overheating problem and oil light

[pete22]

my nova 1.4 keeps over heating , ive flushed it out and released all air in the system (i think) and the fan is running constantly but it still overheats also when it overheats there is a banging noise from under the bonnet . any ideas ? also whilst ive been out the oil light comes on and stays on for a couple of minutes then goes off and also goes off when i hit a bump or hole in the road but when i checked the oil theres too much in , any ideas

[Dicko]

how long does it take b4 it overheats?
maybe your water pump aint pumping water :s

[pete22]

it takes a while before it overheats , sometimes the gauge can be quite high then it will slowly drop to normal

[Dicko]

hmmmmm, maybe a sticky valve.
id get a new valve and try that. mind u, u said that the fan was coming but which indicates the hot water is geting past the valve

[Manta Mad]

Wonder if its a water pump problem - thinking of the banging noise - the pump is driven by the cam/timing belt. Might be worth taking of the cam belt cover and having a look. Check pump turns OK and that all teeth are intact on the belt. Also waggle the end of the pump to see if there is any play in the shaft (if so replace)

Simpler things might be the thermostat being faulty and not opening - you can check this by removing it and putting in a pan of hot water, put on cooker and check the stat opens in the water, just before it boils - its more accurate if you can use a thermometer as well.

On the oil light problem - could be a loose connection to the sender or a wire with damaged insulation, earthing out against the body when you go over a bump.

[mowgli]

THE OIL LIGHT IS FOR PRESSURE & NOT TO WARN FOR LOW OIL LEVEL

if the fan is always running, why not disconnect the switch to see if it is shorting out. I would stick a thermostat in anyway.

Check your timing & choke settings, they can cause hot running.