My 2001 2.5crd temp gauge only goes up 1/4 and the heater don't blow red hot but when I put the engine under a bit of strain ie towing a trailer/ caravan it over heats any ideas

 

Hi,

Check the coolant level......if it is ok then it sounds like it could be a partially jammed open thermostat. Open enough to overcool the engine in normal circumstances, but not open enough to cool it when under heavy load.

Did the symptoms start suddenly?

 

Hi coolant level is ok , yes I think it did happen all of a sudden so do you think a new thermostat is the anwser thanks

 

It does sound like the thermostat.

Unfortunately the thermostat costs around £150 just for the part as the complete thermostat housing is replaced as a whole.

It's not a straight forward job either as the stat is located around the back of the engine, so the wiper module (the tray that holds the front wiper motors etc) has to be removed (not as bad is it sounds) to get access to the rear of the engine. Even then its a fiddly job. Expect to be charged 2-3 hrs labour if you get a garage to do it.

 

I have this, but have never really worried about it - thought it was normal. When it was snowy in January, I ran my car to work (7 miles) at virtually idling speed the whole way (certainly at no point did I ever go above 1500 rpm) in higher gears and the temperature needle barely moved above the minimum. Doesn't seem to overheat at any time though - highest it's ever got is halfway up the dial (ie about normal) when fully laden and running for a while.

Certainly, at the price of replacing it, I think I'll live with it unless it becomes a problem.

 

You shouldn't do any damage by running it like that.

When mine was like that the average fuel economy suffered by about 2 mpg (more when you take into account the aux heater running all the time!) on the trip computer as the ecu thinks the engine is always cold and overfuels slightly.

That was my main reason for getting it done.....I think I was only getting 34mpg when the thermostat was gone, now i average 38mpg on a 2.8CRD auto.

Chrysler don't reccommend you run the car with a stuck open thermostat due to an increase in exhaust emmisions and increased risk of crankcase condensation causing sludging in the oil......but at £150 for the part, they would say that!

 

Ahem, well indeed I must eat humble pie here.

Quote from the manual

NOTE: The thermostat is not serviced separately.
The thermostat and housing must be replaced as
an assembly.

However I would still hunt around for other cars that use the same engine and compare their prices against Chryslers.

Certainly glad I bought the earlier version.

 

Damn - I wish you had been right :-)

It's unfortunate that the CRD wasn't popular in the US, otherwise ROckAuto would have probably had a decent alternative at a much cheaper price.

 

As I stated in my above post 3 months ago.



It's not that the CRD was unpopular in the US....it was never available at all in the US.

Best bet to save a few quid would be to find a CRD in the scrapper and have the stat off that. However CRD's are as rare as hens teeth at scrapyards.

 

I'm not sure I'd do this - if it's 2 or 3 hours labour to replace it, last thing I'd want to do is put an old unit in, only for it to fail and have to pay the labour all over again to sort it out - I'll just accept that £150 is something I'll have to pay, and it's not too bad if it lasts another 100,000 miles.