Overheating Mystery (Radiator Fans, Fan Relay, Fuse)
07-12-10, 02:47 PM
#1
Overheating Mystery (Radiator Fans, Fan Relay, Fuse)
I'm looking for ideas on what may have caused my car to overheat yesterday. While driving around in stop/go surface street traffic, I noticed that my gauge cluster coolant temp needle hit the very top of the heat range. My Power FC indicated up to 130*C before I was able to pull off to the side of the road.
After popping the hood and allowing the motor to cool down (a lot of steam vapor escaped from the coolant overflow tank), I put in a little over 1 gallon of distilled water and was able to burp the system and drive home without going over 85*C on my PFC (gauge cluster needle held at the middle of the range during the entire duration of my 10 mile mostly highway return trip home).
Further inspection has revealed that my radiator fan 60A fuse has failed. I have gone to the store to pick up a couple replacement fuses as well as a replacement fan relay, but before I go any further, I would like some thoughts on what caused all of this?
1. I believe that my radiator fans failed, causing a short which blew the fuse. If this is the case, the fan relay may not be necessary.
Thoughts?
Nate
After popping the hood and allowing the motor to cool down (a lot of steam vapor escaped from the coolant overflow tank), I put in a little over 1 gallon of distilled water and was able to burp the system and drive home without going over 85*C on my PFC (gauge cluster needle held at the middle of the range during the entire duration of my 10 mile mostly highway return trip home).
Further inspection has revealed that my radiator fan 60A fuse has failed. I have gone to the store to pick up a couple replacement fuses as well as a replacement fan relay, but before I go any further, I would like some thoughts on what caused all of this?
1. I believe that my radiator fans failed, causing a short which blew the fuse. If this is the case, the fan relay may not be necessary.
Thoughts?
Nate
07-12-10, 03:20 PM
#2
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I had a failed fan (due to a battery J-bolt falling into it and preventing it from turning) and I never popped a fuse. My money is on a short to ground somewhere.
07-12-10, 03:36 PM
#3
water. i was a smart *** and relocated my fuses and hung em upside down (was temporary and forgot about them) and my mechanic didnt know where i located them and it got water in the boot when he washed the car.... so that could be the cause...
ps where did u pick up the extra relays from? how much were they?
ps where did u pick up the extra relays from? how much were they?
07-12-10, 08:48 PM
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The relay? There's 4 of them.
Keep in mind that it may not pop the fuse until it gets to a certain speed, since different circuits are energized for different speeds.
Keep in mind that it may not pop the fuse until it gets to a certain speed, since different circuits are energized for different speeds.
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07-16-10, 08:10 PM
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if its a fuse, its fairly obvious when it blows...
a relay can be tested.
my car fan failed a few weeks ago, it only got to 90 but i knew it failed because I watch my guages like a hawk, I quickly shut it down and pulled over (i was in the drivethru at arbys) after starting the car the PFc read 92 still, and the main fan wasnt working. so i flicked on the AC. I gave the fan a push with my finger and it began to spin again. never happened again.
its been VERY hot lately so its likely to see numbers a bit higher. I have spent the last 3 days doing some ducting work in order to cool the car down a bit faster. airflow from driving does a lot of the cooling. in stock application or most single turbo applications the only cooling done at a stop is the 2 fans (or 1) on the radiator, leaving the oil cooler, intercooler and everything else left basking in the heat.
a relay can be tested.
my car fan failed a few weeks ago, it only got to 90 but i knew it failed because I watch my guages like a hawk, I quickly shut it down and pulled over (i was in the drivethru at arbys) after starting the car the PFc read 92 still, and the main fan wasnt working. so i flicked on the AC. I gave the fan a push with my finger and it began to spin again. never happened again.
its been VERY hot lately so its likely to see numbers a bit higher. I have spent the last 3 days doing some ducting work in order to cool the car down a bit faster. airflow from driving does a lot of the cooling. in stock application or most single turbo applications the only cooling done at a stop is the 2 fans (or 1) on the radiator, leaving the oil cooler, intercooler and everything else left basking in the heat.
