[blue968]

HI Guys,



Went for a ride today and my temp light came on and noticed the needle was just about touching the red line. I quickly turned the heater on full blast and coasted to allow air to the engine. I pulled over and let it cool down for a good 1/2 hr. Started back up and quickly drove home.



I noticed after I got home the the fans were not running. I tried turning on the A/C and the fans came on telling me the relay is Ok. However the im thinking the temp switch had failed.



I tried running the car at home and allowing it to reach 10 O'clock and no fans so I tried turning on the A/C so the fans turned on but the temp did not come down at all so is that a bad T.stat???



I also tried bleeding the system when it was warm and it sprayed out all 3 times I tried it.



thoughts???



thanks

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[blue968]

HI Guys,



Just cked the relay at temp switch. I jumped the brown wire to the other 2 pins on the 3 prong connecter that connects to the temp switch. Low and High speed on the fans work fine.



It apperas the temp switch definitly failed.



Thoughs



Thanks

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[Cloud9...68]

But when you jumper the switch to allow the fans to run, does this fix your overheating? You don't state where you live (it really helps all of us if we all update our member profiles), so I don't know if you live in an area where it's still hot, but odds are the ambient temperature isn't terribly high anywhere (other than maybe Phoenix) in mid October, so I'd be a little surprised if the lack of the fans blowing could by themselves cause your engine to get that hot. What happens when you cruise at high speed, at low, steady rpm (e.g. sixth gear at 60-70 mph)? You should get enough air flow through the radiator under those conditions to keep you water temp at a reasonable level. Sounds like you may have a thermostat problem, in addition to the fan switch.



Start up the car, let it warm up for a few minutes, then touch the fat radiator output hose (the one on the right side of the car. If this hose isn't blazing hot, you have a flow problem, which is most likely a bad thermostat. If you find this to be the cdase, make sure you put the thermostat in a pot of water on the stove, place a thermometer you're sure is well calibrated (make sure it registers 212 deg F at boiling), and watch to see at what temperature it fully opens. If it's above 195 degrees, take it back, exchange it, and repeat. I went through three before I found one that worked. Good luck.

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[SILVY968]

You are lucky that you noticed the temp right away and let her cool.

This happened to me and I still remember the "lump in the throat" feeling!



Replacing the thermo switch is easily done. It is easier to get to from below. I would suggest you replace the plastic drain plug and the coolant while you are in there. The plastic plug tends to crack after all of the heat cycles and it's age. You might also consider changing the heater vacuum control to an all metal unit ( search this site for models, etc) as these tend to blow out after this much time. The plastic halves of the OEM unit just come unglued, and when it happens you will to!



Brian







[quote name='Cloud9...68' post='61502' date='Oct 11 2008, 06:41 PM']But when you jumper the switch to allow the fans to run, does this fix your overheating? You don't state where you live (it really helps all of us if we all update our member profiles), so I don't know if you live in an area where it's still hot, but odds are the ambient temperature isn't terribly high anywhere (other than maybe Phoenix) in mid October, so I'd be a little surprised if the lack of the fans blowing could by themselves cause your engine to get that hot. What happens when you cruise at high speed, at low, steady rpm (e.g. sixth gear at 60-70 mph)? You should get enough air flow through the radiator under those conditions to keep you water temp at a reasonable level. Sounds like you may have a thermostat problem, in addition to the fan switch.



Start up the car, let it warm up for a few minutes, then touch the fat radiator output hose (the one on the right side of the car. If this hose isn't blazing hot, you have a flow problem, which is most likely a bad thermostat. If you find this to be the cdase, make sure you put the thermostat in a pot of water on the stove, place a thermometer you're sure is well calibrated (make sure it registers 212 deg F at boiling), and watch to see at what temperature it fully opens. If it's above 195 degrees, take it back, exchange it, and repeat. I went through three before I found one that worked. Good luck.[/quote]

Good advice, much bigger job if it is the thermostat.

Brian

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[blue968]

HI Guys,



Thanks for the replies.



Good idea, im going to jump the fans on high and go fro a little ride and see were the temp ends up. With the fans jumped and the car idiling in park it shouldnt go past 10 O'clock correct???



I live in R.I.



I will updat my prifile



couple of questions



were is the the T-stat located???

Does Pete have the all metal heater vacume control and plug, or should I get it from Paragon??





