maxcaddy

Hi there,
Welcome!
So, first off unfortunately I think I'm going to 'call' on the garage and say they didn't check properly. The thermostat is down the back of the engine about half-way down the block and VERY difficult to get to on 2005/2006 era, so them checking it and seeing it was new I'm a little dubious of.
Anyway, did they run a coolant system pressure check, check the water pump output pressure or just check for no leaks?
 
To me it sounds like a blockage, and typically that's the radiator on these as over the years they get blocked/partially blocked and don't do their job, slow down coolant flow, etc.
 
Like you say, the filler cap being cool is suspicious, so where/how did it dump it's coolant? If it didn't foam out of the fillter cap it's gone somewhere, which makes me worry did it dump it in the cylinders (i.e. it's overheated too far and the head gasket has gone).
 
First (easy) job for you at home is full coolant flush, get it flushed through the hoses and see how you get on.
Then I think I'd go for a compression test to see if the head gasket is the problem.
Thermostat could be stuck closed or almost closed but that's fairly unlikely, they tend to fail fully open.
 
Good luck and let us know what you check, and ask the garage you took it to, what exactly did they do to verify the pump was working, etc. Did they pressure test the coolant system?

As usual, after doing it twice, its not done it again  .
 
Seems to be the story nowadays where it does odd things just to worry/p*ss me off. If it weren't so useful, and if there was a similar vehicle with stow and go, it would be traded in . 

On each press of the end of the stalk can you hear the pump running?
May need to have an extra pair of hands or ears for that!
 
I don't know if it's worked fine on the days in between of course!
 
It's just a guess but it could be the little non return valve in the line, leaking back a small amount, so that you almost fill the line the first time, but not quite, depends how long you ran the pump for. And sadly I don't know where that is, not had a shufty on ours yet!

Got to admit that in actual fact the Yuasa I’ve been using is a 096 type which fits well by moving the connectors over a bit, and had a second use as my toy of the time was a SLK280 which also used the 096, so it gave me the benefit of being able to swap over if needs be.
 
I checked how old the Battery actually was and found it was nearly 3 years, which (for a 5 year guarantee) wasn’t marvellous, but it has had a few ‘going flat sessions’ so yes, a replacement could well be in-order. However within my ‘Voyager’ file I also found a Chrysler Workshop Manual DVD which I must have got when I first bought it (2014), but had forgotten about and hadn’t used/seen since. This would have all been great other than I needed to then dig out an old Laptop which played DVDs, which after buying a new Battery for, and stopping it keep trying to upgrade from Win 7 professional, I now have it up and running. A quick perusal said that the IOD fuse could come out (which confirmed what Qinteq said at #3).
 
The only other discovery made was that while the Radio/Satnav/CD still turns itself off, if I press the ‘Time’ button on it, the Chrysler emblem comes up on the display for 10 secs and then goes. This anomaly is repeatable, but doesn’t get me any further forward , but as it’s more used as a Van than a people carrier, I don’t actually miss it.
 
At the same time I’ve now put back in the 30A pink, and so far it’s all working fine with no Alarm going off, and the Battery not flattening when left for a week. Which brings me full circle back to where all this started, and waiting for the next thing to go wrong 

Well I did a quick check over and apart from the Radio (which can be a bit iffy anyway) everything worked, i.e. heated seat, lights, windows, wipers etc.
 
After connecting the Battery, I put the key in the ignition and the Speedo and Rev counter did a full sweep, which is what happens when trying to start when the Battery gets flat, only this time it cranked well and started straight away. The Heater Plug light didn't come on, but it started fine all the same.
 
I was going to try putting the 'Fuse' back in, but it was a lovely afternoon and I didn't have the nerve to upset the locals  , however I will go out over the next few days, and try it putting it back in when I find a quiet spot. 
 
I'm still wading through the mass of light bedtime reading a.k.a the links to the manuals   

Well I did a quick check over and apart from the Radio (which can be a bit iffy anyway) everything worked, i.e. heated seat, lights, windows, wipers etc.
 
