I had the antifreeze changed this winter as I do every two years and it still looks good as it should...it's only May. The car has 164000 miles on it, runs great. It’s no exaggeration when I say it runs and sounds the same as it did with 50k on it at time of purchase. I noticed today when climbing a very steep hill with cars in front of me, stop and go, no AC on at time...the temp gauge climbed 3/4 and stuck there until I got to the top and started down. It never went all the way to the red though. I decided to idle it in my driveway and get it good and hot. I have two fans in front of my radiator. When I turned the AC on, the driver side fan came on. I turned the AC off and let it continue to heat up really good and the gauge went all the way up to 3/4 again and finally the same fan kicked on again (driver side) and the temp gradually fell back to the halfway point. The passenger side fan never came on during this test. I had the thermostat replaced about 3 years ago and I remember how the temp gauge use to bounce from slightly above halfway back to the mid-point again, but now it acts as I described here. Does it sound like something is wrong? When is the passenger side fan suppose to kick on? Are they suppose to run at the same time? Any help/advice as to where to start is greatly appreciated.
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Need advice on my 95 Chev Lumina (cooling issue)
- Thread starter Mark72
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One fan comes on @ 226F or whenever the AC is on. The 2nd fan comes on @ 235F which is right next to the red on the guage.
The thermostat may be out of spec; some 3rd party thermostats don't last that long.
It could be yor coolant temp sensor .I had a similar problem on my Saturn, Fans would only come on when I turned the AC on.
Well, today I replaced my coolant temp sensor on my own...what a pain in the neck, but I got it...just hope the wires i plugged back in are doing their job. However, the temp gauge inside the car is still acting the same way. The fan does not come on until the gauge is 3/4 of the way to the top. the gauge starts at 100 and ends at 260. So, whatever 3/4 is, I'm not sure if that is getting to hot, but for some reason I remember after I had my new thrmostat installed about 3 years agao that the gauge would barely ever go above half way. So, regardless, I have a new CTS, whether I needed it or not I'm not sure. Does it still sound like something is wrong with my cooling system? If the thermostat were going bad, would I be observing the temp gauge doing what it does?
It could be; the thermostat may be sticking until it really warms up or be out of whack enough that that is just the temperature at which it opens.
Could also be the fact that if 1 of the 2 fans aren't coming on (I've only ever seen systems where both come on simultaneously) that its taking that much longer to cool down.
*I stand corrected in that in this vehicle, the second fan is programmed to come on at 235F with the AC off. If that fan is working and isn't coming on, apparently your system is not reaching the point at which GM considered it a big problem. That is IF the fan works.
ALSO, this car may have 2 coolant temperature sensors; one for the gauge and another for the radiator fans. I would definitely suspect the latter before the former.
Could also be the fact that if 1 of the 2 fans aren't coming on (I've only ever seen systems where both come on simultaneously) that its taking that much longer to cool down.
*I stand corrected in that in this vehicle, the second fan is programmed to come on at 235F with the AC off. If that fan is working and isn't coming on, apparently your system is not reaching the point at which GM considered it a big problem. That is IF the fan works.
ALSO, this car may have 2 coolant temperature sensors; one for the gauge and another for the radiator fans. I would definitely suspect the latter before the former.
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Out of curiosity, when's the last time you flushed the system and put in new coolant? Have you ever replaced the radiator cap?
Originally Posted By: FusilliJerry82
Out of curiosity, when's the last time you flushed the system and put in new coolant? Have you ever replaced the radiator cap?
I had the syste flushed this past December. You say it could be as simple as a radiator cap? I've never replaced it before. I never see coolant leaking from it. You think it could still need replacing and how does an old radiator cap cause the sort of issues I'm having?
Out of curiosity, when's the last time you flushed the system and put in new coolant? Have you ever replaced the radiator cap?
I had the syste flushed this past December. You say it could be as simple as a radiator cap? I've never replaced it before. I never see coolant leaking from it. You think it could still need replacing and how does an old radiator cap cause the sort of issues I'm having?
The spring in the cap may be weak after 15 years of service and the system may not be holding proper pressure. I can't say whether that's the problem, but I'd replace it for preventative maintenance anyway. The only other thing I would try before giving up (because this doesn't sound like its a huge problem from what I'm reading elsewhere) is see whether the system has a second temperature sensor and replace that.
If this is a 3.1 V6, then the lower intake manifold gasket could be leaking. This may be causing a problem with overheating. Did this engine already have the LIM gasket replaced?
Originally Posted By: Jim Spahr
If this is a 3.1 V6, then the lower intake manifold gasket could be leaking. This may be causing a problem with overheating. Did this engine already have the LIM gasket replaced?
This typically doesn't cause overheating on this engine, unless it allowed air to be introduced. Air could cause an airlock and resulting overheating problems. The 3.1's and 3.4's are pretty sensitive to air in the system.
If this is a 3.1 V6, then the lower intake manifold gasket could be leaking. This may be causing a problem with overheating. Did this engine already have the LIM gasket replaced?
This typically doesn't cause overheating on this engine, unless it allowed air to be introduced. Air could cause an airlock and resulting overheating problems. The 3.1's and 3.4's are pretty sensitive to air in the system.
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