#1weatherman

Was sitting at Hobby Lobby the other day waiting for the wife to do her thing and decided to let the car just sit there and idle. The ambient temperature was only 55 degrees and the compressor wasn't cycling on and off. After a few minutes I just happened to notice that the temperature guage was not that far from the upper end of the scale. I increased the RPMs a tad and immediately the temperature began to come down. I don't recall the cooling fan(s) coming on, so I'm wondering what the problem is. I haven't had the chance to check the fuse(s) yet, but besides the fan(s) itself/themselves, what else could be the problem if the fuse(s) is/are okay? It's the first time I have let it sit at idle for any period of time, but when driving around town the temperature remains around mid scale and doesn't fluctuate. Thanks.

aminnich

I guess you know your fans don't come on until 227*F and 236*F. Increasing the RPM would have no affect on the fans, just coolant flow. Guess you might want to check for debris in front of the radiator and if the fans are coming on (watch the difgital gauge, not the analog for this check).

trulytex

I replaced Both Fan Motors on my 1990 a couple years ago. I figured that they were 17 years old ( in 1997) and that they were probably getting tired. They were around $80 each from my local Chevy Dealer, and I haven't had a problem out of them (I was before). I replaced them myself in less that an hour. Just the Piece of Mind was worth the expense. I would definitely suggest it. Along with checking the front of the radiator for debris and it wouldn't hurt to flush the radiator. Maintenance is A LOT Cheaper than Repairs. And A LOT Less of a Pain In The Behind when done on your own time than on a trip!

Frizlefrak

What he said. Switch over to the digital. My gauge is almost pegged when the digital reads 227.

And of course, C4's are road vacuums, and the debris becomes firmly implanted in the front of the radiator. Check yours.

#1weatherman

thanks to aminnich for above info. I started using the digital gauge, and if I let it idle for a while, the temperature starts creeping up, and sure enough at 227*F the fan comes on. As it were, I didn't let it idle for very long, so I don't know how effective the fan(s) would have been if left idling for much longer. I checked the radiator and it was clean as a whistle, so I guess my bottom line question is this: I assume with this vehicle it is normal for the temperature to creep up while idling, and as long as the radiator is clean and the fan(s) come(s) on and do their job, the temperature should come down and there should be no worries. The last thing I want to do is overheat the engine and do damage. Thanks.

Jim aka #1weatherman