After connecting the Battery, I put the key in the ignition and the Speedo and Rev counter did a full sweep, which is what happens when trying to start when the Battery gets flat, only this time it cranked well and started straight away. The Heater Plug light didn't come on, but it started fine all the same.
 
I was going to try putting the 'Fuse' back in, but it was a lovely afternoon and I didn't have the nerve to upset the locals  , however I will go out over the next few days, and try it putting it back in when I find a quiet spot. 
 
I'm still wading through the mass of light bedtime reading a.k.a the links to the manuals   

Yo Nev,
 
Sorry, I'm getting old and rambling. What happened was .............
 
(1)   In order to stop the battery discharging due to it standing and not being used, I bought a 'dis-connecting clamp' for the Battery.
 
(2)   That all worked fine for a couple of weeks (i.e. every time I was back home I disconnected it) until I left the car for about a week 'disconnected'.
 
(3)   As soon as I reconnected the Battery, the Alarm went off. It kept going off whether the Battery was connected or not, and whatever I did to the fob made no difference. By then as people were coming out their houses I started pulling fuses and relays until it stopped, which it did when the 'pink 30A fuse 'came out.  
 
(4)   I then put all the fuses and relays back in (apart from the 'pink 30A') and the car started, stopped, i.e it ran okay (Hence Post 7 says "With everything else back in place except the pink 30A it all seems to run OK now"). However the words 'run OK now' is limited to the fact that the car works, to be honest I've not fully checked everything it can do, so there could be a 'feature' or two that isn't working (cos pink 30A isn't in).
 
(5).   Because 'modern' cars are so inter dependant on their electronics (i.e. the reversing lamp bulb blows so the compass stops working) I have the concern of what other damage I might be inadvertently causing by continuing to use the car with the pink 30A fuse missing.
 
(6)   It could be that if I now put that fuse back in everything would be fine, but so I don't piss off the neighbourhood with my alarm belting out I'd sooner leave it out unless, as I say, its going to cause further damage to the car further down on the line.
 
(7)   All this happening lead to my question as to is there a way I can 'silence' the alarm permanently (and then put the pink 30A back in). 
 
Hopefully, you're now up to speed, or fallen asleep     
 
 
For Mr Qinteq,  thanks for the links, I am going through them to see if I can ascertain what else that Fuse does, and to see if I can shut the Alarm up permanently, but it could take some time  .

Hiya @@QinteQ , how are you keeping?
 
You definitely know more than me on that (but in my laziness I haven't looked up the diagram! )
 
What I couldn't grasp, reading back over the post, was that @@maxcaddy seems to indicate that
 
In post 7 that "it all seems to run ok now" 
 
And in post 12 "At least that way I can put the Fuse back and not worry that the Alarm will go off again if I disconnect the Battery for a long while"
 
So I guessed it was out, but everything was working ok. 
 
Apart from the alarm.
 
But then I kind if got lost on whether the fuse was in or out, and confused as to what, right now, the problem actually is?
 
 
@@maxcaddy I get that there was the problem with the alarm / siren going off, but is that not doing it now?
 
 
I have definitely confused myself!!!!!

Hopefully as advised its the bushes  , and if so very easy to do.
 
One of mine failed at last MoT, so bought 2 bushes from  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2X-REAR-SHOCK-ABSORBER-BUSH-CHRYSLER-GRAND-VOYAGER-2001-2007-SELF-LEVELLING-ONLY/332167075184?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 
Shock came off very easy considering how long it had been on there for, removed the old bushes with a mixture of bignevs hacksaw technique and a small chisel, and had the local MoT garage press in the new ones, and bolted it all together.

So, 3 years on and today's answer to the OP would be different to what it was then.
 
The correct Thermostat (2006, 2007 years) is available at around £55 inc new sensor, which isn't too bad. However changing it is an absolute bitch of a job to do, and if a garage/mechanic wants a lots £'s don't be surprised.
 
A new Thermostat made mine initially run better (presumably by either opening earlier or allowing better flow), but it still built up too much heat. Whereas with the new Radiator it totally solved the problem. Okay, I could have done some sort of flow test to quantify how much more water was going through the new Rad, or maybe it was because mine was also caked in 12 years of thick oily road dirt residue, but once fitted my problems seem to have disappeared .
 
