Radiator Swap, 97 850 T5, Now Fans Wont Run

[NataSS Inc]

So pretty much stuff a hose in the resivoir and run the car while the hose is running?

I wont be able to hit this until monday, leaving for bear hunting in about an hour.

Forgot to ask.

Is there any way to remove the thermostat and still keep the seal between the block and the water neck? this way I dont have to wait for the T-stat to open up. i can just run the motor and keep the hose running in the resivior.

[czar]

So pretty much stuff a hose in the resivoir and run the car while the hose is running?

I wont be able to hit this until monday, leaving for bear hunting in about an hour.

Forgot to ask.

Is there any way to remove the thermostat and still keep the seal between the block and the water neck? this way I dont have to wait for the T-stat to open up. i can just run the motor and keep the hose running in the resivior.

drain everything...rad and motor...open the drain cock at the back of the motor and add water...see if you get water coming through the OPEN drain cock at the back of the motor (not positive it will flow right through)..remember you are checking for circulation first.

once you know everything is hunky-dory and flowing through..then we are on to flushing the system..

tighten everything back up...fill with water...run the car...drain everything again (rad and motor)....refill with water...run the car again...drain everything (rad and motor) refill with 50% anti-freeze 50% water (because you have now removed everything...there is a minimal amount of fluid left in the heater core)

And I am glad you mentioned the thermostat...could be the cause of an "obstruction" if it is stuck closed.. I would plan on replacing that thermostat.

if you remove the T-stat and take off the old rubber washer that is on it try putting just the washer back in. should keep the leaking to a minimum at least.

now don't go gettin' 'et by a bear...all of your posting will be for naught!....have fun. Be safe..

[Bah]

you CAN run thermostatless.

You'll probably get crappy MPG ...but there are ppl on this board who do it, especially in summer time.

Whats the status of your ECT? Aftermarket? 150k miles old?

You can unplug the ECT, turn the car to POSII and the rad fan should run full blast.

If it doesn't you have relay issues/fan issues.

If it does, question your ECT. It MIGHT have that stop leak gunk all over it? I'd replace with new OEM but thats me.

If you've proven your ECT is OK, then the question remains: the coolant at the top is not hot enough for some reason (i don't see how a clog could cause this). The top is because thats where the ECT is located and thats what controls your fan.

If the fan runs everything is good and your STILL overheating,

Then i start to question the radiator you put in. You mentioned a Chinese radiator...do you have a brand by chance? Possible this *new* radiator is a dud internally. Typically we just see the necks break, but, you pay for what you get. It might not flow or have the ability to remove heat like it should for some reason...cheap material, less coils etc etc...anythings possible when you get something for that cheap.

In the meantime, i would run w/o a thermostat and see if you overheat. Just because that eliminates any question of the thermostat issue, and as well should help you troubleshoot/drive the car potentially.

Flush with vinegar and distilled water....it should help clear it out.

OH and whats the color of your radiator cap? Grey or Green? Make sure its green.

[NataSS Inc]

you CAN run thermostatless.

You'll probably get crappy MPG ...but there are ppl on this board who do it, especially in summer time.

Whats the status of your ECT? Aftermarket? 150k miles old?

You can unplug the ECT, turn the car to POSII and the rad fan should run full blast.

If it doesn't you have relay issues/fan issues.

If it does, question your ECT. It MIGHT have that stop leak gunk all over it? I'd replace with new OEM but thats me.

If you've proven your ECT is OK, then the question remains: the coolant at the top is not hot enough for some reason (i don't see how a clog could cause this). The top is because thats where the ECT is located and thats what controls your fan.

If the fan runs everything is good and your STILL overheating,

Then i start to question the radiator you put in. You mentioned a Chinese radiator...do you have a brand by chance? Possible this *new* radiator is a dud internally. Typically we just see the necks break, but, you pay for what you get. It might not flow or have the ability to remove heat like it should for some reason...cheap material, less coils etc etc...anythings possible when you get something for that cheap.

In the meantime, i would run w/o a thermostat and see if you overheat. Just because that eliminates any question of the thermostat issue, and as well should help you troubleshoot/drive the car potentially.

Flush with vinegar and distilled water....it should help clear it out.

OH and whats the color of your radiator cap? Grey or Green? Make sure its green.

Factory ECT as far as I know becuase I havent ever replaced it and I've had the car since the 30K mile mark and it has about 155K on the clock now. Odometer stoped working at 145K about 4 months ago.

To be honest I dont even know what the ECT is. Is it the sending unit that is in the block that is right under the thermostat?

The radiator is made by CryoMax.

[Bah]

in that picture, its the connector inside the lower thermostat housing. Its a little pole that pokes out into the lower thermostat housing which records temperature. Crucial that its clean and functional, otherwise your car has no idea what temperature its at.

I would say 150k on an ECT is pushing it. That might just be me, i'm sure there are people with their stock ones at 200k. I think for the 40-50$ you pay for a new OEM one its worth removing the variable.