Thanks

Nelson





Were did you guys get your t-stats from?? Local Auto parts store???



Thanks

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[Cloud9...68]

I wouldn't drive it until you pinpoint the source of the problem. Just start it up, let it idle a few minutes, and once the gauge gets to about the 8:00 oclock position, reach around to the fat output radiator hose and see if it's getting warm. If you're getting proper flow, it should get too hot to be able to touch very quickly. Do this without jumpering the fan switch, so the fans don't come on (much safer for your fingers that way). Seeing as you live in Rhode Island, I'm even more suspicious that there's more going on than a bad fan switch.



To answer your questions, the thermostat is located on the inout side of the water pump. It's actually not that hard to remove, but you need a pair of bent-nose pliers to compress the circlip that holds it in place. You should grind down the tips of the pliers so they will fit into the holes of the circlip. You do have to remove the air box to get to the t-stat, but again, the job isn't all that difficult, just messy, with all the coolant you spill.



I got my all metal heater control valve from Napa. It's an Audi part, but I can't remember what model - I think it's a Coupe from the mid 1980's. Do a search, and you should be able to find it. If not, I can try to dig through my file of receipts.

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[blue968]

Hi,



Did you get your Thermostat from Napa as well.



I will take your advice and not drive the car and let it idle as I did last night trying a couple of diff. things.

I had just replaced all my belts and my 2 cams a couple of months ago and had to buy a set of Snap OOn C-clip pliers so Im sure 1 of them should work to remove the clip once I find it.



What would be a sign of overheating?? Poor running? skipping?? Antifreeze in Oil?? Just want to make sure no damaged happened. My car starts up as it should and idles as it should but just want to do a couple of inspections to make sure everything is OK.



Thanks again

Nelson

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[blue968]

Hi Guys,



I just ran my car this morning and let it get up to about 10 0' Clock and checked the fat hose on the passangers side and it was cold. It appears the Thermostat is definitly failed which leads me to my earlier thought thinking the Temp sensor was bad. It just dawned on me this morning if the hot antifreeze doesnt make it to the Temp switch then it will not turn on. Im going to start with the Thermostat and try running again but Im betting the the Temp switch is going to be fine.



Is a regular t-stat OK from my local parts store???

shouyld I get a 195 degree or less???





I will post my results



Thanks

Nelson

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[Cloud9...68]

I actually got my t-stat from Napa, but mine is kind of a unique case, because I have a low temp fan switch, so I needed a low temp t-stat to go with it, and Napa is one of the few places that carried it. It was rated at 165 deg, but didn't open till 175, by the way, but that actually is just about optimal for my situation. But anyway, any standard t-stat will work. But again, make sure you test it. You may want to buy two or three, test them all, keep the one that opens closest to the specified temp, and return the others.



Is your other radiator hose getting hot? If so, your temp fan switch should open, so if it's not, yours is bad. If the top hose isn't getting hot, you have another problem, like a clogged radiator, or, and this would really suck, because getting to it requires major disassembly, a bad water pump. Definitely check this before going any further. Good luck.

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[Georges]

I recommed you get am OEM T-stat and not from the local parts store. I had replaced mine with an Autozone version and even tested it before installing it. It failed within a few days and had me running around diagnosing for a different problem until, back to the T-stat.

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[xrad]

OEM 180 T-stat and standard fan switch on a stock motor will work out fine. Might want to get the rad flushed real well, check the hoses, and other things stated above while you are in there. Do it all and do it right the first time...will last for years.

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[blue968]

HI guys,



I want to remove my thermostat today but can you tell me were its located?? Is it inside of the big hose coming from the water pump and going to the bottom of the radaiter??



I did run the car and the bottom hose stays cold , telling me the t-stat is stuck closed.



I bought a flush kit and Orange antifreeze (phosphate free) to reinstall.



Can I flush the radiator with tap water and flush kit??? then offcourse use distilled watrer and correct antifreeze???



thanks

Nelson

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[banditsc]

Yes, the T-Stat is located in the housing for the big house. Watch out for the gasket, there is one in there.

