Cooling Fan Question
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 122
Likes: 1
From: Turnersville New Jersey
Cooling Fan Question
I have a 89 Corvette L-98 which I am in the process of replacing the head gasket. The cause of the failure was the thermostat failed in the closed position and the engine overheated. When I pulled the radiator cover to do some work I noticed only one fan. The main fan on the engine side up against the radiator. The manual states that there supposed to be two. Do you think the previous owner had the second cooling fan removed. I can not find any wire connections so was the second fan an option in 89.
Any information on this would be appreiciated.
Any information on this would be appreiciated.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,838
Likes: 31
From: Australia
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
Likes: 22
From: San Diego, Ca
Vette Trivia: Of the 26,412 produced for '89, 20,281 came with the Aux Fan Option. Interestingly, 607 more '89's (20,888) came with the Heavy Duty Cooling Package maybe meaning that a couple of Dealers realized that capacity, not the number of fans, promoted better cooling. Neither system, Heavy Duty or otherwise, grounded the Main Fan Relay at any temperature other than 226 degrees (a/c off) and neither system needed any more than that. As to your head gasket, a stuck thermostat may have led to a blow out, but the 113 headed Vettes had numerous instances of head gasket failure (which is how I found this Forum). GM traced the problem to misaligned intake gaskets which led to leaks, which led to galvanic corrosion, which then ate up the head gasket. The '91 L98 heads (and all current production 113's) are counterbored for gasket retainers which maintain better intake gasket alignment, but there have been a few '91's around here with the same failure. The problems allmost always developed at #7, a lot seem to have been under warranty (mine should have been), but if the leak remained for long enough, there will often be a groove worn into the deck of the block. You should be able to tell once you've got the heads off, but whatever fan or fans your Vette has probably has nothing to do with it. And if you find galvanic corrosion in your coolant passageways, I'd ditch the radiator for a new one, maybe the Heads (depending on severity) and also yank the Heater Core which is going to plug up if it hasn't allready. Then make sure you flush the Block by pulling the oil cooler hose at the oil filter (assuming you have that option) or the knock sensor.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,171
Likes: 1
From: Warwick RI
Vette Trivia: Of the 26,412 produced for '89, 20,281 came with the Aux Fan Option. Interestingly, 607 more '89's (20,888) came with the Heavy Duty Cooling Package maybe meaning that a couple of Dealers realized that capacity, not the number of fans, promoted better cooling. Neither system, Heavy Duty or otherwise, grounded the Main Fan Relay at any temperature other than 226 degrees (a/c off) and neither system needed any more than that. As to your head gasket, a stuck thermostat may have led to a blow out, but the 113 headed Vettes had numerous instances of head gasket failure (which is how I found this Forum). GM traced the problem to misaligned intake gaskets which led to leaks, which led to galvanic corrosion, which then ate up the head gasket. The '91 L98 heads (and all current production 113's) are counterbored for gasket retainers which maintain better intake gasket alignment, but there have been a few '91's around here with the same failure. The problems allmost always developed at #7, a lot seem to have been under warranty (mine should have been), but if the leak remained for long enough, there will often be a groove worn into the deck of the block. You should be able to tell once you've got the heads off, but whatever fan or fans your Vette has probably has nothing to do with it. And if you find galvanic corrosion in your coolant passageways, I'd ditch the radiator for a new one, maybe the Heads (depending on severity) and also yank the Heater Core which is going to plug up if it hasn't allready. Then make sure you flush the Block by pulling the oil cooler hose at the oil filter (assuming you have that option) or the knock sensor.
