Engine Overheating - Cooling Fan!

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StuartR
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Engine Overheating - Cooling Fan!

Post by StuartR »

205D J 125,000
I've noticed that the engine is getting hot but the cooling fan isn't coming on. I'm sure this is risk of gasket damage, is there a chance damage is already done (due to previous owners neglect) I can't see or notice any.
I've disconnected the cooling fan switch on radiator and by-passed the connections to try to start the fan direct. There are 3 pins - 57, 58A, 58. With live(57 red) to (58A green) both purple relays (Cooling Fan Relay A and C.F. Relay B) clicked but no fans. When live(57 red) is linked to (58 white) the green relay (the cooling fan relay) clicked and both fans came on ok.
Does anyone know about this, my guess is that C.F. switch is faulty as the relays and fans will work. Is it worth replacing the thermostat (the radiator is heating up so coolant is getting through) as I'll have to drain the system anyway.
One last thing is it worth putting a switch and thermostat from a breakers yard in. The donor cars a N reg 205D 60K on clock so looks ok.
any comment welcome.
JohnD
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Post by JohnD »

Hi Stuart - From what you say it sounds as though your fan switch is faulty. You can check the thermostat by putting it in a pan of hot water and watching for it opening as the water heats up. If it opens just refit it. A new fan switch won't cost you much more than a tenner from Andyspares. One from a breaker may be as duff as your own!
Dave Burns
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Post by Dave Burns »

The 205 GLD that I had didn't have a temp gauge, just a warning light, I never saw this light on or heard the fans run, even on hot days, this concerned me a bit so I bridged the contact's in the connector to the thermo swith and both fans came on.
Thinking the switch was naff I stuck a new one in, and still never heard the fans come on in 200000 miles of motoring, I came to the conclusion it never got hot enough to need them running.
Have since read somewhere that this was a problem area for 205's, don't know how true that is but I can imagine it being so, 200000 miles is a long way to drive without ever having the cooling fans cut in at some time or other, car ran sweet as a nut though.
Dave
StuartR
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Post by StuartR »

Thanks very much for both reply's.
I'll probably flush the system and change the switch anyway and see what happens.
Dave what you say is very interesting and explains a few things. One thing I noticed is on older models (like pictured in haynes) the thermoswitch is on the bottom offside of the radiator just above the outlet pipe, were as on mine, a late model its just below the inlet pipe at the top nearside. There's a plastic bung in the radiator were the switch used to be. This means the coolant is much hotter as it passes over the switch at this point. This alteration should have made a differance, but why have two big fans if they won't work. There's no temp. gauge on this model so it's hard to tell what to think?
----
Dave Burns
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Post by Dave Burns »

Hi Stuart, just to cloud thing's up again, the thermo switch on the 205 that I had was also positioned on the near side of the rad, roughly in the top third if I remember correctly, but definately on the left, Car was a 88 E plate.
Dave
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