Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 06:41:21 -0800
Reply-To: mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Van runs hot in traffic jams
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Your experience may be normal if what you were hearing was low speed
fan. If high speed fan was coming on you have some kind of problem.
In the radiators of all water-cooled Vanagons are 2 temp switches to
turn on the radiator fan when the coolant leaving the radiator is still
too hot. These switches fail as do other parts of this circuit most
notably the large resister used for lower fan speeds on later models and
models with A/C. It is common for the low speed to stop working and high
speed then comes on more often. This will result in more frequent large
swings in the temp gauge at low road speeds or in stop and go traffic.
While driving it is often difficult to hear the fan on low speed but
high speed can be startlingly loud, at least on models with the larger
fan motor like your 90.
The 83+ radiator temp switch is a integrated dual temp switch. One
switch comes on at a low temp for a low fan speed and the other switch
turns on at a high temp for high speed fan operation. There are
different temp range switches available and 2.1 models with A/C use the
one that activates the fan at lower temps. Behind the driver's side
headlight lives a large resister that is used to limit the current to
the radiator fan when low speed fan operation is needed. On 2.1 models
with A/C this resister also provides the middle fan speed that comes on
whenever the A/C is turned on. These are the models most likely to loose
low speed fan operation due to this resister being burned out from
constant summer A/C use.
Mark
Greg Kriss wrote:
>
> Have a 90 Carat with an auto trans. Engine has maybe 150K on it. The van runs fine, minimal oil useage and almost no coolant useage. Normal driving, running around town, or at 60mph on the highway, the temp guage always stays cool below the idiot light in the center of the guage. But when I get stuck in a traffic jam, after a few minutes the van runs hotter with the guage needle above the idiot light. I was stuck in a 5 mile backup in NYC Sunday night moving along between stop and go up to maybe 15mph. (over an hour of creeping along). Outside temp around 35 degrees. The needle was above the idiot light and once or twice the fan went on. Van never came close to overheating. Air flow I'm sure was probably minimal in front of the van. Once through the backup, and up to a steady 40+ mph the needle went below the idiot light. Rest of trip van ran cool.
>
> Warmed up the van for 15 minutes yesterday morning and needle never went above the idiot light. Running around town for an hour or so yesterday, van ran cool as usual.
>
> What goes? Is this normal?
>
> My guess is that the cooling syatem is a bit under-designed for traffic jams.
>
> thanks
>
> Greg
>
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