QuestionThank you very much on your timely response much appreciated I wish you were my mechanic you are definitely well experienced. I just wanted to know if you could tell me how I would check cooling fan for proper operation because it seems to be spinning fine, and all the belts seem ok, or is there something else to look for?
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Followup To
Question -
Hi Harold,
(8 Cylinders 305 H 5.0L 4BL, Auto, 81,000 Miles)
Here is my situation I just recently purchased a 1988 Chevy Caprice Classic from my local Chevy dealer, now I really like Caprices. This one was sparkling clean inside and out, 1 owner. I checked the Car Fax on it no accident, no mileage rollback, one owner the whole 9. I test drove it twice it was good took it to a local mechanic who looked at it and said it was good he test drove said was good but old. There were few things with the car that needed minor repair such as the drivers door lock was not working and I felt it had a hard time starting.
Now when after purchased the car and I drove on the highway about 4-5 days the service engine light would come on at higher speeds 30-35+ which I have seen on other caprices and also the Overheat temp light came on after 30 min of driving one day another occasion. So I looked under the hood and the radiator was leaking ever so slightly by the upper hose and there was little antifreeze in the container so I put some until it read Full cold. So then I bought the car to the dealer to get a check up and to fix the lock change spark plugs, oil change and to take look at the service engine light and overheat light. When I picked the car up and they told me the fixed lock and changed spark plugs and that they found no service engine trouble code on the car's and they supposedly checked for overheating and they say the car temp. is constant and doesn't continue to rise but I had a felling they where wrong. So anyway I took the car back because I needed it to go back and fourth to work, and school. The other day Wed. 8/18/04 I took the car for a 2 hour+ drive from work to school; this was the first long drive. I wanted to see what the cars pick-up, acceleration was like and I felt a hesitation on the red lights and bad pick-up. So then I was on the highway I was doing 60 and I wanted to bring up to about 80mph and the car had a real hard time accelerating. Now I live on a very step hilly area going up and down the hills the car seemed to do great for a 5,000 lb car when I first bought it. But that day on the highway I felt as if it was dieing. I couldn't believe what I was seeing so I rushed to get home that day I went to park on the hill put it in Reverse and I pushed the pedal and the car didn't move anywhere pushed more and more until it hit the floor and car didn't go anywhere and it was making a slight ticking noise and the engine was revved up all the way and then the overheat light came on I knew something was terrible wrong. So I shifted into Neutral applied the foot brake. And then park. Turned it off immediately, and then I just sat there for about 30-45sec. Later I hear a wired noise of something being filled up with air or something. So I carefully opened the hood and I saw the radiator recovery tank was boiling with antifreeze and feeling up quickly to the TOP. I felt the container and was extremely hot. So next day I took the car Thursday 8/19 to the shop and they were busy so they scheduled me for Tuesday 8/24. But I think they are doing a very shaded job on the car because after I took there the 1st time it was all done hill. Also when I 1st purchased the car I changed the air-filter and also the breather-filter since it seemed it was not touched since 1988 was brown and dirty and also the PCV valve. I felt a slight improvement in car. But I was thinking it just might be radiator that hasn't been serviced in a long time, because the overheat light came on a few times, so I flushed it, cleaned it out then filled it with Preston antifreeze over the weekend, test drove after I was done it seemed good for 30+min, accelerated with a lot with it and then later still had the same problem with overheating, the boiling of the antifreeze in the recovery tank and stem --?Now Tuesday (8/24/04) I sent the dealer he told the did a pressure check on it and the system was OK but he thinks that the thermostat might be old and getting stuck so the replaced it and put a new gasket. So I test drove the car after they were done for about 40min. Hi-speed and low speeds then I parked open up the hood and the coolant in the recovery tank was boiling and was very hot it was way above the full hot line is that normally, When I called the dealership he said bring back now this would be the 3rd time I brining it for Overheating, but I Also Want to Know If You thinks its The Engine That Might Have the Problem or the Transmission, Or the Radiator or Even All Three?
Please I would appreciate if you could help me out, you know I feel that I just spent my money on a piece of junk car, and any advice you give me in regards to this situation would be very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Ahmad M. Daraghmeh
Ahmaduhhs@yahoo.com
Cell: 201-403-8807
Answer -
Well you definately have a problem. It seams to me like the car only gets hot after you have been driving it. It probably is not getting hot when sitting there running at idle, which is probably how the shop is checking it.
The first things that I would be looking for is a clogged catalytic converter(will cause no power and overheating) and I would check the cooling fan for proper operation.
AnswerThe fan has a centrifigal clutch. When the engine temp is cold, the fan is free wheeling to let the engine warm up faster. The hotter the engine gets, the more the fan clutch starts to lock up causing the fan to push more air.
What you need to do is check to see how easy the fan spins before you start the car, when its cold after sitting all night. Then after you have driven the car for awhile, shut it off and see how easy it spins. There should be a very noticeable differance. The fan should be hard to spin after it is hot. If it is the same or only a little stiffer, the fan clutch will need to be replaced.
