Car suddenly stops accelerating and overheat indicator comes on

Question

Vehicle: Skoda Fabia TDI 1.2L diesel

While driving back home, the car suddenly stopped accelerating and the RPM was stuck at 1000, even when I applied more gas.

Immediately after, the overheat icon started blinking. I pulled the car over to check if there was any coolant left in the reservoir but it was totally empty and the radiator was still spinning.

I let the car cool down for a bit and filled the reservoir with water. Within a couple of minutes, the radiator stopped spinning. I assumed that this indicated the engine cooled down enough. I drove for a minute or 5 and pulled it over again to check the coolant reservoir, to see it's empty again. The car hasn't moved since then.

What I've noticed is that whenever I shut down the engine, the radiator keeps running for far too long. The Engine Fault indicator is always active and the service center says it's probably some wiring issue and that the problem is resolved. However, it keeps returning.

Can some one help me understand what exactly happened here:

1) Why did the car suddenly stop accelerating?
2) How to overcome the heating issue ?
3) What can I do about the engine fault indicator ?

Answer 1

Seems you have some serious overheating issues with your car.

1. Engine goes into limp mode with reduced power. Modern engines do this when there is a serious issue, it allows you to find a safe parking spot.
2. Could be a coolant leak or a broken water pump. The water pump is a service item, how old is your car en when was the pump last changed for a new one?
3. See item 1, as long as the engine has overheating issues you will have a warning sign. A cooling fan that is constantly running is a side effect of the overheating issues and may also be caused by the limp mode.

In any case i'd suggest to have a mechanic check your cooling system for leaks and correct operation.