nivek Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 I have searched all through the board and have not found any threads relating to my specific problem. I have a 1993 es300. At highway speeds, all is well. After the car has warmed up, when it sits at idle for a few minutes, the temp guage rises rapidly, sometimes into the red. As soon as I start driving again, fast enough to get some air circulating in the engine compartment, the temp drops back down to normal. When i'm sitting at idle (at a red light or something) and the temp get's close to the red, I'll put the car in nuetral and rev to about 2000 rmp, to basically speed up the fan. Now, I've read quite a bit with regards to the hydraulic functions of the fan, and I know with certainty that WHEN the high speed kicks in, the temp returns to normal in just a few seconds. The problem is that the fan does not kick in as I would expect it to. It seems as if the temp guage has to be in the red (or almost in the red) for the higher speed to kick in. Any ideas? Is there a temp sensor somewhere that controls the low/high speed of the fan? Perhaps a switch? Am I perhaps overlooking something else? Thanks - Nivek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellieoh Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 Does the vehicle still have it's original radiator? could be there is a blockage in the raditor core which is causing your overheating. I would try some radiator flush and use as described and reverse flush the radiator. Additionaly try a pressure washer on the radiator from the engine side out to remove the crud that collects on the front of the radiator and inhibits the fans ability to keep the coolant cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivek Posted August 7, 2003 Author Share Posted August 7, 2003 ellieoh, Thanks for the reply. The radiator is original - never been replaced. What's the likelihood of solving my problem by flushing the system? Would I be better off jumping ahead and just replacing the radiator? I have heard that these radiators are somewhat fragile and are expected to crack after 100k miles (I have 122K). But what is concerning me it the fact that the fan's high speed does not kick in on time. The engine has to get way hot before the fan speeds up. If the fan's high speed were to kick in say just above the 3/4 mark on the temp guage, then all would be okay, and the car would never get hotter than 3/4. But the fan is not turning on until the car gets really hot. Is this normal? nevik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanprun Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 I had a cracked radiator and just replaced it. The crack was on the top so my car wasn't really overheating just losing coolant. I have a 93 and havn't had any problems with the fan, but I havn't really noticed when it kicks in. My temp gage rarely goes above half way though so I think that you definatly have a problem that you need to fix. Sorry I can't help more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbinh Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 I had the same overheating problem. 1993 ES300. It might simply be not having enough coolant. Check both radiator caps and fill to rim. I had my radiator replaced after it cracked (at the top) due to low coolant at 80K miles. I don't know why the ES300 has two radiator caps. It also might be air pockets in the coolant system that repeated flushes can only cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 OK first check all the fluids including the power steering fluid level.if they are all fine then i would say to then change the thermastate and flush the system.it might be a blockage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivek Posted August 8, 2003 Author Share Posted August 8, 2003 Thanks all. After reading various threads, I've decided to jump the gun and replace the radiator for two reasons. 1) It seems to be the weakest link in the cooling system. 2) It's likely that I'll have to replace it sooner or later - and sooner in the warm weather is better than later in the snow. I've ordered the radiator, hoses and a new cap, all from Advanced Auto. I opted to not replace the thermostat. Any advice anyone may offer to help reduce the number of unforseen problems is greatly appreciated. I'll post again next week with hopefully some good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanprun Posted August 8, 2003 Share Posted August 8, 2003 I just installed a radiator. A tip I got from the board was to not disconnect the lines to the fan. This made it a little tricky to get the radiator in (thank goodness for help), but I didn't have to deal with losing fluid. Also the bottom radiator hose is a little tricky (just a warning). Also put the color of collant in that comes out. Red and green are not compatible. It took about 2 hours with 2 people, but I am not too experienced with cars and wasn't alot of help, so it could take you less time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivek Posted August 9, 2003 Author Share Posted August 9, 2003 Just a follow up to my problem. I went ahead and replaced the upper and lower hoses, both caps and the radiator. Problem solved. In fact, the new average temp is well below the old. Thanks for the advice Ryanprun - I managed to replace the radiator without removing the hydraulic hoses to the fan. The trickest part was bleeding the system. I installed everything, ran the engine for about 5 minutes, opened the caps and topped it off. I did this several times, alternating water and coolant (I used the red - called for it in the manual and that's what was taken out) to get about a 60/40 mixture. Oh yeah, I also topped off the power steering fluid - this alone could have been the cause of the poor high speed fan performance. However, merely fixing the fan would have just kept a faulty radiator cooler. I'd be surprised if the fan's high speed is used even 1/4 as much now. I'll have to wait for another hot day stuck in 5:00 traffic on the beltway to know definitively if the problem is fixed. I'm confident. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted August 10, 2003 Share Posted August 10, 2003 as long as you used tranny fluid for the power steering and not power steering fluid you should be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivek Posted August 11, 2003 Author Share Posted August 11, 2003 I did. Dexron III. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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