Cooling Question

1200gt said:

Gearhead, I'd stick with the efean from the 95 if you want to lighten things up around the motor. Just know you need a few other things to go with it like: the efan controller that I just mentoned above. Or, you could just go with a hard-it on your alternator current and use just a relay set-up coupled to the 95 efan. If you don't have an upgraded alternator for an efan, just forget it! go with the stock clutch fan setup.
This efan stuff is for us guys who have more money, time, and brains than we know what to do with. I did say we had more brains

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Well the issues I have right now are as follows:

For one, my temp gauge isn't hooked up, and haven't gotten around to fix it....I'm pretty sure it just isn't hooked up and or the sensor isn't there.
Second, I continually have to add coolant to my reservoir, maybe once a week give or take a couple days...I'm not putting out any excessive white smoke, I know what a blown head gasket does, I blew one in my first car. So I have no idea where that's going. That is what worries me.
Third, like I mentioned before, bad fan clutch.

From my knowledge, those are my only cooling issues. So my thoughts are if I'm going to replace anything on this 25 year old car, then I should upgrade while I'm at it.

Could someone explain the electric controller for a elec fan? My guess is it controls the fan speed based on the speed of the car and temperature? An easy install I'd assume?
I'm assuming my stock alternator isn't quite good enough if I add the 94/95 fan?

Did your check to see if your thermostat is sticking???? Mine had the same issue way back in the day, It would almost over heat all i would have to do is give a good solid tap the housing with a hard object (dont use metal) U used a rubber mallet and it would open on its own till the car sat for a few more days then this would happen again...... Worth the $12.00 for a new thermostat to replace it even if its not the issue.

jpope417 said:

Did your check to see if your thermostat is sticking???? Mine had the same issue way back in the day, It would almost over heat all i would have to do is give a good solid tap the housing with a hard object (dont use metal) U used a rubber mallet and it would open on its own till the car sat for a few more days then this would happen again...... Worth the $12.00 for a new thermostat to replace it even if its not the issue.

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This good advice. A thermostat is a device that is simple in function but has its sticking point (pun) when it doesn't work properly. Like Jpope says, it is one small inexspensive critical component within your cooling system. It takes 30 minutes to change with basic tools, but elliminates a lot in the cooling diagnosis process.

Gearhead92 said:

Well the issues I have right now are as follows:

For one, my temp gauge isn't hooked up, and haven't gotten around to fix it....I'm pretty sure it just isn't hooked up and or the sensor isn't there.
Second, I continually have to add coolant to my reservoir, maybe once a week give or take a couple days...I'm not putting out any excessive white smoke, I know what a blown head gasket does, I blew one in my first car. So I have no idea where that's going. That is what worries me.
Third, like I mentioned before, bad fan clutch.

From my knowledge, those are my only cooling issues. So my thoughts are if I'm going to replace anything on this 25 year old car, then I should upgrade while I'm at it.

Could someone explain the electric controller for a elec fan? My guess is it controls the fan speed based on the speed of the car and temperature? An easy install I'd assume?
I'm assuming my stock alternator isn't quite good enough if I add the 94/95 fan?

Click to expand...

Temp guage: You got to get it fixed!!!! Start by testing and if necessary, replacing the temp. sensor. This is a cheap part and easy to replace.

If you have to add coolant, then there is deffinitly a leak. You got to fix it or risk a blown head gasket or worst for sure being that you never know how hot the engine is getting. Recipe for desaster! NO white smoke at all is good.

The fan clutch OEM is also not that difficult or exspensive to replace. For certain, a whole lot cheaper than a blown engine replacement - Just get a new one until you figure out the efan thing which will be a whole lot more exspensive to impliment.

The Efan Sytem works thru relays being electronically actuating to turn on and off the fan base on sensed temperatures from various designed temp porbes. It's basic stuff: car heats, probe sense it, it swtiches relay to let current on-tap flow to efan and when it cools, does the opposite. With our car's OEM make-up, we never had the relays and switching components or efan to carry out these functions. We have a constat flow/ drive fan all-be-it clutch assisted that turns and cools all the time. This comes at the exspensice of requiring engine power to turn all the time. Sometime you dont need it to be cooling so you could be saving gas and horse power when it's off - Thus we install efans to help us out with this function.

Fix it now or BUST!

Yeah I replaced my thermostat a while ago. That was the first thing I did.

I'll be putting the other stock fan w/ the good clutch in this weekend.

As for the temp guage...I know it is easy, but I have had it explained to me many times, and yet still don 't get where it is located. I know it is on the upper intake plenum/manifold correct? I just don't get where, which make me think mine isn't there.

Hmm well whoever explained it to me before, told me a completely different place.... thanks for clarifying.

Gearhead, have your radiator cap tested as well. If the cap is defunct and not holding pressure the glycol/water mixture inside the engine can actually boil and the vapor can escape through the radiator cap.

Big parts warehouses (Advance, AutoZone) should be able to test the cap for you to make sure it's holding the pressure it's rated for.

mikestang63 said:

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The "Temp Gauge" arrow is pointing at an upper manifold bolt boss. ???
The sender the red arrow is looking for is the one on the left front, right behind the first lower manifold bolt. (Driver's side extreme front)

Gearhead92 said:

Hmm well whoever explained it to me before, told me a completely different place.... thanks for clarifying.

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Hey, when you get it fixed, let us know what actually did the trick.... Thanks

I will probably just buy a new radiator cap rather than play the testing game. can't be too expensive right?

ratio411 said:

The "Temp Gauge" arrow is pointing at an upper manifold bolt boss. ???
The sender the red arrow is looking for is the one on the left front, right behind the first lower manifold bolt. (Driver's side extreme front)

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Where? haha
This is why I never understood people's explanations. They always put up pictures w/o arrows and try to explain locations.

Try saving the picture and use paint to correct his misguided arrow.

And I'll let you all know the issue when it's fixed.

Thanks.