07-16-10, 10:48 PM
#9
I replaced with a new fuse and two days later, the new fuse failed too.
During those two days, I was able to verify that the fan was operating at 80*C (sometimes it came on below 80, sometimes not), consistently came on at 94*C or above when I turned on the parking lamps and the HVAC fan.
How were you able to determine a fan motor failure versus a relay failure? Can the fans be failing be still operate intermittently?
Do I have a relay issue? I was surprised that the NAPA shop only gave me a single relay too...
During those two days, I was able to verify that the fan was operating at 80*C (sometimes it came on below 80, sometimes not), consistently came on at 94*C or above when I turned on the parking lamps and the HVAC fan.
How were you able to determine a fan motor failure versus a relay failure? Can the fans be failing be still operate intermittently?
Do I have a relay issue? I was surprised that the NAPA shop only gave me a single relay too...
if its a fuse, its fairly obvious when it blows...
a relay can be tested.
my car fan failed a few weeks ago, it only got to 90 but i knew it failed because I watch my guages like a hawk, I quickly shut it down and pulled over (i was in the drivethru at arbys) after starting the car the PFc read 92 still, and the main fan wasnt working. so i flicked on the AC. I gave the fan a push with my finger and it began to spin again. never happened again.
its been VERY hot lately so its likely to see numbers a bit higher. I have spent the last 3 days doing some ducting work in order to cool the car down a bit faster. airflow from driving does a lot of the cooling. in stock application or most single turbo applications the only cooling done at a stop is the 2 fans (or 1) on the radiator, leaving the oil cooler, intercooler and everything else left basking in the heat.
a relay can be tested.
my car fan failed a few weeks ago, it only got to 90 but i knew it failed because I watch my guages like a hawk, I quickly shut it down and pulled over (i was in the drivethru at arbys) after starting the car the PFc read 92 still, and the main fan wasnt working. so i flicked on the AC. I gave the fan a push with my finger and it began to spin again. never happened again.
its been VERY hot lately so its likely to see numbers a bit higher. I have spent the last 3 days doing some ducting work in order to cool the car down a bit faster. airflow from driving does a lot of the cooling. in stock application or most single turbo applications the only cooling done at a stop is the 2 fans (or 1) on the radiator, leaving the oil cooler, intercooler and everything else left basking in the heat.
07-17-10, 03:42 AM
#11
I popped in another fuse and watched the fans cycle through the different speeds @ different coolant temperatures/auxillary inputs. I noticed that one of the fans operates at a much slower speed than the other (one will be pushing out a huge amount of air while the other is barely moving any at all...).
I suspect that the slow moving fan is intermittently failing and shorting out it's circuit, causing the fuse to trip. I've temporarily disconnected the slow fan from the circuit so I can limp by on the single good fan until a replacement comes in.
I suspect that the slow moving fan is intermittently failing and shorting out it's circuit, causing the fuse to trip. I've temporarily disconnected the slow fan from the circuit so I can limp by on the single good fan until a replacement comes in.
07-17-10, 11:04 AM
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turn on your AC if you need to use the car so youre atleast cooling it somehow. try some lubricant on the fan to free it up. when mine wasnt working sall I had to do was give it a push and it began to spin again.
07-17-10, 01:46 PM
#13
Thanks for the advice Ratjar, but if I turn on the AC, the condensor will try to dump heat over my radiator, which may exacerbate the cooling issue... besides, my AC system needs a recharge and doesnt work at the moment lol!
The fan still spins, but very slowly. I suspect that it may randomly seize up or fail, which causes a short circuit situation that trips the fuse. So if I stand outside the car and watch it, it is spinning, just very slowly.
The fan still spins, but very slowly. I suspect that it may randomly seize up or fail, which causes a short circuit situation that trips the fuse. So if I stand outside the car and watch it, it is spinning, just very slowly.
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