citreon c3 1.4 sx 2003 Temp gauge hitting red

Hi, my first post since joining , I have just purchased (via P/X) a Citroën 1.4 sx , I went to pick it up today to test drive, i travelled 8 miles on the motorway and was quite pleased with the ride and the handling, temp bars were showing three bars so all appeared OK at high speed on the motorway, however I got stuck in roadwork traffic and was at standstill for between 7/10 mins when I heard a ping and noticed that the temp gauge bars were full and the top one was showing red,i pulled up but noticed it wasn't actually boiling up, as I was only a short distance from returning to the motorway I re-joined and travelled the 8 miles back to the garage were the temp bars went back to three while I was sitting on the motorway at 70mph and also when I got back to the garage .I have come home in my old car while the garage still as the car and are looking at it,now I don't want to be chasing faults but if anyone can shed any light on whether this could be and lead to more problems or is it a common fault that could just be a temp sensor or dodgy fan,from what I recall I believe the garage believe the fan is not kicking in ,it also as air con which I tested in the traffic while I was at standstill and it worked fine, any help or info would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks

Welcome den9112

Sounds like a dodgy cooling fan to me.

When there is airflow from forward movement everything is ok, but when you stop in traffic it all goes bad with lights and noise because the fan isn't moving the air.

There are several different fans fitted depending on spec, some computer controlled. You can see if the fan works by opening the bonnet - but don't touch the blades while the key is in the ignition!

Thanks for the reply, i hope its just a fan issue and can be solved easy ,it does apear that this is a common fault with the C3, and as you say their is a variation of fans .

How long has the garage had the C3? If its parked up for a while its just possible that the thermostat had stuck.

Hi, i know its only done a few miles since its last MOT in August , i think it was 400 ,anyway would the repair garage not pick that up quickly as i were their for over a hour while they checked it out then i had to come home in my car .

Quick update ,fan unit and switch replaced and problem solved.