Anyone mention a possibly faulty water pump yet?
Sister's firebird is towed.. again (coolant issue)
- Thread starter ThirdeYe
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The fans should come on at about 220F with the A/C off.
If the water pump is working, you should see the water circulating through the radiator when the thermostat opens. If the thermostat opens.
If the water pump is working, you should see the water circulating through the radiator when the thermostat opens. If the thermostat opens.
You're probably looking at a wire repair, or new cooling fan(s).
hey thirdeye, i'm close by in muskegon. anything i can do to help?
HM12460 - Help is always appreciated. We're still stumped as to what to do with this car. We've been going through starters left and right and also can't get the overheating issue pinpointed. As far as I know, my sister has an appointment at another mechanic sometime this week and if that doesn't work out, i'll let you know. Thanks for offering
Just an update on the situation, the mechanic is thinking that the fans are possibly going bad, and causing the fuses to blow (as mentioned above) so we're going to try getting some used/junkyard fans and see how that goes.
Make sure there isn't a problem with the fuse contacts in the fusebox.
Very possible that poor contact is being made, heating up the fuse and causing it to blow.
A voltage drop check across the fuse would be a good diagnostic for this.
Very possible that poor contact is being made, heating up the fuse and causing it to blow.
A voltage drop check across the fuse would be a good diagnostic for this.
We had a Cadillac Seville that did the same thing it was a cracked head, no coolant in the oil or fuel. What was happening was the compression of the engine was seeping into the coolant pressurizing the coolant system and blowing the water out the cap. Didnt happen all the time, it was a hairline crack and needed to buid up before it blew off.
I had a thermostat stick closed on a '96 Caprice, resulting in overheating.
However the blown fuses (are they the correct size?) seem to indicate a bad fan motor(s) or wiring problem.
For reference: on a high speed run (over 50 MPH) the fans should not be necessary to keep the engine cool. If it over heats at open road speed then there may be multiple problems that became more apparent when the fan(s) malfunctioned.
Possible clogged radiator, clogged engine coolant passages,or pump impeller failure, and now the fan(s) are having troubles which is the straw that broke the camels back...
Bleeding the coolant system is important also, the bleeder on my Caprice is located on the thermostat neck.
Bleeding should only be necessary when refilling the cooling system though... when the coolant level has dropped below the water pump impeller.
Panzerman that would not blow the fan fuse in my experience.
Good Luck
Rickey.
However the blown fuses (are they the correct size?) seem to indicate a bad fan motor(s) or wiring problem.
For reference: on a high speed run (over 50 MPH) the fans should not be necessary to keep the engine cool. If it over heats at open road speed then there may be multiple problems that became more apparent when the fan(s) malfunctioned.
Possible clogged radiator, clogged engine coolant passages,or pump impeller failure, and now the fan(s) are having troubles which is the straw that broke the camels back...
Bleeding the coolant system is important also, the bleeder on my Caprice is located on the thermostat neck.
Bleeding should only be necessary when refilling the cooling system though... when the coolant level has dropped below the water pump impeller.
Panzerman that would not blow the fan fuse in my experience.
Good Luck
Rickey.
On an Lt1 f-car there are two bleeders. if the coolant has been serviced recently it needs to be bled. One easy way to check the operation of the fans, is to pull the MAF sensor plug and then start the car. It will trigger a CEL, make the car run in Speed Density Mode, and trigger both fans to turn on.
Or you can pull the connector at the ECT sender on the driver's side of the water pump. This will also trigger both fans to come on. To me it sounds like you have an electrical issue. New fan motors are like $40 at the autoparts store. Check the wiring.
Or you can pull the connector at the ECT sender on the driver's side of the water pump. This will also trigger both fans to come on. To me it sounds like you have an electrical issue. New fan motors are like $40 at the autoparts store. Check the wiring.
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