overheating

[puma86]

Hi,
I've just had my car back from having it fixed after the cam belt failed.
Its now overheating. Any ideas what this could be?
Thanks

[R1Geezer]

Over heating is caused by coolant escaping or the fan not working. If your car has just been repaired after a cam belt failure they would have had to strip the engine right down to replace damaged valves pistons etc and to do so would have involved removal of the head etc. Was this a reputable garage? Did they replace the head gasket? A duff head gasket is a common cause of over heating but also check the obvious.
- Fan working? Belt Tightened
- Rad topped up, not leaking?
- All hoses secure, not leaking
Take off the oil cap and look at the oil, is there any evidence of a sort of creamy substance, like mayonaise? if so head gasket is gone, ask the garage if they replaced it when they fixed the engine, check your bill and parts list. If they replaced it and you have mayo then the head is warped, needs skimming, new gasket etc.

[puma86]

thank you, I'll go out and have a look.

Kate

[chas2008]

what vehicle is it ?..if its a Ford PUMA, just a guess from your user name...they are fitted with Zetec engines and these are notorious for air locks when refilling after draining or fitting a new rad., there is a certain sequence in bleeding it out . Again , thats assuming the head was removed and water drained as part of the repair

[LCDMAN]

It's also common for water pumps to fail soon after a new cambelt is fitted. This is due to the extra pressure put on the water pump bearings by a new, correctly tight belt.

[puma86]

Yes it is a puma.
Thanks so much. great help :o)

[petty026]

there are lots of reasons, one would be the antifreeze that is not circulating through the engine or a thermostat problem (dodge parts).