the error message is for cooling fluid temperature, so I would look for a problem with the water temp sensor,or the wiring to this part.....
With an OBD scanner like MES (MultiEcuScan, link: MES ) you can read the temp as seen by the ECU, and go from there....

 

the error message is for cooling fluid temperature, so I would look for a problem with the water temp sensor,or the wiring to this part.....
With an OBD scanner like MES (MultiEcuScan, link: MES ) you can read the temp as seen by the ECU, and go from there...

Thanks for your prompt reply. I have replaced the water temperature sensor almost a year ago. No codes. I am checking codes regularly with my MES. I addition to that my garage is doing diagnostic with the EXAMINER, which is a professional diagnostic tool. No codes...The garage checked the wiring ...It seems to be ok...It appears that other FIAT cars experience the same problem...Plenty of clips on youtube with the same problem...Very confusing and frustrating...

 

I have this problem too, the car is incredibly hard to start from cold and with a long crank I get this message.
Theres a hell of a judder when it's trying or when it actually fires
I was advised to clean the earths, add an extra eath but nothing has worked

 

Thank you Harry for sharing your experience. Yes, it is exactly as you have described...I do not get one thing. We are talking about 2006 technology and well-known engine. It is unbelievable that Fiat/Alfa Romeo, professional mechanics, and garages are not able to detect the problem and find the fix after 16 years. We are not talking about rocket science technology...

 

I would trace and check the wire(s) between the water temperature sender and the engine ECU, possibly there is an intermittend cable break or a bad connection in a connector ...? .......

 

I will give it a try...Thanks...I asked my mechanic several times to check the wiring, and everything was ok. Several weeks ago went to a professional Fiat Service for a second opinion. They checked all the wiring and connectors, and they did not find anything broken or bad. I agree with you that wiring and connectors are the main suspects. Another avenue to explore is the starter. Although it was serviced a year ago (Bendix was replaced) I am not sure about the quality of refurbishment. My mechanic checked the exit voltage of the starter. Everything seems to be fine. I will ask him to re-check the wiring you suggested.

 

A broken wire doesn't explain the juddering though

 

True.

 

If you have serious doubts about the voltage, I would also do a good check of all the grounding points, making sure they are clean and tight.
As an experiment you could also create an additional ground between battery and engine block using a jumpstarter cable, just as a test of course

 

If the op has the same problem as mine ...

Cold start is the 1st start of the day.
Its incredibly hard to start.
Usually a long crank and the temp needle goes straight to the top red line and you get the message on the dash.
Still cranking the engine the car tries to catch and fire, this may happen 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 times and then it will fire or sometimes it's just a long crank and then Fires.
At times when trying to start theres a violent Juddering , but this doesn't happen everytime.
In winter there are days when mine wont start at all.

What I've done to try and fix is, Change glow plugs, cleaned all earths, added an earth , changed glow plug relay and nothing has changed
The battery is fine and the engine turn over quickly so it's not that.

Could it be a worn flywheel ?
Thinking of the juddering but I'm just clutching at straws.
When the car is up and running theres no problem it drives well with good mpg.
The dpf isnt blocked
Timing needs to be checked which is next thing to do.

 

I'm not an expert, but could it be a water leak or loss of pressure. If the temp sender is not actually in water, then the temperature sensed would be air temp, and who knows what that might be? We are obviously looking at some remote problem, so it might be worth checking.

 

Heres a short video ...
The car wasnt level so that's why its displaying lowish oil.

So, when the car is cranking you car hear it trying to catch , now in the winter it's like all the time and many times wont catch and fire at all.
In this video this cranking is relatively short compared to what usually happens.
The engine shakes when it fires, at times theres a violent juddering which seems to be passenger side hence why I mentioned the flywheel.
The car has the metal manifold so plastic flaps which arent as bad as the metal ones so it's not low compression due to swallowing one of those.
The cars had new plugs, new plug relay, different injectors , theearths have been cleaned and en extra added fron the engine , the previous owner put new temp sensor, new injector connections , a non return fuel valve and its till the same.
It's on 175k , theres no error codes , there no loss of water, it uses no oil and once it's running is perfect, no hesitation and good mpg ...


So, any help would be, and I mean would be, extremely grateful.

 

Check your fuel injectors. When I had a diesel it all started like this once eventually the engine started throwing codes on hard pulls as well.

 

I have to report that I did not resolve the problem, after checking the grounding points, connectors, cables, replacing the ECU relay and the fuel pump relay. My mechanic triple-checked the starter and all is fine. The problem persists. The battery is brand new. Injectors are in spect, all glowplugs have been replaced last year, as well as a water temperature sensor, thermostat, EGR valve, etc. I am getting enough of the car. Starting problem is just keep on coming whatever I do to fix it.

 

As I've said I have The same problem, however, when I insert the key I've been leaving it about 15 seconds before pressing the start button and although it still struggles to start I've not had the temp warning on the dash.

Edit : I did write about unplugging the coolant temp sensor as advised in the link below but I see you have had a new sensor ...
Read the link as it also suggests other ways for fix hard starting

Read this ... https://www.vectra-c.com/forum/showthread.php?156342-Bad-Cold-Start-Z1-9DT-120bhp-Fault-Fixed

 

Hello Alfisti,

I have been trying to fix the "Excessive Radiator Fluid Temperature" error for a long time. There are many threads on the forum, and I tried almost everything, but the problem remained. Many people pointed out it is an electrical problem related to the stability of the voltage. I have replaced the battery three months ago (the new battery is Exide 77AH 760A), radiator fluid sensor, the starter was serviced a year ago, ECU software updated (pre-heating interval of glowplugs extended), new EGR valve installed, injectors checked, as well electrical instalation. Everything seems fine.

Let me explain how the problem manifests. After inserting the key fob, I wait for glow plugs to heat. When I press the start button, the engine starts with the ignition, that it starts to shake, the error pops up on the screen and the engine sometimes starts sometimes turns off. Someone recorded the same problem. Here is the youtube link:

The problem usually occurs in the morning during the cold start. The second attempt of ignition is always fine. The same thing could also happen later in the day. I have noticed that extreme cold or extreme heat increases the chances for the problem to occur. My garage told me it is a common problem with Fiat/Alfa Romeo vehicles. They believe that the ECU gets confused if the voltage during ignition is lower than required. If the battery is fully charged, the problem really occurs. Unfortunately, during hop-in-hop-off city driving the alternator does not have a chance to fully charge the battery.

Any suggestions or ideas?

Thanks,

Aleksandar

Hello,

The issues seem to be in line with a malfunctioning throttle/shut off flap. Does the engine shake when turning it off? If it does then that may be your problem.

Try removing the whole throttle body from the intake manifold, clean the flap itself and also remove the bottom plastic part where the electronics and gears are, you just remove the 5 metal clips. Sometimes oil will get in there and screw up the potentiometer that reads the throttle position. Clean all of it up with alcohol. Then just reassemble and try it out.

Had the same symptoms, though not the coolant temp error. But I had the sometimes longer crank and shake when starting/shutting down the engine.

After cleaning it up, now going over 6 months without a single problem regarding that.

Best regards,

Nedim