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Re: cooling fan Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Wed, 2 Apr 2003 07:18:48
In Reply to: cooling fan, alan, Wed, 2 Apr 2003 03:41:30 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
There is no cooling fan clutch - the cooling fan is an electric motor that turns on and off with a thermoswitch in the radiator.
The cooling fan is there to provide airflow over the radiator when the car isn't moving. When the car is moving, the airflow is greater than what a fan could provide.
The cooling fan comes on when the radiator temp gets to 89C. There is also an engine Thermostat - a fluid switch - that decides when the hot coolant in the engine gets too warm, and switches flow to the radiator. Otherwise the thermostat is closed, keeping the coolant in the engine and away from the radiator. The temperature gauge reads the engine, not the radiator temp.
There are a few possibilities. First off, I would replace the Engine Thermostat. The thermostat is a moving part, and they wear out. If your engine thermostat is more than 3 years old, or you don't know when it was replaced, replace it now. You can get a cooler thermostat (82C), which I would recommend.
Why hotter when driving? That's because the engine produces more heat when you're driving. If your thermostat is sticking and won't open all the way, it can't dump off the greater heat of the engine while moving.
There is an easy test for the radiator fan and switch. Start the car and let it idle. Make sure the A/C is off. If the car is cold, you'll see the temp gauge rise, but it should drop, rise, drop, a few times. This is the engine thermostat open. Eventually it will rise, and the radiator fan will come on. There is no mistaking it. It can easily take 15 minutes for the fan to come on if the engine was cold.
If the car was warm when you let it idle, you won't get those up and down temp transitions, and the fan should come on sooner.
Why turn off the A/C (ECON)? When the A/C cycles on and off, it triggers a fan. Let's not confuse things.
There are other possible problems, some not as pretty. Head gasket problems show up as overheating and poor gas mileage. Let's hope it's not that. Of course, a tune-up will help. Good spark plugs gapped right, clean air and fuel filters, all make the engine run more efficiently - and that's both heat and fuel economy.
posted by 192.249....
, Wed, 2 Apr 2003 07:18:48 <-- Viewing This Message
, Wed, 2 Apr 2003 11:40:09, Thu, 3 Apr 2003 07:13:52
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