Corsa bakkie overheating help

theratman

theratman

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Greetings all!

I have a corsa bakkie 2007 model and recently I blew a head gasket because my termostat was faulty and the car was overheating etc etc.It cost me a hellva lot to repair.I'm worried that its happening again,the overheating,The engine will get rather hot on short (10km) trips.It runs around the same temp as a longer trip.
Any advice other than taking it to the mechanics,I'm rather short on cash this month :(
What do I need to watch our for with regards to overheating and is there anything I can do about it in the meantime or am I just being paranoid?
Thanks.
 
check all rubber pipes, they cheap enough to replace. Use summer coolent.
Make sure your radiator works, maybe flush it...

If problem persists:
If you are driving & car gets to hot (yes i know it's summer & you'll get hot)open all windows. Set fan (not aircon to heat) & put fan on full force.

This is as per a mechanic - similar happened to me last summer. Drove like that for 3 weeks, til i had the money. Don't do trips longer than 30-40km one way. then when you can get the vehicle to a mechanic.

Mine was a diff vehicle.
 
Is it losing water or running hotter now than just after the head gasket repair? In either case get to a mechanic before major problems hit.

That said, a engine will usually run hotter in stop-start driving (short trips) than at steady speeds of 100-120 kph.
 
Check the following:

Flush the radiator. Could be a blockage that makes the coolant not circulate effectively. Pretty easy to do.
Then check all the rubber pipes. Pipes can cause blockages.
Either drive with the air-con on (which switches on the radiator fan), or change the fan wiring so the fan is on permanently.
Use ONLY anti-freeze/summer coolant in the cooling system - NO WATER!

I had a car that was prone to running hot, and these were the steps I took, and I drove that car for 4 years, without any problems.

P.S. Are you sure the thermostat is working correctly?

I would have taken the bakkie back to whoever fixed it. Cheaper than replacing another headgasket! ;-)
 
avk said:
Check the following:

Flush the radiator. Could be a blockage that makes the coolant not circulate effectively. Pretty easy to do.
Then check all the rubber pipes. Pipes can cause blockages.
Either drive with the air-con on (which switches on the radiator fan), or change the fan wiring so the fan is on permanently.
Use ONLY anti-freeze/summer coolant in the cooling system - NO WATER!

I had a car that was prone to running hot, and these were the steps I took, and I drove that car for 4 years, without any problems.

P.S. Are you sure the thermostat is working correctly?

I would have taken the bakkie back to whoever fixed it. Cheaper than replacing another headgasket! ;-)
Click to expand...

Yes, how recently was it fixed, I would take it back if it was very recent.
 
With a Opel: You shouldn't have to check anything, or watch how you drive. A head gasket failure is common if an engine overheats and Opel use cheaper cork gaskets that don't handle heat well, so if the car overheats it is gauranteed it'll blow a gasket. Only the 1.8 uses a multilayer steel head gasket which could probably survive. Regardless most times bearing failure is common after an engine overheating, regardless of engine make.

You should be watching the temperatures at all times and turn off the car if it doesn't cool down when the fan comes on and it is approaching the critical temperature.

Answer these questions:
1) Is the car loosing water?
2) Is the engine down on power?
3) Is the cooling fan on constantly yet the car gets hotter?
4) Who repaired your car the previous time round?
5) Why wasn't your car repaired under warranty?


If your car is still overheating then you have some kind of mechanical problem and the engine wasn't fixed properly. Next time don't take your car to GM! (I presume that is where you went?). You can get a complete 2nd hand engine for the price they'd charge for a head gasket change.
 
Last edited:
Is your Corsa Utility not under warranty? You get 5 year 120 000km warranty...shouldn't this be covered?
 
Gnome said:
With a Opel: You shouldn't have to check anything, or watch how you drive. A head gasket failure is common if an engine overheats and Opel use cheaper cork gaskets that don't handle heat well, so if the car overheats it is gauranteed it'll blow a gasket. Only the 1.8 uses a multilayer steel head gasket which could probably survive. Regardless most times bearing failure is common after an engine overheating, regardless of engine make.

You should be watching the temperatures at all times and turn off the car if it doesn't cool down when the fan comes on and it is approaching the critical temperature.

Answer these questions:
1) Is the car loosing water?
2) Is the engine down on power?
3) Is the cooling fan on constantly yet the car gets hotter?
4) Who repaired your car the previous time round?
5) Why wasn't your car repaired under warranty?


If your car is still overheating then you have some kind of mechanical problem and the engine wasn't fixed properly. Next time don't take your car to GM! (I presume that is where you went?). You can get a complete 2nd hand engine for the price they'd charge for a head gasket change.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the feed back!
I'll answer as best possible.
Its a 1.4 petrol,not under warranty(I had a 2 year warranty I believe)I did take it to GM,never again.

