Overheating light coming on - timing retarded?

[jjad]

Took the 4 to work today (after not having driven it for a few weeks).

To my horror, the overheating warning light came on, so I turned the in-car heater knob to hot and put the fan on. This made the light go out again after a few seconds and it didn't come back on again.

When the overheating light came on in the past, I had the car serviced and was told that the timing was retarded, making the engine run hot.

I've not adjusted the timing before myself and don't have a strobe. Do you think it's worth trying to advance the timing slightly by hand, or should I take it to a garage/get a mobile mechanic?

I don't want to miss the Kent trip on Sunday

 

[robbie]

i do not think it is anything to do the the engine timing, normaly if this go out of adjustment the engine will pink under load
and be difficult to start when hot.
just remove your thermostat from your top hose refit hose, and bleed the sytem. this will give you a good guide if over heating stop sugest replace
this stat with new. if prob persists when stat is removed check expansion bottle if you are getting a lot of bubbles in to the bottle it is poss your head gasket.

 

[jjad]

Thanks Robbie, it was fine driving home yesterday (even though traffic was much heavier (queues) and the outside temperature was much warmer then than at 6:30 in the morning when it happened).

Also, it was fine this morning. No bubbles in the expansion tank.

Will check out the thermostat if it happens again.

Thanks for the advice

 

[jjad]

No problems doing the couple of hundred miles to Kent and back