Transit Connect Cuts Out, Help!!

[CHADVALLI]

Hi All, A problem has arisen over the last fortnight with my Transit Connect T200. All seems fine until out of the blue it'll just cut out, but will start again straight away. Its done it 3 times until this morning when it did it twice in a row almost straight away. I had travelled around 15 miles and was near to home. I noticed the Temp gauge flicked across to max and then off on both occasions, so checked the levels when i got home. There appeared to be no pressure when i released the screw cap off the header bottle and i dipped my fingers into cold water, i then checked the hoses and radiator,both of which felt cold. I guess the two may be linked, and the shutting down maybe a failsafe action. Im thinking thermostat ? Blocked rad? There is no loss of power and the van seems fine otherwise. The weather is mild but cold overnight ,but no frost yet. No other lights on dash etc

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Ive also noticed the radiator fan seems to be switching on and off when the engine is still cool. My current train of thought seems to point to a sensor thats telling the 'Brains' that the engine is overheating and to shut down and switch the fan on for cooling. Anyone know where or which sensor this may be? Is the one on the end of the head N/S, the one that will protect the head?. Since my last post,its happened another twice but the van drives and acts as normal with no overheating

Heres an update, Today i changed the Thermostat and flushed the radiator. As i removed the bottom hose,the water from the block was hot,but the water that flowed from the hose was cold,really weird and there really was that much difference. The radiator fan seems to be running most of the time and after everything was put back together and fresh water added, i started her up. With the temp gauge still on cold,the fan kicked in again and run till i shut the ignition off. I re-started and the gauge came upto halfway but the fan didnt run for a few minuets. The heater hasnt been warm now for a fortnight or so and just blows cold. I drove to Harrogate last night (around 22 miles) with no problems, but when i came to drive home, the van started and shut off straight away,it did this three time in total before i could set off. Its like a circulation thing or sensor,Is there something other than the

thermostat that controls water flow? Where are the temp sensors for the fan,and water temp?,The symptoms are the same as before i fitted the thermostat, so not too sure about air lock theory but i will check that today. I came to the van this morning and the Radiator fan started up on the first turn of the key,from cold!!!!!,

I was reading other posts on here on similar problems,air lock,heater matrix etc and decided to find where the pipes pass through the bulkhead with a view to 'pushing' an air lock through. I found the pipes going in and out of the pre-heater in the centre of the bulkhead,and as i squeezed i could feel a resistance and then felt a 'crunching' within the pipes. This carried on the whole length of both pipes. It felt like a crystalizing within the pipes, and a definate blockage. I checked the pipes again and started the van. I noticed the fan hadn't started straight away as before and the gauge stayed on cold before slowly climbing as it should. After a while the air from the heater became 'aired' and i though a definate improvement,so a proper run out was called for. The gauge acted normally and the fan stayed off on my run and the air from the heater felt warmer than earlier. I had to go to Bridlington the next day (78 miles) and everything seemed fine, the heater getting warmer and warmer, and after an overnight stay, there were no problems on my return trip. I will probably flush the whole system once the snow has gone, but for now,my tootsie are warm again and the van seems to acting normal

Whilst the water problem seems to be cured, im still having issues with the van cutting out, It just stops but will start again straight away,the temp gauge flashes over to max when this happens. Thinking the Head sensor had a fault i changed it and it ran fine for three weeks, I drove from Leeds to bristol and back in the same day and the van never missed a beat at 70-80mph, I did notice the Rad Fan was running though when i got back. The next day i could hear the fan running at low temp so i thought the new aftermarket sensor had failed, I swopped this for a Ford item but once again 2 hours or so later, the engine stopped but it started straight away. The van has used no oil and water and seems to run better and smoother since its long run. Somebody somewhere must have an idea what this is. Are there any other sensors for water temp? that may effect the fans and the gauge? Somethings telling the engine to save itself and shut down,but re-setting when i switch the ignition off. What tells what? does the HTS tell the ECU to turn the fans on?Could the problem be the fans? Could there still be a blockage somewhere and the engine is hotter than normal? I am using the correct Ford anti-freeze, Can i disconnect the HTS and run without it,purely by means of an elimination experiment? Any help would be gratefully recieved, Many thanks

[btmaldon]

The only other thing apart from giving the system a good flush, is to change the cap on the expansion tank. If thats not holding the pressure, the coolant wont circulate and it may overheat in one part of the engine and remain cold in another. For the sake of a few quid its worth changing anyway.

Have you also got the propper mix of anti-freeze in the system?

[CHADVALLI]

Hi, Many thanks,,I will replace the cap,I have noticed the water in the header is cold and i can remove the cap easily enough. Wouldnt the water be pumped around though with the water pump?? Or is it reliant on pressure, Thanks

[btmaldon]

The system is still reliant on pressure as well as the pump to move the coolant around. The pump alone will move some but not efficiently.