nivek

I'm looking to install a new timing belt and water pump on my own. I'm wondering if I'm getting in over head. Anyone have any expeience with this? Anyone know where I can find a used/cheap set of shop manuals for a 93 es300?

I did. Dexron III. :D

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)

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.

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

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