It would appear that my rad fan sensor is shot...So a replacement needs to be purchased. Does anybody know at what temperature the cut in is for the standard sensor?
Can sensors with a lower cut in be purchased? Since tweaking the car I'm determined for it to remain as cool as possible, and I know in the GT Turbo world lower temp rad fan sensors are commonplace.[:)]
Rad fan temp sensor
Moderator: RichardW
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tomsheppard
- Posts: 1801
- Joined: 19 Dec 2002, 14:46
- Location: United Kingdom
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Thermal switches are calibrated to the correct engine temperature. Overcooling is not good for the lump but lower temperature cut in is used to give more thermal headroom before the motor cooks under hard use. There is another use and that is to cool the engine faster to prevent heat soak from killing Turbochargers. I would suggest that you place a tell-tale light across the fan motor terminals. (It doesn't tell you the fan is spinning but it does tell you current is getting there.)
You now have a monitoring system that tells you
A: when it is on
B: how long it is on for.
Obviously if the fan is running continuously on a hot day, then you haven't got enough cooling full stop but if the fan is only on half the time then the whole system has enough reserve capacity and you don't need to modify it.
If however, the fan is running, say two thirds of the time, put a switch across the main fan switch to give you a manual override. You might also want to consider giving the radiator a good flush out. From experience, they tend to lose a lot of efficiency over the years (then the head gasket goes Phut, doesn't it guys...)
You now have a monitoring system that tells you
A: when it is on
B: how long it is on for.
Obviously if the fan is running continuously on a hot day, then you haven't got enough cooling full stop but if the fan is only on half the time then the whole system has enough reserve capacity and you don't need to modify it.
If however, the fan is running, say two thirds of the time, put a switch across the main fan switch to give you a manual override. You might also want to consider giving the radiator a good flush out. From experience, they tend to lose a lot of efficiency over the years (then the head gasket goes Phut, doesn't it guys...)
Thanks Tom,
I flushed the rad on Sunday, and replaced the waterpump, stat and coolant. I was amazed to find that there was absolutely no sign of corrosion anywhere in the system. A very good sign I think! The old pump looked to be in as good a condition as the new one.
Does anybody know what size socket I'll need to emove the temp sensor? It looks rather large, and a bit tight to gat a spanner in there.[:D]
I flushed the rad on Sunday, and replaced the waterpump, stat and coolant. I was amazed to find that there was absolutely no sign of corrosion anywhere in the system. A very good sign I think! The old pump looked to be in as good a condition as the new one.
Does anybody know what size socket I'll need to emove the temp sensor? It looks rather large, and a bit tight to gat a spanner in there.[:D]
for around £20 or so. Even if it's a bit tight, you won't have to worry about removing and replacing the ring every five degrees. You won't regret it.