I was looking at my radiator last night, wondering why it always runs warm. On a day like yesterday here in Northwestern Ohio, the outside temp was ~88* and my coolant temps were running in the low 200* range!
I've already flushed the radiator, installed a new thermostat, ensured that the fan runs normally and that the relays work fine. However, I DID notice that the fan is not very close to the radiator and that the top part of the fan is farther away from the radiator than the lower part (?). Also, the upper mounting tabs for the fan are on the outside lip (closest to the engine front) of the metal they attach too, leaving a gap at the top of the fan of almost an inch. At the bottom of the fan, it is only about a half inch away which still seems too much to me.
So, did the previous owner remove and replace the fan but not install it right? I am certain I am not dragging all the air through the radiator that it could and should be doing and I suspect this is the biggest cause of the high coolant temps.
Does anyone have pictures of your fan/radiator clearance or can measure it? Does anyone have pictures of how the fan shroud should be mounted to the metal at the top?
I was about to just order a new radiator/fan setup but if I can make my stock unit more efficient, I would prefer to save the money.
What should I do? I'll get a couple of pics this evening and post them so you can see what I'm talking about but I DO think there is too much air coming in around the sides/top of the fan and NOT through the radiator.
Help?
I've already flushed the radiator, installed a new thermostat, ensured that the fan runs normally and that the relays work fine. However, I DID notice that the fan is not very close to the radiator and that the top part of the fan is farther away from the radiator than the lower part (?). Also, the upper mounting tabs for the fan are on the outside lip (closest to the engine front) of the metal they attach too, leaving a gap at the top of the fan of almost an inch. At the bottom of the fan, it is only about a half inch away which still seems too much to me.
So, did the previous owner remove and replace the fan but not install it right? I am certain I am not dragging all the air through the radiator that it could and should be doing and I suspect this is the biggest cause of the high coolant temps.
Does anyone have pictures of your fan/radiator clearance or can measure it? Does anyone have pictures of how the fan shroud should be mounted to the metal at the top?
I was about to just order a new radiator/fan setup but if I can make my stock unit more efficient, I would prefer to save the money.
What should I do? I'll get a couple of pics this evening and post them so you can see what I'm talking about but I DO think there is too much air coming in around the sides/top of the fan and NOT through the radiator.
Help?
