Pug 206 help please

[The Artist]

Was driving along, car had been used all day so it was warm.

Engine light comes on
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and a big red stop light kept flashing. The temp gauge was at full red. Bit weird because it had been fine all day. I pull over, check everything, radiator is warmish. Top of rad is hot, bottom is cool. I wiggle a few wires figuring it could be a sensor gone dodgy and let it cool.

Set off again and temp gauge is back to normal level but the orange engine light is still on. Throughout this whole thing the engine has run and started fine. There is plenty of coolant in the reservoir. The radiator doesn't have its own cap though.

Any reason not to keep driving it?

[Gazdaman]

Get the code read, depending on the type of plug it has some readers are really cheap. I got one for about £15 and it's great provided it works on the car you're trying to use it on. Lots of manufacturers put their own plug on it just to be a pain in the arse.

A local garage should do it for next to nothing (not a main dealer).

Rule out a head gasket going by checking the oil cap to see if you've got mayonaise. Shouldn't be if there's still plenty in the reservoir.

It wouldn't stop me driving it, although if the temp gauge is up, it's not good! If the rad is hotter at the top than the bottom it could be blocked and the coolant isn't circulating properly.

Once an error has been flagged for a certain amount of time the code is stored in the ECU, so the light will probably remain on until you clear it. (Can be done the cheap way by disconnecting the battery for 20 minutes or so, but then you'll probably lose the radio code and have to set the clock etc).

Just a thought.

Gaz

[The Artist]

Well I decided to test my luck and went for a drive. Temp stayed down and the light went off after a couple of miles so maybe when I wiggled the sensor it did sort it??

[0ddball]

Check the wiring and connectors for the fan relays (tucked down between the bumper and radiator) . Corrosion there is a very common problem and produced very similar symptoms in our old 206.
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