1) Is the car loosing water? --not that I can see,the cooland stays at the same level
2) Is the engine down on power? --Engine seems to be fine,drives the same as it always has
3) Is the cooling fan on constantly yet the car gets hotter? --the cooling fan goes on 50% of the time during shorts trips,after i have parked.
4) Who repaired your car the previous time round? --GM
5) Why wasn't your car repaired under warranty? --No idea,I thought I had a 2 year warranty,am I wrong?I bought it from a GM dealership

The thermostat and cooling system has been replaced at the same time that the head gasket was fixed.
I don't put water in the coolant.

I have a small dent the size of an old 50c coin in my radiator,the thingys that look like thin metal wedges are bent in in that area.I was told that the radiator is not leaking.I dont know how to check if it is.I was told but the service chap that its not a problem at the moment.I am going to get this replaced in the next few months but money is kinda tight at the moment and I don't believe in credit cards.

Im not too clued up when it comes to cars engines etc so any tips in layman terms please :)

Thanks again!
 
Last edited:
The fixing of a specific problem should have a repair g/tee.
Take it back and tell them they must fix it for freeas they did not fix it 100%
They will check and tell you what is still wrong etc. and if you must pay or not.

Come back to us.
BTW you male/lady driver?
 
I think I'll do that.
I'm a man btw,don't shun me for not knowing the inner working of a car :)
 
From cold start the car at home and let it idle. Check where the heat needle is when the fan comes on. Report back with your findings.
 
theratman said:
I think I'll do that.
I'm a man btw,don't shun me for not knowing the inner working of a car :)
Click to expand...
:) Just calling things thingy ma bob etc LOL
Radiator cooling fins dent, old 50c piece size, is not a problem if there is no sign of water there.
 
Take your thermostat out, its not a big job at all , put a new one in its cheap. Drive and see.
 
bboy said:
Take your thermostat out, its not a big job at all , put a new one in its cheap. Drive and see.
Click to expand...

They replaced the thermo stat with the gasket a few weeks ago.I'll try do the cold start temp check tomorrow
 
Sounds fine to me. The cooling fan has 2 speeds, slow and fast. Under normal conditions the fast speed should never be needed. The only time I've ever had the fast speed come on is if I turn the car off when it is near the point where the cooling fan would come on. Then turn it on a few minutes later. Even driving in smoldering hot traffic with air conditioner on and stop stand traffic I never get past slow fan speed. You should be able to distinctly hear the noise difference between the fast and slow speed.

If you unplug the coolant temperature sensor on the cylinder head below the coil pack (where the spark plugs leads are attached, 4 of them, it's a big black thing, below that big black thing, 2 pin plug, it might be hard to see but it is there) the cooling fan will automatically run at full speed if you want to check.

Here is a pic of the plug (circled in blue), you can just unplug it, the engine light will go on and the cooling fan will immediately start running at maximum speed. Then you will be able to tell what the faster fan speed sounds like.
This pic is from a Corsa B with the Coil pack removed, but it is almost identical management and engine wise to that used on the Corsa C:
tmpw.jpg


Lastly, don't buy a radiator from GM, you can get one from Goldwagen (also try calling a few other places, like radiator places, Autozone, Midas, etc. for quotes). I'm not 100% sure on the Corsa C but on the Corsa B all the radiators fit any model, many people fit the Corsa Diesel radiator to a Corsa B when they move up to a 2L engine because it is largest of all Corsa B radiators (cost me +-R800 from Goldwagen). You should be able to do the same (but make sure you ask them if you can return it or if you can check that it fits), buy the 1.8 GSi or Diesel radiator and fit that instead. It is larger so the fan shouldn't come on as often or for as long anymore.

Lastly that job should have been done under warranty. New car has a warranty of 3 or 5 years from GM depending on model.

If the fan is constantly running at the fast speed, you should try get it back to GM (you have a 1 year warranty on all work completed), it definitely is not normal for it run at the fastest setting all the time.
 
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The warranty is only 5 years on cars bought after march 23 2009 according to GM website.I'll take a look at the fan tomorrow Gnome,thanks for the detailed post!
 
avk said:
Check the following:

Flush the radiator. Could be a blockage that makes the coolant not circulate effectively. Pretty easy to do.
Then check all the rubber pipes. Pipes can cause blockages.
Either drive with the air-con on (which switches on the radiator fan), or change the fan wiring so the fan is on permanently.
Use ONLY anti-freeze/summer coolant in the cooling system - NO WATER!

I had a car that was prone to running hot, and these were the steps I took, and I drove that car for 4 years, without any problems.

P.S. Are you sure the thermostat is working correctly?

I would have taken the bakkie back to whoever fixed it. Cheaper than replacing another headgasket! ;-)
Click to expand...

This is good advice. This is what I would have posted as well. I have not really tried it out but I have heard that patching the head gasket costs less than getting a new one.
 
Hi Guys, while on overheating topic, the gasket on my opel corsa utility 1.4 is gone, i believe, since the oil mixed with the water. Now, i got a quote of 7000 from a mechanic and im being told that is way too much. was advised to buy a new gasket from GM,and have the top skimmed. How accurate is this advice and how much am i looking at? ball figure. Am in Pretoria
 
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