too hot
Matthieu said:
OK I installed an 16" electric fan . it works but the temp guage reads 210 somtimes it goes up to 230 . what should the operating temp be. I think I am running a little hot. I don't know why. I have a new water pump, new thermosat clean radiator, all belts tensioned right 50/50 coolant water.
THe olny thing I can think of is maybe the original emergency fan at the front of the condensor is restircting air flow . Or maybe I shouldn't have reinstall the old fan shroud.
I don't know what to check next or maybe I should not even worry. because I don't know what the operating temp is
thanks
Matt
miami it hot as f%^ outside
89 740gl wagon
Matt,
210F is the high side of a good normal running temp. 230F is too hot.
the fan up front is an auxiliary cooling fan, not an emergency fan. It is there because the vehicle was or is equipped with air conditioning. That auxiliary fan is there to help the a/c function; but can act as a backup to the main clutch type fan.
Without pictures, there is no way to know just how you installed the 16in eletric fan; nor is there a way to determine just what you did when you 'reinstalled the old fan shroud'.
The front electric fan is a "pusher" type fan...it pushes air into the a/c condenser and radiator. The clutch type fan is a "puller" or "sucker" type fan...it pulls the air through the a/c condenser and radiator.
Pusher fans may or may not have a shroud; but they usually do have at least a partial shroud. Puller fans HAVE to have a shroud!!! And the shroud has to be installed/located/ positioned so that the fan itself actually pulls the air through the radiator and the a/c condenser. If the shroud is not there, or if the shroud is not installed correctly, then the fan itself will not pull any air through anything...it will pull air from the side of the blades. The result will be a cooking engine...slowly roasting to death.
Puller fans have to have a shroud. That goes for a clutch type fan; that goes for a stainless steel flex fan; and that goes for an electric fan. And the shroud HAS to be installed correctly to make sure that the air the fan pulls comes through the radiator; not from the sides.
Some aftermarket electric fans come with their own shrouds; some do not; and are supposed to be installed by fitting/positioning/locating the fan into the existing shroud setup, or by modifying the existing shroud....so that the fan will pull the air from the front [through the radiator], not the sides.
To help identify the problem, bypass the fan relay setup you installed and run the 16in fan constantly. If the engine runs at a normal temp [UNDER 210F] then you may have a shroud problem or a temp switch/fan turn on turn off problem. If the engine continues to run above 210F, even with the electric fan running constantly, then you have a shroud or fan location problem....ASSuming that everything else is as correct as you have stated.
You do need to worry about this; 210F is on the ragged edge of too hot; 230F is definitely too hot.
example: if one of my vehicles comes in and is running at 210F, that to me is a PROBLEM; and it will be corrected. I do not like to see running temps above 205F MAX.
another example: and again from my perspective...the engine running temp should not be more than 10F above the thermostat rated temperature. If it is more than 10F above the t-stat rating, something is wrong.
I state the above examples to help you establish a frame of reference. My strictness re op temps may seem severe. no problemo. But the only thing that I like slow roasted is roast beef and dark roast coffee beans....not a redblock.
HTH
Thomas Fritz
...the stealth FTi
