just got a FREE 84 vertible...OK condition with alot of little stupid things wrong with it....one of the big things is the rad fan...now the old owner hardwired a switch directly to the fan and it turns on and off n works fine...since i havent really dove into this thing yet what is a common issue with rad fans and does it have a relay/sensor when to turn on and where is it loacted?
ALSO
is there a dedicated 1gen forum out there?
There is not a known issue with the radiator fans on the first gens! There is a relay but being super tired I would have to check my books.I know the other guys here might pop the location of said relay before I can devote some time and provide info.Anyhow welcome to the board and show a pic or several of said new old car.I use photobucket to load pics to here as this site does not support loading pics to the actual site to show directly.
Had the cooling fan on my '89 hardwired too. I forget what my mechanic said was wrong with it but he couldn't find a replacement part even @ Napa. Just get an aftermarket fan and temp sensor and you should be good to go if what Ron says doesn't fix the problem.
I don't know if the placement differs by motor, but on the 1.8, it's up at the front on the right side of the car.
I replaced something there hoping it would get my fan to turn on when the temp got high, but it didn't seem to help. But in that area, if your car has AC, there is a plug you can disconnect, and when you're starting to run hot, you can turn on your AC and that will force the fan to run; that's what I've done, but you have to keep an eye on your temp when you're driving.
Here is relay location:
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I too have both my '86 & '84 running off a switch, as I really don't trust the coolant temp switches to kick in before it is too late. I have stock idiot lights. The '86 has an aftermarket temp gauge but I have yet to install one in the '84. Generally I only turn them on during hot summer months when. running around town.
My advice is to also spend a few bucks and replace the T-Stat too, as sometimes when they get older they open later than when new. My '86 was running upwards of over 200 before the T-Stat opened - and when the coolant is hot....well so is the Automatic Transaxle. So if you can keep them both of them cool , that IS cool !!
Running a mechanical Temp gauge lets you see really what is going on in your engine. Unlike the Factory gauges that have a capacitor in the line to smooth out the fluctuations the mechanical is in real time. Under most conditions other then city driving the cool air will blast through the radiator cooling the coolant so much that when it enters the engine it will cause the T-Stat to close. This causes the coolant to sit even longer in the radiator as you drive cooling off even more till it is ourtside temp - so when this is drawn inthe engine it closes off the T-Stat again till it warms up and causes the T_Stat to reopen. I watch my Temp gauge do this all the time as I drive.It is almost like like it is breathing!!
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Pontiac or Chevy? Need to know what engine we are talking about first. There is a switch and a relay and both have to work.
The fans are designed to kick on at 212* by spec.Granted this may a touch warm but I know mine works fine and running my computer which shows every temp,psi etc on the small actron laptop I have and it will cycle assuming the cooling system is up to par.If my info is off I will readdress this this week when I am not wiped out from a 12hr day.
Great Pic Orlen - Much better than Chiltons
