Overheating

[djXternal]

Well guys as soon as one thing is working another breaks.... Just got one project finished and whille having the car run to finish things up the car overheated and the fans will not kick in. I have no idea why this is happening but I cant get the fan to kick in whatsoever, can anyone giv e me some ideas of things to check, I dont have any experience working with the rad fans so I'm not really sure where the problem could be thanks guys

 

[4UH8ERS]

Well guys as soon as one thing is working another breaks.... Just got one project finished and whille having the car run to finish things up the car overheated and the fans will not kick in. I have no idea why this is happening but I cant get the fan to kick in whatsoever, can anyone giv e me some ideas of things to check, I dont have any experience working with the rad fans so I'm not really sure where the problem could be thanks guys

You said you finished one project? what project was that, because im wondering if the fans worked fine before your project. You might have left the fan unplugged or grounded something out and blew a fuse.


1. check to see if the big fuse that runs the cooling fans is blown
2. check the relay.
3. could be water temp sensor.
4. hopefully the fan motor isnt bad.

 

[djXternal]

the project was installing a carpc, so there was no touching any of the cars systems or even opening the hood. what is the best way to test relays, anyway of testing water temp sensor?

 

[4UH8ERS]

the project was installing a carpc, so there was no touching any of the cars systems or even opening the hood. what is the best way to test relays, anyway of testing water temp sensor?

the relays are the easy part. just take one of your other relays like your taillight relay and switch them to see if thats the problem.

so the fuse was good?

only way to check the temp sensor (fan sensor) would be to replace it that i know of.

 

[djXternal]

yes fuse was good, ill go check the relays now

 

[BigRand]

1. replace your radiator cap.
2. check plug ins for raditor fan, and make sure everything is connected.
3. check/replace temp sensor

 

[Talon ESI-T]

Only way to test a coolant sensor is to replace it? The local autoshop must love you.

The coolant sensor is a resistor DJ. Measure it cold and measure it warm. Compare your reading with the measurements in the chiltons manual.

at 68 degrees F the sensor should read 2.21-2.69 Kilo ohms
at 158 degrees F 90-117.5 ohms
at 176 degrees F 264-328 ohms

obviously you can ###### try to ground the wire going to the sensor to see if the fans kick on if you dont want to measure the sensor or insert a 200 ohm resistor in the connector and the other end of the resistor to chassis ground.

Radiator cap wont cuase your fans to fail either.

relay can be tested by swapping them out with another relay from the fuse panel.

Fans can be tested with a set of jumper wires. Apply 12v positive to the numer 1 pin of the fan plug and ground to the number 2 pin. Pins are oriented as follows. with the clip on top number one pin is top left, number 2 is top right.

Terry

 

[97gssleeper]

Ummm, have you tried another thermostat?? Maybe it's sticking.

 

[4UH8ERS]

Ummm, have you tried another thermostat?? Maybe it's sticking.

Why change the thermostat if it is a fan issue hes working on?

 

[97gssleeper]

correct me if I'm wrong but if it's sticking then it won't allow coolant from the radiator to flow through the engine(hence the car running hot). I've seen this before on a different car and the fans didn't come on then either.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

You're right, a sticking thermostat won't allow coolant to flow through the engine; but that wouldn't prevent the fans from kicking on...

 

[Talon ESI-T]

You guys are limiting your thinking and some of you should know better.

Lets recap on typical overheating.

1. Airbubbles in the head when coolant was freshly flushed will cause overheating

2. sticking closed thermostat wont allow coolant to flow though the engine

3. sticking open thermostat will allow coolant to flow too fast therefor the radiator wont allow it to cool. This will also result in the coolant not warming up in the wintermonths if you live in the midwest.

4. Clogged radiators fins, if air cant passby then the radiator cant do its job.

5. Improper water to coolant mixture. Water transfers heat and coolant keeps the water from boiling and freezing. if your car takes too long to warm up in the winter then add a little more water in the winter. same in summer but reverse. Now make sure you use a coolant measuring bulb to ensure the coolant boiling/freeze point is correctly obsearved. 50/50 is always safe.

6. Turbo Kit heatsoak. This is much worse than you think. A Turbo kit will heatsoak your radiator now allowing it to cool during very hot months and boosting situations. I have had this issue and Fluidyne was my only savior.

7. Fan failure, radiator cant cool if the fans dont work

So there you go guys, kinda makes you feel like you forgot the obvious?

Good luck

Terry

 

[clipsit]

Hey Terry, Maybe you can answer my problem...So I have pretty much done all that I can do to figure out my overheating problem and I am still overheating. I have pretty much tried everything except checking to see if I have airbubbles in my head, so how would I go about doing this and what do think is wrong perhaps? I have a fluydine radiator, 2 spal slimline fans...hooked up to run as soon as the car is on, new water pump, sensors, radiator cap, thermostat and currently no thermostat...and as far as the turbo heatsoak, I wrapped the DP with thermal tape and cut the temps on the DP into half!!! So I am really lost on this one and if anyone has a suggestion, much would be appreciated? Thanks...

 

[BigRand]

Hey Terry, Maybe you can answer my problem...So I have pretty much done all that I can do to figure out my overheating problem and I am still overheating. I have pretty much tried everything except checking to see if I have airbubbles in my head, so how would I go about doing this and what do think is wrong perhaps? I have a fluydine radiator, 2 spal slimline fans...hooked up to run as soon as the car is on, new water pump, sensors, radiator cap, thermostat and currently no thermostat...and as far as the turbo heatsoak, I wrapped the DP with thermal tape and cut the temps on the DP into half!!! So I am really lost on this one and if anyone has a suggestion, much would be appreciated? Thanks...

Did you replace your radiator hoses, maybe one of em has a small hole in it, which either leaks or doesn't, but could be causing a pressure drop in the system.

 

[clipsit]

I haven't, but they are recently brand new. A couple months old, if not newer...

 

[djXternal]

have you pressure tested the system yet? that would help you determine if the system is losing pressure, like BigRand said possibly through a small hole in a hose

 

[Defiant]

Only way to test a coolant sensor is to replace it? The local autoshop must love you.

The coolant sensor is a resistor DJ. Measure it cold and measure it warm. Compare your reading with the measurements in the chiltons manual.

at 68 degrees F the sensor should read 2.21-2.69 Kilo ohms
at 158 degrees F 90-117.5 ohms
at 176 degrees F 264-328 ohms

obviously you can ###### try to ground the wire going to the sensor to see if the fans kick on if you dont want to measure the sensor or insert a 200 ohm resistor in the connector and the other end of the resistor to chassis ground.

Quite true, but a shop will want at least a half-hour for the testing, and even at home it's a lot of fuss over a $7 sensor. The decision to replace instead of testing is often the most economic, despite its shot-in-the-dark approach.

 

[clipsit]

yeah, it just seems that I am loosing alot of coolant, but it's not leaking...it's just dissapearing into thin air......but really, it is and then when it gets hot is when the coolant is low... and then the CEL comes on and IDK...anyway, I am getting it checked out today though and I'll get back to everyone...thanks