[Jason89]

On my way home from Englishtown I had an "almost" overheat scare. The temp gauge went up to the line below "H". So I pulled over and noticed the fan was NOT on. By the time I opened the hood and looked at the connections the fan did turn on. So I drove the car home with the heater on Full blast (that sucked) and when there was traffic the temp went up to that line again. I did make it home watching the gauge go up to that line then down when I was driving at 60 mph.

So question #1:
On the 89 Daytona's does the fan turn on if you unplug the coolant temp sensor?

Qestion #2:
Is the fan supposed to stay running when the car is OFF until the temp goes down?

I will be changing the Thermostat and coolant sensor and antifreeze no matter what.

Also after I shut the car down at home the antfreeze in the overflow bottle was boiling and I put the fan on by putting direct power to it to cool the radiator etc. That worked.

Any other helpful hints?

Thanks....

 

[Doug D]

On the 89 Daytona's does the fan turn on if you unplug the coolant temp sensor?

Yes, it should. The CEL will come on as well.

Is the fan supposed to stay running when the car is OFF until the temp goes down?

No.

At speeds over 35 mph the ram air effect should be more than ample to provide the needed cooling (heat transfer). The fan is needed at lower speeds. May want to check the rekay as well. Swap relays to check. May need a new cap (16 lbs) as well - they are usually pretty cheap.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

If you unplug the CTS and the fan does not come on, check for a burned fusible link.

When the temp gets that high and you want to drive it home rather than tow it, it's safer to drive a mile or two, shut it off and let it cool when it gets near that high mark, and repeat. Otherwise you stress the head gasket.

As Doug said, the fan only runs with ignition on.

 

[ChargedDust]

My '89 is very similar, gauge goes all the way up, or nearly all the way, and then comes back down again. I would pull the radiator and have it boiled/flushed, sediments and build up can reduce the efficiency. You can go the cheap way if you want first - drain the coolant and fill with water, give it a good drive to get it up to operating temp with the heater controls set to hot (fan off) and then pop off the lower hose and let it all gush out. Do this 3 or 4 times and then refill with anti-freeze and see how well it works. If you're gonna go with a new thermostat, I like the Stant Superstats, have the little hole in them with a little pin to allow a small steady flow to the radiator, may also cause the fan to cycle a bit more frequently.

Often overlooked, but a valid concern as well, check your condenser. If it's plugged with bugs, leaves, grass, pebbles ect, or if it has a large number of bent fins it will impede the air from getting through to the radiator.

 

[Jason89]

Thanks All!! I knew I can count on you guys to some help!

Jason

 

[TurboPacifica]

Funny thing we both ran hot on the return trip.

 

[ChargedDust]

Oh, get the thick cast iron T-stat housing, not as nice as the billet AL ones, but better than the stamped steel ones & under $10. You will need to use longer bolts thought.

 

[Jason89]

Where do I get the housing and bolts? I hope to be doing the change this weekend.
I was actually looking for a polished housing and bolts and I cannot find any that are for the 2.2L.

Thanks

 

[ChargedDust]

Bolts are just normal 8x1.5mm (IIRC), not sure of the length, the housings can be had on ebay, and in most auto parts stores. I know the ones I got were made by factory air, sometimes it's a crap shoot though, you can get either the stamped steel ones or the cast iron ones under the same part number, might require a bit of shopping around. Auto parts store I go to is cool, they'll call the warehouse and have them check the box first and look for the cast iron ones for me. If you come up empty, I have one I can spare.

T.U. and/or FWD have the billet AL ones if you want to drop the bucks.

 

[Jason89]

Thank you. If you can hold it for me. We can get together soon. Meanwhile I'll let you know how I make out...