99 Astra Heater gone, what to do?

dwayneburke

Hi

99 Astra Heater gone, what to do?

It was going gradually over the last week or so, is there anything i can do myself to fix (I know Feck All about cars) or can anyone recommend a garage in the galway city area i can bring it to to get a tune up etc?

What would i expect to pay to give the car a quick once over?

Tks

Dwayne.

QC

Are you sure it's just the heater? It could be an indication that theres something wrong with the engines cooling system pump .. That happened to me(on a 92 Vectra), and it was quite serious, as the engine overheated. I'd get it looked at ASAP.

dwayneburke

Funny you should say that as for the last few weeks i can hear a fan noise from the engine when i turn off the ignition it lasts for 20/30 secs.....didnt know if it was there before!!!!

Anyone know of any good garages in galway?

alias no.9

There's a place called PK autos who used be and possibly still are based in lisbaun (coming from the motorpark side, take a right at the first crossroads and they're on the right). I've used them twice before and found them good and reasonably priced.

What were the symptoms of it going?

Does the blower still blow but just cold air? Have you noticed the temperature gauge doing anything funny?
If so check the coolant level in the engine, check for any water leaks under the car, check for any dampness on the carpet in the footwells. If there are no leaks and theres coolant in the system you could have a major problem in that the water pump may be shot. Don't drive the car if this is the case as you could cause serious damage to the engine by overheating and blowing the headgasket and possibly even warping the cylinder head.

Has the fan packed in?
If so check the fuse (if it was gradually going over a week, it's most likely not the fuse, though a short circuit could have blown the fuse). If it's just that the fan isn't working, it could be the cheapest fix, a poor earth or short circuit or something like that, but it could also be a difficult one to diagnose.

Is there any noise? Does the fan sound like it is sick?

Do the heater controls feel any different, most have a cable connection between the knobs and the heater unit and while these would be unlikely to break, one may have sliped out of its guide.

dwayneburke

alias no.9, tks for taking the time for that very in dept response

I only got worried yesterday when i had to drive from galway to dublin yesterday as i noticed the temp gauge up to 75/80 out of 100 whereas it used to be around 50'ish.....however this only happened when i was stuck in traffic when i was driving circa 60 mph it cold down to 50 ish ( this was probably due to the air cooling it)

The knobs are the same i.e. no resistence and the fan is blowin just cold air however when i turn it off and turn back on the fan it blows hot air for around 20/30 seconds and then cools down again whilst still blowing air.

i checked for dampness and leaks and there seem to be nothing obvious going on.

So it looks like the worst if im not mistaken? How much is a new cooling pump etc? what sort of prices am i looking at?

Oh god!!!!

alias no.9

dwayneburke wrote:

Funny you should say that as for the last few weeks i can hear a fan noise from the engine when i turn off the ignition it lasts for 20/30 secs.....didnt know if it was there before!!!!

Anyone know of any good garages in galway?

That noise could be the radiator fan, did it sound like a motor or fan? They can stay on after the ignition is killed when the engine is particularly hot making it a symptom of overheating. Just so I'm not sounding like a complete doom and gloom merchant, water pumps are cheap and with a bit of luck (I'm not too familiar with these engines) it will be driven off the auxillary belt rather than the timing belt making it cheaper for labour.

alias no.9

Out of interest, what mileage is on the car and has the timing belt ever been changed?

dwayneburke

Yea i thought it was normal and it sounds like a fan under the bonnet....

I wasnt too concerned about it as my dad had a passat that did the same thing and it was meant to happen or so he was told by the VW dealer

dwayneburke

there is 69000 on the car and i got it october 03 so i do not know if the timing belt was ever changed

alias no.9

dwayneburke wrote:

Yea i thought it was normal and it sounds like a fan under the bonnet....

I wasnt too concerned about it as my dad had a passat that did the same thing and it was meant to happen or so he was told by the VW dealer

It's supposed to happen when necessary, but if it doesn't usually happen and has only just started round about the same time as the heater started to go, its not a good omen.

alias no.9

dwayneburke wrote:

there is 69000 on the car and i got it october 03 so i do not know if the timing belt was ever changed

I'd ring the garage you got it from and ask them if they have any reckord of it being changed. These engines have a habit of snapping the timing belts and are recommended to be changed every 40k. If they didn't change it just before you bought it, I'd recommend getting that done too, all of the parts that need to come off for the water pump will need to come off for the timing belt so there's a certain amount of labour saving. The whole lot could be expensive, but it'll be cheaper than buying a new engine cos a broken timing belt is disaster on these.

dwayneburke

I cant remember if it ever happened but i can remember someone commenting on it about 6 weeks ago....never took any notice!!

unkel

alias no.9 wrote:

These engines have a habit of snapping the timing belts and are recommended to be changed every 40k

Yes, get it looked at asap! Family member had the timing belt snap on her '99 Astra @45k a few months ago. Set her back €1700 at main dealer :eek:

That's a lot more than I've spent over the last 4 years in total on maintenance / servicing on my old V8 Beamers...

Interceptor

Rooneys on the Tuam Road, beside Roadstone
Kilduffs on Nuns Island
PK in Liosban
Ballybrit tyre and Exhaust do repairs too and are very good.

Under no circumstances take it to Flemings.

I've read the thread and have convinced myself its the thermostatic water valve - this opens when the engine warms and only circulates water once it has reached operating temp. If they fail the heater stops working and gradually the water stops going to the rad and the head gasket goes pop. If the cooling fan is running, then water is being circulated and it is less likely to be the water pump.

'c

lomb

quote: Yes, get it looked at asap! Family member had the timing belt snap on her '99 Astra @45k a few months ago. Set her back €1700 at main dealer

1700 is crazy. u can buy a used motor for a 99 astra for about 250-300 euros . factor in 400 to stick it in = 700. and before u all say it will cost more remember to replace just a clutch , u have to disconnect the driveshafts and remove the gearbox. so 400 is the max it will be. i had one put in myself for 250 and bought a good engine for 200 so it isnt that dear to have it done.

unkel

lomb wrote:

1700 is crazy

Some engine parts were damaged and remember, it was done by a main stealer...