blowers nto warming up

[andypandy]

Went o see a van today, went for a drive but the blowers stayed cold. Also, the engine temp display didn't seem to get very warm either, and I was out in it for 20 mins. What could be the problem with it? It's a T reg ford courier 1.8D (not turbo)
Also the brake warning light came on when braking hard, but there's plenty of fluid in the reservoir. Do these vans have sensors on the brake pads?

Cheers

 

[Quick Fit]

If you have no heat from the heater, it could just be the thermostat, or in the worst case it could be a head gasket gone.

On the brakes, Yes it might be the sensor, new set of brake pads + fitting kit.
Regarding the head, get it pressure tested at the garage, only costs
around £10. Or give this a miss. Could cost a lot of money.
If its only the Thermo just a few pounds to put it right.
Quick Fit

 

[cazmick]

I have this same problem on my old diesel Transit van, it takes miles to get it hot. Tried new thermostat, NO JOY. Was told it was a blocked radiator, so replaced it, NO JOY.

Once the engine reaches normal temp it's ok and will maintain normal temp forever, as long as the engine revs are maintained, EG keep driving, but as soon as i let the motor tick over on idle, the engine just cools off again. In fact i can leave it ticking over for hours and it will not get hot.
So i just grim and bear it and freeze for the first 10 miles or more.

 

[david and julie]

cazmick, whoever told you that was probably correct but they mean the heater matrix which is like a small radiator. You could try taking the 2 hoses of the back of the rad on the bulkhead and backflushing it. To be honest though they are known for blocking and you may have to replace it. You could also join the hoses together with a piece of 15mm copper so you can still use your van and then leave a small ammount diluted caustic in the rad for a few days. Watch your eyes though when you flush it out.

 

[breezer]

may have even been lack of water in rad.

 

[cazmick]

Hi Breezer. Thanks for the feedback.
Have tested the Matrix, the water flow is very good. Actually everything works OK, but just takes about 15 miles to reach normal temp.
Think i might fit a radiator blind.

 

[PowerTool]

Also,do you have a thermostatic fan that is on all the time ?
This would cause it to heat up a lot slower.

 

[cazmick]

Hi Powertool.
No mate, it has the normal visco fan.

 

[david and julie]

Is it turning OK with only slight resistance?

 

[cazmick]

Hi Dave/Julie.
Yes it works fine. I Have half covered the rad with some kitchen foil and it seems to have improved slightly, might try covering it another quarter.

 

[david and julie]

cazmick... you only refer to your van as an old Transit, I will presume its a MK111 Di(because most older ones are). Is there a cardboard shield/cover in place below the sump? These are there to mainly keep noise down but if the engine has been out, or the shield as broken, it may not have been put back. If it is missing the cold air on the sump may cause slower warm up.

Having said that diesels never warm up as quick as a petrol.

 

[Quick Fit]

cazmick
What you could try is to change the Thermostat rating. There are more than one type of Thermo for the Transit Diesel diesel.

 

[david and julie]

True. and don't assume the stats OK just because its new. If I remember rightly your stat may be Transit Diesel specific, because it also increases the tickover speed when cold. Have they give you the right one, ordinary ones will fit.
The more you say the more the stat sounds at fault.
You could also feel the heater hoses to see if any have collapsed on the inside and are reducing the flow.

 

[cazmick]

All good valid points on this issue, however, have been though all of these and double checked them without any luck.
Had a word with Ford and guess what they said, THERE ALL LIKE THAT. Now i guess a statement like this from Fords could well have been expected. I wounder if they tell their new potential customers this?

 

[david and julie]

Well I've had three diesel Transits and they all had good heaters. However they were chassis cab variants so the heater is warming a much smaller area.