When should electric radiator fan be on in 85 GL?

[Andy FitzGibbon]

My '85 GL has AC and has both an electric fan and a clutch fan. I have never seen the electric fan running. It does work- I've tested everything but the temp switch in the radiator, so I figure that's probably bad (when I pull the plug off the temp switch and short the terminals the fan turns on).

The car runs hotter than my Loyale, but has never come close to overheating.

Andy

[Gloyale]

(when I pull the plug off the temp switch and short the terminals the fan turns on).

 

The fan should operate at about 205 degrees. This will be about halfway up on the temp gauge. The gauges vary quite abit. I've tested different ones using the same resistor and gotten different readings. Check the connector at hot idleing by wiggling it and see if the fan comes on at all then. I had that problem with mine. Had to pull apart the plug and clean and crimp it a bit. But if the fan isn't coming on even by wiggling by 2/3rds then the switch is bad. Check it for sure by boiling it in water and testing the resistance with an Ohmmeter. If it is still infinite resistance(open circuit)at boiling it's definately bad.

[nipper]

It also comes on (or they usually come on) with the AC

 

nipper

[daeron]

I have an 87 GL-10 SPFI non turbo, same setup as you.. and two different thermoswitches I had were shot, so I just jumpered the swithch connector, and my electric fan is on whenever the key is on. I have no problems with this setup. I had a gamut from radiator hose, through water pump, that wound up seeing a new radiator, hoses, and eventually headgaskets; BUT I can HARDLY blame that on having a fan on a little more than is strictly necessary. Come wintertime you might want to fix it, or simply unplug it unless it is really needed; IF you find that leaving it on all the time impacts the amount of heat you can summon inside the car. I live in a place where wintertime doesn't exist, so I hear tell that sometimes OVER cooling the car during the wintertime leads to an inefficient heater when you need it the most..

[Gloyale]

I have an 87 GL-10 SPFI non turbo, same setup as you.. and two different thermoswitches I had were shot, so I just jumpered the swithch connector, and my electric fan is on whenever the key is on.

 

 

Did you test those thermoswitches for continuity? Boil them?

Mine was not working and it turned out to be from por connection at the plug from harness to the switch. The harness side holds the female portion of the connection. I had to carefully remove the wires from the connector, clean and crimp, and then reinstall now it works great. I have seen the thermoswitches actually go bad too. Just a few thoughts.

[daeron]

Did you test those thermoswitches for continuity? Boil them?

Mine was not working and it turned out to be from por connection at the plug from harness to the switch. The harness side holds the female portion of the connection. I had to carefully remove the wires from the connector, clean and crimp, and then reinstall now it works great. I have seen the thermoswitches actually go bad too. Just a few thoughts.

Yah, the one I have that does function doesnt screw into the bung on the radiator for it, so I just leave the fan running. I boiled three of them, I think, (maybe just two) and for whatever reason (the plug may have been different, too) I decided that it wasn't worth the hassle to adapt the plug that worked onto my car. The radiator I have is an oddball with strange sized threads for the drainplug and the thermoswitch both, and I had to leave a non functioning switch plugging the hole because it was all that fit.

 

Trust me, it is no detriment in my case. If I ever felt the power drain was an issue I would pull over and re install the 90 amp maxima alternator and have that nipped in the bud. As for temps.. trust me, the roads down here (especially with the traffic) are as bad as desert roads, and winter is a slight abatement of heat volume rather than the reversal it is up in the continental regions.