this morning i noticed coolant temp didnt drop with fans on, i pop hood after smelling burning plastic and notice my driver side fan isnt running....it smelling like burning plastic...so when i got home today hurry so the temps would reach above 200F i pulled out hte i/c and nudged the fan loose

now it spins properly but not as fast as the other and makes bearing noise...with paranoia of the most vital part of my cooling system failing in the future i ordered some new fans

i noticed that as of now if i sit at idle with both fans on in the heat for more than 10 mins the car slowly rises from 180f to 200 and im scarded it will keep going...this must be due to the slow fan on the driver side?


so when i go to replace my fans this weekend how is the process done best...dropping the radiator or installing the fans from up top without having to drain the coolant?

 

I just replaced one of my fan motors and you'll only need to access the fan shroud from the top. The shroud bolts to the "top" side of the radiator. Of course you'll have to remove your battery, IC and probably take your upper radiator hose loose to get the shroud in and out without breaking any of the plastic brackets on it. Not a very hard thing to do, just aggravating.

Brad

 

You have to remove the radiator. The FSM says to do it from under the car. You don't have to bend anything by doing it this way. Most forum members will tell you to go ahead and do it from the top, and that it is ok to bend the AC lines. Mostly they say this because they have not tried to do it properly.

 

Or I guess you could do it that way. I didn't really have to "bend" the AC lines...more like straighten and then bend back properly but if removing the radiator is the proper way to do it then I guess I should've done it that way.

Brad

 

thanks guys

Im also trying to figure out if this is the reason my car is creeping up in temps.....i have the worn fan running now it just has a bearing noise so i will replace it anyways, but is it common for the car to slowly creep up in temperature from 185+ if you have alot of metal under the hood? Last summer I never had a problem but this year I have SMIC, Hard Pipe intakes, Aluminum Duct and big battery...could this be a large reason why sitting at idle in after noon traffic with fans on causes it to creep up from 185 >>>>210 and scares the **** out of me before I start moving and getting airflow?

 

I replaced one of my fans a few weeks ago. I did it from the top. It wasn't a big deal.

1. remove battery & tray
2. remove IC
3. remove crossmember
4. unplug fan connectors (one for each fan)
5. pull radiator shroud with fans (I didn't have to bend any A/C lines. I managed to wiggle out the shroud w/o breaking it, you just have to goof with it until you can get it out, you may have to bend the upper radiator hose a bit to get it out)
6. unbolt fans, pop 'em out

Install is reverse of removal. Or something like that

 

Unless you have your fans set to come on earlier than normal, which is around 220, your coolant temps should continue going up when at idle, until the fans come on.

Think about it!!! If the car is stopped, no air is going thru the radiator (with fans off). There is nothing cooling the coolant until air flows, or is forced (fans) thru the radiator.

 

exactly but my point is i have a fan mod switch and am running both fans...it creeps up in temp at idle not as fast as without them but slowly over 10mins

 

If your fans are working properly, that won't happen. Sounds like you do need to fix your fan(s).

 

Monsterbox, don't forget your thermostat. The OEM thermostat begins to open at 180F, and isn't fully open until ~205F. Regardless of fan operation, your cooling system isn't "fully on" until the thermostat is fully open (allowing more coolant to flow through the radiator). You won't usually notice until it's hot outside.

Luckily, 210F isn't such a big deal. You might want to be concerned if temps exceed 220F before they start to decrease. If you want temps to stay cooler than 205F, you'll need to drill your thermostat or upgrade your radiator. Personally, I'd recommend drilling the thermostat before upgrading the radiator, assuming you're never seeing temps above 230F.

-s-

 

Another thing: it would be a shame to replace the fan, and have the same problem occur to the new fan. You should investigate how the fan failed, and make sure that it won't happen again.



Did the fan blade contact the radiator?

Did battery acid leak onto the fan motor?

Is something above the fan coming into contact with the blades?


-s-

 

Scotty,

I run my fans frequently while driving in town. Temps drop to 180, and stay there. I do have a Fluidyne radiator, but I think the stocker will have the same effect in normal stop & go traffic.

 

I agree, Adam. It sounds like Monsterbox's problems have to do with his damaged fan, but I also wanted to point out that the thermostat isn't letting the cooling system work to its full potential until it's fully open at ~205F.


I've got a stock radiator. When fans are running (no fanswitch: I usually just turn the AC on), my temps usually stay around 180F, unless it's hot (above 90F) outside, in which case temps usually stay below 200F when the fans are on. All bets are off when it's above 105F outside: I think airflow to the oil cooler becomes an issue, because I can keep temps down when I'm moving, but things get too hot at low speeds (even with the radiator fans on).


-s-

 

well guys sorry for not enough detail i appreciate the help maybe this will assist

- I have a koyo radiator...coolant levels are great and the car doesnt smell of coolant when started

-when running the fans with the fan switch even in 100 degree weather the car would NEVER go over 190 degrees at idle even if the car ran for 2 hours

>>>well I noticed yesterday, i had been driving at 55mph temps were right at 185 w/o fans on....i get to stop light idling and they start climbing turn the fans on and only 1 fan is running when i look under the hood at parking lot.......came home removed my i/c and duct and UNJAMMED the fan....now it makes a bearing noise but still spins HOWEVER, i turned the car on in the driveway and it reaches 180F levels off for a few mins and SLOWLY SLOWLY cimbs in temps up to 220..so i shut it off in fear of it overheating....this doesnt happen with hoood open



[B]I figue this could b 1 of 2 things or both

either the bearing noise fan is not spinning up to full speed, or now this summer I have new mods...polished intake pipes, smic, and LARGE smic duct made of aluminum...this could be causing heat soak??