holden mechanics, they don’t know what the problem is. They’ve checked the coolant and it seems to be a false sensor. I’ve wasted so much money at the mechanics of them replacing things they say will fix the problem. Does anyone have a fix for this or had similar problem? Both fans start pumping hard to keep the engine cool despite it being cool already. And it also pumps a lot of petrol which is very money consuming too

 

[panhead]

If money has already been spent trying to diagnose the problem, why hasn't the sensor been replaced?





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[SioneF676]

If money has already been spent trying to diagnose the problem, why hasn't the sensor been replaced?





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Exactly. I keep mentioning it to them but they keep avoiding it and redirected me to attend the HQ to be diagnosed and pay their fee

 

[Skylarking]

Exactly. I keep mentioning it to them but they keep avoiding it and redirected me to attend the HQ to be diagnosed and pay their fee

What was actually done, what was paid and who is “them”? Where are they redirecting you to get a diagnosis?

Australian Consumer Law covers service which must be done with due care and skill; see here... Doing the favoured part swap lottery at owners expense is hardly performing fault diagnostics with due care and skill. That is it’s less than a professional way to fix a car.

In essence, what you are paying for is the fault to be fixed and thus the diagnostic process to be supplied with due care and skill... Since the fault is not fixed they haven’t done what they were paid to do which would likely be considered a major failure of their supply. As such I’d be asking for all my money back or the fault to be fixed with no further charges applied (I prefer a full refund if I’ve paid for lots of parts to be replaced that didn’t need replacing and didn’t fix the fault, then I’d go elsewhere to have the car fixed. How many chances do you want to give these clowns to fix the car).

Read the link above (page 25) and then ring NSW Fair Trading and have a chat to them about what your rights are and how to exercise them.

 

[LS1SS]

Ok couple of things could be causing overheat indication,faulty temp sender (common),faulty thermostat not opening all the way,start car and run till hot,hold top hose and see if it’s HOT and hard,if not thermostat faulty stuck shut,check bottom hose is not sucked flat,get a hand held temp gauge and shine on top and bottom hoses,should be about 20dg difference,make sure both fans are running if car is hot.

 

[Best_boy_rob]

I have had this fault for a few months now. First I changed the temp sensor but that didn't fix it. Then I changed the battery but that didn't fix it. Car is definitely not overheating, checked with scan tool and temp is normal. Temp gauge on dash goes to zero when fault appears, have to disconnect battery to reset to get ac working again. Happening every couple of days now. I have noticed that the battery volt reading on the dash fluctuates from 12.4 volts to 14.1 volts depending on what is on. I'm sure it used to be a steady 14.1 regardless before. Might look into the alternator regulator and see if there is a problem there. That might be causing the computer to muck up and make this problem.

 

[Fu Manchu]

I say it all the bloody time. Bleed the air. If there’s an airlock or airlocks and happens to be where the coolant sensor is, it’s going to temporarily read an air temp which will be rediculous and trigger the warning.
As is the way, the safeguard won’t go when the sensor starts getting the coolant temp properly again.

It’s a basic check that generally requires no parts but could require a $30 bleed bucket and a new radiator cap for $30. You can do that task yourself and know you did it well if you follow my guide in the howto section of the forum.

It would be good to get a diag tool onto the car to clear the fault code after.

 

[stooge]

Temp gauge on dash goes to zero when fault appears,

That sounds like a wiring or connection issue.