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[Cloud9...68]

But again, before you start tearing things apart, check to see if you top hose is getting hot. If it is, the t-stat is fine (though you may want to end up replacing it anyway, depending on what you end up having to do). Your symptoms could be caused by a number of things (clogged radiator, bad t-stat, and bad water pump being the most likely candidates). If neither of your hoses is getting hot, you either have a badly clogged radiator, or a bad water pump. If the thinner one on the left side (input to radiator) is getting hot, but not the fat one one the right side (output hose), it's probably just the t-stat). It would be helpful in your troubleshooting to know what you're likely up against.



Steaking of thermostats, the one I bought from the Porsche dealer was the one that was the farthest off (didn't open till about 210 deg!), so paying dealer prices is unfortunately no guarantee of quality. I think these things are manufactured in bulk by one or a number or manufacturers, and then sold to any number of retailers, including dealers, so it doesn't matter, at least in my experience, where you buy it.

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[blue968]

HI,



I ran the car and the top hose (drivers side) gets hot and also when cracking the bleeder screw there is alot of pressure there telling me the water pump is flowing and creating pressure. Am I correct???



The fat hose (passanger side) is cold which is why I figured its the t-stat not opening and not completing the cooling cycle. Am I correct???



It would make sense to me because prior to yesterday I never had any problems with the temp or my fans not turning on. The way I see this working is the waterpump is flowing and the t-stat is stuck closed not allowing the water to cirulate. which intern will not allow the temp sesnor to sense the hot water and not turn the fans on.



Do you agree???



Nelson

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[Kim]

Check your rad fluid. Let's hope it is not a head gasket. I can give you a brief history of time(ing) while I am hawking about this web site. You also have a PM.

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[earossi]

Sounds like you'll have to change out the T-stat before you can assess if the fan relay and/or temp switch are bad.



As mentioned earlier, the T-stat is actually mounted within the inlet bore to the water pump. You'll need to drain the system and then remove the large bottom hose. The T-stat is located about a half inch from the end of the casting. The ony issue is that there is a rather large snap ring that has to be removed. It's best to tackle this job from under the car which you may want to raise up a bit for access.



The snap ring is really stout and will take a bit of force to get out. I find that the snap ring pliers with a 45 degree prong mounted works best.



Once the snap ring is out, the T-stat will come right out in your hand. There is a shim behind it and a gasket. I suggest getting the T-stat OEM from either Paragon or Sunset Porsche.



When you have it all back together, be sure and bleed the sysem at the upper hose fitting, or you will retain air in the system and will probably have some overheating issues.



Ernie

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[Cloud9...68]

OK, it sounds like you most likely do have a bad t-stat, which is good news, if that's all it is. I'm a little puzzled as to why your fans arean't working, because the water pump pumps water through the engine, through the thinner rad hose on the left side of the car, and into the radiator, so the water in the radiator near where the fan switch is located should be hot enough to turn on the fans. It was in my car when I was having my overheatin problem, which was caused by a bad thermostat. Come to think of it, though, I have a low temp fan switch, so the fact that the water isn't circulating through the hot engine may not be allowing the water in the radiator to get hot enough to trigger a standard fan switch.



So, overall, you may just be up against replacing the thermostat, and then you're back in business. It's really not that hard to do. As others have stated, a pair of angled needle nose pliers are needed to remove the snap ring. If you can find one, a pair of 45 degree pliers would work best, but my 90 degree pair also works fine. I did have to grind own the tips of the pliers to get them to fit into the holes in the snap ring, and you need to rotate the ring so that the opening is facing toward the back of the car, but that once I had these items worked out, removing the snap ring was, well, a snap.

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[Jono]

Just cked the relay at temp switch. I jumped the brown wire to the other 2 pins on the 3 prong connecter that connects to the temp switch. Low and High speed on the fans work fine.

I'm troubleshooting a similar problem, I've replaced the heater control valve (didn't need to but seemed prudent) and t-stat switch and now want to check if the relay's working properly. Which wires did you jump? I've got 12V on brown, if I jump brown to yellow/brown the fans come on low, if I jump brown to red/white - nothing - what did you jump to get the fans on high?



I also have a new thermostat so will probably look at replacing that also, checking hose temps is a good idea, I hadn't thought of that!

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[banditsc]

Another thing to check when diagnosing the cooling fans is the resistor pucks for the fans. There are two of them for low and high, they are white round objects on the firewall behind the battery area. One of mine had corroded terminals and required replacing the terminals on the wire. After that the fans worked properly. You want to at least pull the wires and clean them.

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