[tobyo123]

Here's a rather sorry update to this one:

Thanks to XBMWTECH I got busy with the climate control and fixed it - turned out to be a blown capacitor on the circuit board and on replacing it everything started working again.

The fan was still on so I went to Autozone for a new switch. However I then noticed that the car was dumping coolant from the back of the engine compartment and watching the temperature gauge it went cold then climbed steadily and by the time I'd done the last 1/2 mile home the engine was starting to misfire and puff white smoke out of the exhaust..

My theory is that some valve or hose in the heating system didn't take to being put back into service after a couple of years and has failed causing the leak. I can't see at this time where the leak is coming from but there's plenty of it. I'm then thinking in turn that this has made the cylinder head gasket fail hence the smoke.

Questions before I start ripping into the bulkhead; are there any common parts that would fail in the system? It's very hard to see what's happening behind the engine. All I see so far are three hoses going into the bulkhead to the top right of the engine compartment and these don't show any signs of leakage so I'm guessing it's something behind there. I'm crossing my fingers that it's a straightforward leak and then I can dump a can of stop-leak into the system to at least nurse it along while I look at doing a proper head gasket replacement.

I still have the replacement switch to fit in the radiator but this has suddenly become a low priority..

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks! Toby.