I noticed my fan noise wasn't normal any more, and after a 20 mile drive at 75mph (with AC on), I pulled up the hill into home and my coolant overflow was steaming and coolant was boiling. I gently cooled off the radiator, then the lower block, then the head and intake with a garden hose sprayer and got the temp down. Not sure if that was smart or not, because it's an aluminum head and the block-head interface cools at different rates. The head stayed hot the longest.
With ignition on, engine off, the coolant gauge was pegged on the dash. I forgot about the fan noise and was worrying about a coolant leak, and had been watching the speedometer, not the coolant temp on that drive. I think the temp got up there (with no fan assist) towards the end of the drive.
I waited a day, put in about a half-gallon of 50/50 coolant/water, then did a restart; there was no coolant leaking, no bubbling, and one short test drive seemed okay. A longer drive to a HW store had the temp gauge climbing to 3/4, so I let the car cool down again.
That's when I remembered about the fan, and it was real stiff but freed up and sounds crunchy. I bought some penetrating tri-flow spray at the HW store and lubed the fan shaft the best I could. It's still crunchy, but should engage. Yet it didn't...
I will need to test the coolant temp sensor and backprobe it, because the fan doesn't seem to be engaging. There could be a fuse involved too.
The drive home involved 1500 feet of gain; I drove slow,but had bubbling coolant again (not as bad as the first time) and the block cooled pretty quickly this time with the hose. No/minimal loss of coolant on the second episode, temp gauge didn't peg.
I know I could be looking at a head gasket issue as a result of this fan failure, possibly a thermostat too.
The thermostat was replaced a few years ago, and I re-did the water pump after that. I don't think the mechanic drilled a hole but I've always been able to burp the upper hose to get a good fill.
What temperature should the thermostat be rated for? The radiator cap is also a suspect. All these parts are cheap, no sense risking another failure.
Another question I have is what the expected fan function and temperature should be. It's been cool at night, maybe 80 during the day. NAJ had made a chart that showed the fan kicking in at CTS 2.1v (212 degrees) when letting an idling car sit.
For those with daily drivers, is your fan coming on in 80 degree weather if you have the AC running, and how high does your dash temp gauge read at that point?
With ignition on, engine off, the coolant gauge was pegged on the dash. I forgot about the fan noise and was worrying about a coolant leak, and had been watching the speedometer, not the coolant temp on that drive. I think the temp got up there (with no fan assist) towards the end of the drive.
I waited a day, put in about a half-gallon of 50/50 coolant/water, then did a restart; there was no coolant leaking, no bubbling, and one short test drive seemed okay. A longer drive to a HW store had the temp gauge climbing to 3/4, so I let the car cool down again.
That's when I remembered about the fan, and it was real stiff but freed up and sounds crunchy. I bought some penetrating tri-flow spray at the HW store and lubed the fan shaft the best I could. It's still crunchy, but should engage. Yet it didn't...
I will need to test the coolant temp sensor and backprobe it, because the fan doesn't seem to be engaging. There could be a fuse involved too.
The drive home involved 1500 feet of gain; I drove slow,but had bubbling coolant again (not as bad as the first time) and the block cooled pretty quickly this time with the hose. No/minimal loss of coolant on the second episode, temp gauge didn't peg.
I know I could be looking at a head gasket issue as a result of this fan failure, possibly a thermostat too.
The thermostat was replaced a few years ago, and I re-did the water pump after that. I don't think the mechanic drilled a hole but I've always been able to burp the upper hose to get a good fill.
What temperature should the thermostat be rated for? The radiator cap is also a suspect. All these parts are cheap, no sense risking another failure.
Another question I have is what the expected fan function and temperature should be. It's been cool at night, maybe 80 during the day. NAJ had made a chart that showed the fan kicking in at CTS 2.1v (212 degrees) when letting an idling car sit.
For those with daily drivers, is your fan coming on in 80 degree weather if you have the AC running, and how high does your dash temp gauge read at that point?