Conclusion is that if you can do it yourself, then it's a worth while fix, but I suspect if it had to go into a Garage and pay mechanics and full part prices, the old girl would be now scrapped  . 

So, which is the new one??
 
Good job mate, I seem to recall snapping small bolts now you mention it. I was lucky at that I suppose, they had corroded further so had no strength left!!!
 
Mine doesn't have the intercooler of the diesel so maybe that had some bearing on it, can't think why it should though.

So it was a nice day today, and I finally got the Rad out.
 
Whoever the Clown was at Chrysler who thought it was a good idea to put steel bolts into steel nuts in-order to hold the Rad in place, but then have those nuts only retained by the plastic around the Rad, which after 13 years had all rusted solid and allowed the nuts to spin in the plastic, making me drill and cut each of them off, doesn't deserve rewarding  . It wasn't a 5 minute job  .
 
Anyway, the old Rad was half blocked with oily crap, so I'm now optimistic the new one will work better. The other benefit is that the Rad off of eBay must have been wrongly priced as its now for sale at £136.90, and not the £36.90 that I paid 
 
 
 

 

In 2014 when I tried towing a significant load in my 2.8CRD on a trip of 600 miles it was disastrous, and caused severe overheating to the extent of at one point, cutting back the motor and an alarm going off (probably why 5 years later I get the overheating issues now  ). 
Consequently since then I have only pulled a small <750Kg trailer when needed.
 
The main problem was that the load on Hills immediately made the box change down, and with no lock you could hold the gear/use the torque, so ended up on a long hill going down to 1st or 2nd with the engine revving its nuts off. Some cars have an option for a 'towing pack' which includes uprated/extra Radiator which may be available, but in my case, it was something for the memory bank to hold and to be brought out for when the next car comes along.   

Yep I'd reckon your going in the right direction.
 
I changed the rad on our 3.3 1 year & a half ago for one from ebay, a different supplier, £56, and it wasn't quite spot on, the air con condenser coil fixings were a bit out, but at that point I was that naffed off with it (a few things had gone in rapid succession) I just zip tied it on. Still there so far.
 
Our rad wan't clogged, just rotting and leaking.
 
But at £36 if you're fitting it yourself I'd probably give it a go! Unless you went for the other genuine one that's 3 years old that's on there for £44.50 plus £7.28 next day delivery.

Well I've got the old one off after a mammoth effort and what an absolute sod of a job it was to do, I see now why I put it off for so long. In the end the only way was to break the Inlet air pipe off of the Thermostat as there was no way I could get in there to unbolt it, short of taking the engine out. Okay dead easy when its being assembled on an engine stand, but 12 years later and buried in the engine bay, not so simple.
 
Next, without expending an awful lot of effort I'm unsure that trying to get the guts out of the old one would have been that easy, so I've ordered a new one instead in the belief that if that were to last another 12 years/120,000, it'd be the only bit left working on the car  .
 
In my spare time I've been playing with a an old FIAT, and some of that is beyond belief, like you have to virtually completely strip the front end to change a Bulb, but in comparison it's straightforward compared to the GV Thermostat   .

They change the therm to comply with euro regs mid 2007. Post then its a sensore'd one. The reg number will throw a part that is wrong..you need the vin
The thermostat is not made anymore. I sourced mine from a guy that imports from USA..he gets maybe 2 per week theyre that hard to find. It was 100 quid plus 30 for the sensor that is sold separately..buy it..unless you can reliably check the sensor is crap..even then for 30 quid its worth doing as the therm install is a pig.
If you use without you need to re-map.
Mine..because of the sensor, was stuck 2/3rds shut...not open as default on those without.
I changed everything, rad, egr valve, egr solenoid etc, [ btw...between engine and firewall theres a lead thats part of the egr system..mine was disconnected..you wouldnt know as you cant see it at all] shocks, rear shock bushes, belts, oil hubs etc etc etc. The front of the vehicle has to come off so did everything.
Im lucky in that my garage lets me bring my parts..which I source USA, I paid 800 quid labour only plus liquids

Spot on Argee, glad you got sorted. Don't suppose you took a photo of the thermostat before you fitted (and the tweaks you did to it to fit), or still had the link? Would be good to add to the video comments so there are more details/alternatives for others.

