I was driving yesterday evening with the AC on only to discover that the air from the vents was no longer cool.This prompted me to further reduce the temperature though with no significant change. i looked at my temperature guage and was shocked when i saw the pin on 'H'
I quickly pulled over, opened the hood and i saw steam coming from the cooling system. The more shocking thing was that the cap/cover of the cooling system reservior was missing.
I didn't add water to the cooling system and alowed the engine to cool down. I called a nearby mechanic to come take a look at the car and also bring along a cover for the radiator.
The cover was replaced and we added water to the cooling system.The mechanic then told me to start the engine and then told me that both fans were not working.He then told me to switch on the AC.both fans started working after the AC was switched on, he now said i ll have to bridge the fan to d ignition switch such that the fans will start working as soon as the engine is ignited.
I seriously feel that nothing is wrong with my car and i'm skeptical about taking to his advice.i also forgot to mention that when i switched off the AC due to rise in temp, the AC's fan was still rolling.
Now i'm even more confused because when i started the car this morning non of the two fans rolled..by the time i got to work (i didnt use AC) one of the fans had started working and the temperature guage was where it used to be normally, just close to the middle.
Please car gurus in the house should pls advise me and tell me if sonething is wrong with my car, a mazda 626 (2002 model, V6, 2.5L engine, auto drive) cos i don't trust naija mechanics.

Your car is perfectly ok. The rise in temperature was caused by the missing radiator cap. Don't heed the mechanic's advice, do not bridge ur fans. Your fans are not supposed to start with he ignition, it should only work when the temperature has reached optimum temperature and thermostat opens allowing cool water to go in while the hot water is returned into the radiator, then the fan cools the hot water and the cycle continues. Both fans should work though when the ac is turned on. Also try not to use only water in ur radiator, use a 50/50 mixture with coolant.

thanks abatically

I'm back again oh! when i got back from work yesterday i noticed a funny sound (like water being drawn into a nozzle at intervals) so i lifted d hood and i saw that the fluid in the coolant reservior was 'boiling' ..so i allowed the engine to cool down.
Now the coolant level has dropped considerably and all this while the temperature guage read normal. pls i'm confused..this car is less than 3months, delivered with no issues and has not given me any problem until now.
I am at a loss..what do i do? how do i fill d cooling system reservior? what should i do to avoid a repeat. pls dont just view, i need ur comments ASAP.

Did u replace the radiator cap with the same type? Is the radiator cap ok?

same type i cant say...but its d same size and it fits.

You may have to try another cap, the seal under may be bad.

thanks..but how do i know which is which

thanks..but how do i know which is which?

Have you changed the cooling fluid to a 50/50 mixture of coolant and water as earlier advised?

If you have only water in your radiator, it is likely to boil and be reducing as engines have their optimum temperature in the 90 - 120 degrees range.

So check that first and compare your new radiator cap (or is it coolant reservoir cap) with another vehicle of the same brand.

All the best

It's either u hv air in the radiator lines or the cap doesn't fit right .
Check the temp of the 2 hoses that are connected to the radiator after driving the car for about 20 mins .also start the car open the radiator cover n let the car steam a while .this wil help free any trapped air in the system.

thanks people..i ll do just that. But about the coolant and 50/50 ratio..do i just add to d one already in d reservior or do i get rid of it and pour in an entirely new one?
will i do this to both the coolant reservoir and the radiator or just d reservior alone? Thanks.

please i need answers

my car came with the pink/orange coolant but its all gone now ( evaporated when d filler cap got missing) and i cant find the pink type.All i see is green..can i use the green? the manual says i should use coolant that has ethylene glycol..where do i get this.in Akure?

the pink one contains glycol, which is an antifreeze..useful in temperate regions where temps drop to as low as -12deg C, but useless here in naija where our least temp is about 24deg C, buy the green one its made for the tropics......go to any total filling station and buy from them...drain all the old one...pour fresh water prefarabbly with a hose into the radiator to flush out traces of the pink one [its not adivasble to mix diff coolants/fluids]...then pour in the total 50/50 premix....ur car shud be about 4liters or so....then follow the steps i wrote earlier about letting trapped air bubbles escape

thanks chi and ripvan...did that yesterday..car is running smoothly now though still observing it