Radiator Fan Issue

[PaladinXT]

I bought a 1993 Legacy AWD 5-Spd recently, and have some mild overheating issues with it. Initially, it had air bubbles in the system, and I was able to deal with that. Now it starts to overheat when I climb the small mountain I live on. I've noticed that only one of the 2 fans ever spins regardless.

 

Any ideas?

 

It had a bunch of issues, but I've resolved most of them for low dough. Hesitation issues (fuel filter)

Weird clutch engagement (adjusted cable - easy peasy)

Engine running poorly (stabil marine + other injector cleaners etc and good 92octane fuel)

 

This overheating thing seems straightforward - if one fans spins up, spin them both, right?

 

Ideas?

[sqc151]

make sure the fan thats now working is plugged in on the bottom. also check the relay. but regardless, if one fan is working it whouldnt overheat per se. make sure your thermostat is good to.

 

i dont wanna bring up the bad news just yet that it might be your headgaskets. lets try and get the obvious taken care of first.

[PaladinXT]

make sure the fan thats now working is plugged in on the bottom. also check the relay. but regardless, if one fan is working it whouldnt overheat per se. make sure your thermostat is good to.

 

i dont wanna bring up the bad news just yet that it might be your headgaskets. lets try and get the obvious taken care of first.

 

Thanks!

 

I'd buy into the headgasket thing if there were other things going on - it isn't introducing any air into the system, and it isn't losing coolant either. Smoke color...what smoke? No noticeable smoke at all. It just passed DEQ in fact.

 

By overheat, I mean the temp gauge starts climbing and gets close to the top. To be fair, I have a depleted uranium foot, and it is a long steep high (1000 foot elevation gain). There is no belt driving the A/C, but if I click the A/C button, the fan does come on anyway, but not the other one. It does help cool the engine a bit.

 

Thermostat - I need to figure out where it is first

 

Would not be surprised that there is gunk in there - might be clogged. The car sat for 2 years. The fluid was replaced, but I don't know that it was good and flushed, and based on the other things done probably not.

 

Relay - Haven't identified where that is either - doesn't stand out in the under-hood fuse box. They are all marked a/c relay 1, a/c relay 2, a/c relay 3, a/c relay 4. ???

 

I'll crawl under and check the plug at the bottom.

[ehsnils]

On later model engines the thermostat is at the engine where the lower radiator hose enters.

 

And thermostats do fail now and then, so just replace it - the cost of a thermostat and new coolant is not that bad.