These nigggley problems are getting me down

[redmaestro]

My Efi sailed through its MOT in July and had a faultless summer. Now Winter has set in, she is developing problems quickier than I can fix and its starting to get me down. Here's the list so far:

1. Heater is giving out luke warm heat (as per recent thread)
2. Overcooling dispite changing the thermostat and temp sender bought from Rimmers.
3. Near impossible to start from cold, and at operating temp revs are really low. I was at a red light today, engine warm and in netural with handbrake on - she stalled!
4. On a recent motorway run, doing 70mph she felt she was being buffeting by a heavy wind - dispite being a still day. She seems to wobble or to pull to one side even though I was going straight. A few seconds later, all was well. Its happened a few times since on different days/weather

Can anyone shed some light on these?

[maestro vans]

Ah the joys of owning a maestro im afraid! We've all been there.
The best one I have found for the poor heating is due to corroded and blocked heater matrix pipes. Since they are made from steel they corrode quite badly if you dont have antifreeze/summer coolant with rust inhibitors in. A good clean out to allow a sufficient flowrate will improve heating in the cabin.
good luck

maestro vans

[G Force]

Hi redmaestro, it is always frustrating when these problems seem to build up, in the main its all part of owning a 22-year-old car. The big consolation is that you have a very nice example of a 2.0l EFI and I'm sure the faults will get sorted with time & patience.

1. Heater is giving out luke warm heat (as per recent thread)?

I think the answer to this one has already been given, I think it has to be time to remove the heater box and investigate whether the pipes or heater matrix is blocked, or the foam on the matrix or the flaps have disintegrated and are giving problems. I do think it is worth just clarifying what is happening in your problem no.2 first though.

2. Overcooling despite changing the thermostat and temp sender bought from Rimmers.?

I hope that you fitted an 88C thermostat and a two piece temp transducer as together they make up the most reliable results from a diagnostic point of view.

My suggestion to checking whether the engine is overcooling or not, requires a temp probe. Take the car on a 6 mile road test until it is up to temp then pull up and with the engine still running immediately position the temp probe as near to the coolant sensor as possible, (put a small amount of oil between probe and sensor body) Note the temp reading. It should be ITRO 90C. If that is ok then we can look into the gauge reading low, and if not look at why the engine is running cool.

3. Near impossible to start from cold, and at operating temp revs are really low. I was at a red light today, engine warm and in neutral with handbrake on - she stalled!?

May help with a bit more detailed info on whats happening when trying to start but for starters try.

Cold starting, Start with the basics first, condition of plugs, how old are the leads? Original equipment leads can give problems after only 18 months, which is good compared to lesser quality parts that are no good even when brand new! Check condition of distributor cap and rotor arm clean and replace if necessary, clean coil tower, inspect for cracks and check security of connections.

Stalling, as above, also check for air leaks in vacuum hoses and breather pipes. If still no joy the throttle body may need cleaning and the base idle and throttle pot settings, checking / resetting.


4. On a recent motorway run, doing 70mph she felt she was being buffeting by a heavy wind - despite being a still day. She seems to wobble or to pull to one side even though I was going straight. A few seconds later, all was well. Its happened a few times since on different days/weather

Can anyone shed some light on these?

First check out the engine mountings. In particular the bottom gearbox mounting as this was the cause of a similar problem for SimonR’s car recently.