Cheers Nev, as I say it's always worrying when no one else has ever had the same problem..Anyway I'll try the IOD fuse as I do have the rear doors play up at times, and hopefully its as easy as having a dirty contact. Other than that as nothing in the dash has been touched in 5 years I'm hesitant to go in there, as I could cause more trouble than what I have.
 
My concern with the red light was that it was associated with the ignition/alarm/immobiliser, and that it might then not want to start if it happened all the time.
 
Not sure about the US site as, A, a lot of them use a mechanic and then report back what the mechanic said and not what they themselves had found or done, B, that unless the model is exactly the same there can be a world of différence in problems with a RHD Diesel against a LHD Petrol, and lastly that up until now I've always had good responses off of here .

If it were mine, a lot depends on how many miles its done. If it was say 50,000 then I would guess something drastic had happened to it like a previous owner having a water leak and seriously overheating it, whereby a skimmed head and bolts etc would be wise. Whereas if it had done say 250,000, its more likely that the gaskets worn out or been eaten away by the anti freeze (or lack of)/combustion gases and whilst the head may still need to be skimmed, the rest may be more salvageable.
 
In any case a new belt, idlers and water pump would be a prudent move, and (as said above) you will need cam/crank locks.

Considering an average GV4 is getting on for 15 years old, and likely to have done in excess of 120,000, I don't think they are particularly any less reliable/more subject to wear than most other brands. Certainly my 'Stow n Go' is so useful I'll really miss it when its time for it to go.

Hi guys!
i got round to swapping the actuator today, while doing a couple of other bits like some exhaust repair paste on a hole in the middle silencer, hoping to get a bit longer out of it because as it's a stow n go I haven't yet found an aftermarket one (can find diesel ones).
 
I can get a stainless steel one made & fitted fairly locally but am reluctant to spend money on the ungrateful sod of a machine.
Put a new radiator on in the middle of November then the ignition coil goes one week later, at only 4 months old. I sent it back and got a refund no problem, just ruddy mither. New coil from the States in 2 days!
 
Then changed the front drop links as one end of the nearside has gone, and noisy, significantly, after only 18 months. They were bought from Jeep Chrysler parts who are pretty good, so that was disappointing. But an easy job.
 
So anyway I would guess you have done yours by now! Hey @@CJE ! Give a reply how it went?!
But for others the removal of the door card is a Philips screw in the recessed handle / "ash tray" at the top of the door, pop off the surround for the rubber bumper, then start at the bottom and (loudly!) pop off the door card, raise it over the locking knob, release from the upper window surround and it's away.
It has a heavy plastic sheet behind this, and a polystyrene block, presumably for a bit of noise insulation.
A little torx screw to release the actuator from the door, slide forward a little, release the door knob rod from the clip on the actuator, remove the electrical connector and you're away.
Refitting is not simply a reversal as you need to ensure the arc of the arm on the actuator is situated on the little barrel that is part of the door closer cinch motor, otherwise it won't disable this when "locked" and the opener button will operate. And it's hidden well, but isn't hugely difficult to feel for.
 
The actuators are the same both sides, but the arm is handed. The ones I have bought came with both arms each time.

Can't see the police checking bulbs or informing your insurer they are not standard equipment.
Even if they did, i'd think it would have to be proven the lights caused any insurance claim that had arisen.
Put non standard bulbs in today, they give up to 150% more light than standard. Still coded E. Had looked at non road legal bulbs, but I'd rather not blind people. 

Yes that's the actuator, and you must have cursed mine maxcaddy!! It's started doing that very loud buzzing when it locks!! But not when unlocking....
So a new one is here for when I can get the time!!
 
I can't remember accurately but there are a "few" Philips head screws, then the door card starts popping off (loudly) from the bottom, then lifts up over the door locking pin and window ledge and away.
 
Quite probably there will be some Town & Country versions jobs on youtube of course.