Peugeot 208 engine light flashing and loud fan on

Is this a petrol or diesel engine ?

Hi, its petrol 1cc

Sounds as if it may be the engine coolant fan kicking in when needed and running till engine temp drops and then cuts off . Usually stays running longer if stuck in traffic jams or stop / start journeys which is normal . Could double check coolant level .

Hi, thanks for your reply. The coolant level is fine and I get that the fan comes on when needed and yes it’s true that it stays on longer in traffic but why does it trigger engine light to come on flashing ?

Light may be flashing as the sensor is sending signal to the ECU that engine is on the verge of overheating . You could try replacing engine coolant temp sensor and see if it helps if concerned . Not usually expensive , about a tenner .

Thank you for your advice. I will try doing that today. Can I ask if the broken seal around the gas cap can cause the engine light to come on ? I read about it a lot but the mechanic recons it’s very unlikely. My cap seats on tight but the seal has 2 little cuts in it.

On some makes of car, that can trigger the light and can often cause fuel smell .

Thank you

Hi I’ve got the temperature sensor replaced and it was fine for few days but today the light flashed again briefly for about 10 sec, I’m beginning to think it have something to do with fuel levels but I have no idea what. Do you have any other ideas please ?

It's unlikely to be fuel levels . Possibly engine thermostat sticking slightly , late in opening .

The Mechanic checked it once again and he doesn’t think it has anything to do with the thermostat. He thinks it something with the engine itself that makes the light and the fan come on and that it is nothing that he can do , it’s probably gonna be too expensive to handle he recons.

Your mechanic is very vague and not giving you any information to justify his opinion . Good he can eliminate a possible sticking / opening late thermostat without testing it , dont know anyone else that can !! It could possibly be something fairly major , like a head gasket starting to go but that can be checked with a block test or a pressure test on cooling system . I could comment further but wont , Hope you get it resolved one way or the other .

I went to 2 different places and they not helping me at all , and the Peugeot dealership is just way to expensive , I don’t know what to do anymore

It all depends on the general condition of the car and engine . mileage , MOT on deciding what to do . You could keep using the car , especially if just local use and see if it develops further , Carry out replacing thermostat , getting block test / cooling system pressure test carried out is another option . But with different people already having worked on car , many garages may not want to get involved . Or get rid of as a trade in for another car rather than spend more money or time on it .

Hi I have a Peugeot 208 and my car is doing the exact same thing! The engine management light flashes it feels really sluggish like not much power so I pull over and hear a loud fan noise and my engine won’t start back up until the fan has stopped which is less then 10 minutes. It’s done this 3 times in 9 weeks now. I took it to the garage and at first he couldn’t work out what was wrong so he got his friend who has a Peugeot diagnostics to have a look and he said there’s a lot of black smoke coming off the engine and he thinks it’s failing and I should look at trading it in! He said he’s seen it a lot that once these cars get to nearly 80,000 miles the engines start to nackar. My cars been using a lot of oil too, not sure if this is the same for you ? so stressful!

Hi Sammi, sorry to hear that. Well I took my car to 3 different garages and had; coils changed , spark plugs changed , temperature sensor changed and at the end vvt valve , all for nothing , although after changing vvt the light Shows about twice a week for few minutes and the car doesn’t feel sluggish anymore. I’m still worried but I’m not prepared to pay anymore to change countless parts which won’t fix the issue. Car seems to be driving fine and I never had problem starting it , could drive with the light and fan on although it was sluggish and I felt like I’m always on the first gear. Someone told me it could be timing belt but Peugeot records it doesn’t need to be changed till You get to about 100 thousand miles . Duno let me know if you find anything new

Have you tried the more expensive petrol? This happened to my car. Get the light taken off and apply gentle pressure when accelerating. I think it’s the fuel intake clogged and the dealer petrol cleans it.