KJT

If its not a hot day then yes I can drive it around even with the interior heater switched off because there is enough air cooling going on as I drive. If I then place a demand on the system like air con, or heavy traffic, it starts to get too hot on the temp gauge on the dash. On an average day I like the interior reasonably warm and cosy so the heater is on - in this scenario, the temp gauge never goes above half way even in traffic. The air con stays really cold though when I do try to use it regardless of the engine runing hot, so that's got me a little stumped as I'd have thought air con wouldn't work properly if the rad fans are not spinning. My temp gauge appears to work normally (I've known/owned the car for several years) and I had ordered a temp sensor just in case, but wondered if there was test I could perform on the original sensor first (like has been mentioned above). Will have to try that. I remember years ago just earthing the temp sender unit on a car and watching the gauge got to max in order to test it, but I'm not having any issues with accuracy at the gauge unfortunately. I'll have to try the 12v power test directly at the fans and see what's what with that. I'm hoping the ECU isn't playing up....

I've got a 2005 2.8 crd.Can anyone tell me where I can find my coolant temp sensor and how to test it (if testing is possible) please?

The fan relays all check out as good after testing. I had a sudden power drain from a bad 70amp relay over the last 3 days, but now I've replaced it, there are no further battery drain issues so I'm back onto my fan problem! The fans spin but hand but only for a second or 2. Is that normal? They don't feel hard to turn at all but they don't keep spinning. I hope that makes sense...

That's great bud. I'll give it a go tomorrow. By any chance do you know what the other relays are on that slam panel and what equipment they service? I've been trying to find this out for ages!

I appreciate your detailed reply. Can anyone tell me where the water temp sensor is located in the engine bay of the 2.8 diesel? (and is this related to the temp sensor on the dash?) And is there a test I can perform to check if the water pump is working properly or not? It was changed for a new one upon sale (about 3 years ago) along with the cam belt so I'm hoping it's still ok... I believe the way to test the thermostat is to run the engine up to normal running temp and see if the water level in the expansion tank drops. Would that be about right?

Thanks for your reply. A blockage? That seems odd as the rad is only a few months old and I have a consistent interior temp through the blowers. It doesn't overheat on idle of blowers set fairly warm. Not saying your idea is incorrect but I'm not sure I can see how that would be the case. Can you possibly add some reasons why you think it may be the rad please? Thanks

2005 2.8 CRD The fans kick in after about a minute of starting the engine (air con switched on)then run for about 10 seconds then stop. They cycle like that but they will not run continuously. This issue is causing an overheating issue when the weather is very hot (which it is right now). In cooler temps with air con switched off, the radiator seems to air cool sufficiently to enable me to use the car but not if the weather warns up at all.

That's very helpful thank you.

I have'05 limited, and the screen started to play up a few months ago and I'd need to open and close it a few times to get it to show the movie image. I have not used it for a while and now upon trying it i get no image or backlight (used a torch but no image seen at all). Movie sound plays fine, remote controls functions as it should, headphones work fine, 4 red lights on roof sensor come on. All fuses in the fuse box are good (tested with multimeter). I have partially disassembled the screen but I can see nothing particularly untoward. I have done continuity testing on the main multi cable that routes through the screen aperture/casing as I thought that would have a break in it but it tests fine. I would like to point out that my knowledge of electronics at circuit board level is limited but I can make soldering repairs etc if I know what to replace etc. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I might try next?