1.6 petrol 53 plate. Why does it keep overheating?

Some things to check - make sure that the radiator fan is coming on at the right temperature. It might not be turning on at all due to a blown fuse or a bad fan relay. Also, when the engine is up to temperature make sure the thermostat is opening up properly and be sure the radiator itself is not clogged. When the engine begins to overheat, turn the heater on (full heat, highest blower speed) and see if you get hot air and the engine temp begins to come down. This will tell you of the coolant is circulating properly.

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I'm pretty sure the radiator fan on these is controlled by a thermostat and will therefore normally operate only when required hence coming on and turning off at will. It is also not unusual for the fan to remain on after turning the engine off. If you sit and wait a few minutes after turning off the engine the fan will shut down eventually.

Change the fan relay in the fuse box under the hood. There are 2 one for air condioner on and one for temp sensor.

this car is 21 yrs old and well past its sell by date ,now is this clear rad container your refering to ? is it the over flow bottle or the radiator header tank If you do have a problem with the head gasket then it may pay you to trade it in quick and buy a nice peugeot diesel manual and reduce your carbon footprint and save a lot of money in fuel as well with 70mpg .Your dealing with a big petrol engine here in this car and lots of things could be wrong and going wrong owing to the vehicles age and their come a time when you have to give it some euthanasia and send it to the great motorway in the sky unless you have a bottomless pit of a wallet

prueba a sustituir primero el sensor de temperatura y desconectar el sensor de presion del aire acondicionado

WHEN CAR STARTING OVERHEATING MAKE SURE COOLANT LEVEL DIDNT GET TOO LOW. IF NOT I WOULD REPLACE THERMOSTAT AND RADIATOR PRESSURE CAP IF OVERHEATING WHILE SITTING IDLING COOLING FAN NOT COMING ON.CHECK COOLING FAN FUSE AND RELAY IF ALL IS GOOD.CHECK COOLING BY HOTWIRING IT.IF RUNS YOU HAVE A BAD COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR OR FAULT IN WIRE CIRCUIT.IF FAN DONT RUN WHEN HOTWIRED REPLACE FAN MOTOR.IF CAR STILL KEEP OVERHEATING CHECK ENGINE OIL LOOKS LIKE MILK BLOWN HEAD GASKET.IF OIL LOOKS OKAY YOU NEED RADIATOR AND ENGINE FLUSHED OUT.

Seems like the thermostat is OK if you are now not experiencing overheating.

thermostat replace temp sensor its cheap i hope your water pump is not bad you could mess engine up if you keep on running car and is overheating.

It may be;

Coolant Temperature Sensor
or
Temperature Switch
or
Relay - Radiator Cooling Fan Motor

unplug the fan and run 12 volts direct to the fan from the battery if the fan turns then it is good if not then replace the fan and problem should be solved