I won't hold the brand of the radiator against you, but, i would have still gone OEM on that personally...Tasca probably woulda had one to your door for 40-50 bucks more.

And again, what color is the lid of your expansion tank? Grey or Green? You could need a new cap if its just not overheating and spilling over. Again, something cheap and potential.

ECT can cause some issues, including no starts. Not out of the range of possibility. Try removing the connector and see what happens. Careful with the harness to the engine..it might be fragile.

[NataSS Inc]

Sorry I forgot to mention it is a green one.

[NataSS Inc]

OK, pulled the ECT out and it did have some of that stop leak on it so I wiped it down and re-installed it.

I also pulled the resivior out and blasted in inside of it to knock and loose "stop leak" out. Then using the garden hose with a pressure nozzle on it, I put it in the hose that feeds off the bottom of the resivoir and tried to blast anything out that may have been jammed up inside the turbo coolant line.

Since I had the water neck off I could see all of the water coming out of the block while the hose was hitting it. All looked good.

Bolted everything back up and UNHOOKED the ECT. Turned the key to position II and the fan did come on full blast. So that takes the ECT out of the equasion and leads me to believe its the relay.

The problem now is that the "check engine" light is on and I am guessing thats from me disconnecting the ECT. I disconnected the negative battery cable to try and clear it and its still there. Maybe I just need a programmer from Schmucks to clear the code?

Also now the fans wont come on AT ALL. Giving me more reason to believe its the relay.

I am headed to sandburg today to pick up a new ECT, Thermostat (might as well) and a fan relay. Hopefully this will fix the issue.

[NataSS Inc]

Just called Sandburg and man, are they proud of that fan relay and ECT. Just shy of 200.00 for those 2 little parts.

[Guest lewieboy]

replace thereservoir cover

[Guest lewieboy]

Just called Sandburg and man, are they proud of that fan relay and ECT. Just shy of 200.00 for those 2 little parts.

It happens to me,coolant coming from reservoir,top hose is very hot,temp gage is normal,cooling fan wont rrun,cooling system is pressurize, & cover of reservoir is busted the coolant wont cylce due to no pressure going to rad so i replace the green cover and everything work fine.

[NataSS Inc]

It happens to me,coolant coming from reservoir,top hose is very hot,temp gage is normal,cooling fan wont rrun,cooling system is pressurize, & cover of reservoir is busted the coolant wont cylce due to no pressure going to rad so i replace the green cover and everything work fine.

I just spent 205.00 and you're saying its the stupid cap......

My cap is the original and there is a good chance that that it is gummed up with stuff from the stop leak.

I just replaced the ECT, thermostat and the fan relay and I am still at square 1. And it appears like the new radiator cooked itself. Steam coming directly off the radiator. FML.

[NataSS Inc]

Ok, new cap is in and the fans are still NOT coming on unless I force them on by running the AC. WTF is going on here?

Please tell me someone out there has a clue as to whats going on.

[NataSS Inc]

Dropped the car off at Turn Key auto south of Everett the other day because i was at my wits end trying to figure out what the problem was.

Got a call back from them the next day saying it was fixed.

Turns out that the Engine temp sending unit in the water neck MUST be completely emmersed in water to function properly. I swear I had done this multiple times while flushing and refilling the cooling system. Obviously I didnt get all the air out of the system.

So far car appears to be running fine. We will see if anything pops up.

[Bah]

Dropped the car off at Turn Key auto south of Everett the other day because i was at my wits end trying to figure out what the problem was.

Got a call back from them the next day saying it was fixed.

Turns out that the Engine temp sending unit in the water neck MUST be completely emmersed in water to function properly. I swear I had done this multiple times while flushing and refilling the cooling system. Obviously I didnt get all the air out of the system.

So far car appears to be running fine. We will see if anything pops up.

I don't remember too much of this thread, but it kinda sounds like you installed the bleeder valve for the T-stat backwards if that was the case....

I mean, after 20 miles of driving all my air was kapoot. the huge air bubble pops up after like 1 minute of driving...

Only thing i can imagine(assuming you actually drove the car) is T-stat in with bleeder valve wrong way...but idk.

[Scootdiggity]

Factory ECT as far as I know becuase I havent ever replaced it and I've had the car since the 30K mile mark and it has about 155K on the clock now. Odometer stoped working at 145K about 4 months ago.

To be honest I dont even know what the ECT is. Is it the sending unit that is in the block that is right under the thermostat?

The radiator is made by CryoMax.

you bought the ebay special radiator, my friend had one of those and it almost ruined his engine. Another friend bought one and it lasted 2 months then started leaking at seam, if you get 6 months out of it you will be lucky. They are junk and very restrictive on flow. You dont cheap out on a important part of the car its better to spend more for a genuine radiator then replacing radiator again along with engine. Chilled Man did a comparison of a volvo radiator next to a aftermarket awhile back and it was a big difference in quality