Date:         Thu, 20 May 1999 12:56:23 -0600
Reply-To:     Rob MacLeod <macleod@CVRTI.UTAH.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rob MacLeod <macleod@CVRTI.UTAH.EDU>
Subject:      radiator fan question

Folks,

The weather in Utah has finally warmed slightly (from 50's to 70's F) and I
have a strange radiator fan behaviour on my '87 Westy (70k miles) that I
don't understand.

For the last few days, each time I start up, the radiator fan runs for
about a minute and then shuts down, then comes on again fairly regularly as
I drive (so far, only around the city, short stretches of interstate).
When I shut down, the fan does not run on after I kill the engine.  But, if
I then turn the key so that everything gets power, the fan runs and runs.
If, after a few minutes of this, I start the engine, the fan runs for a
minute or so and then shuts down.

The temp indicator sits nicely in the middle of the range throughout and
when I checked the overflow reservoir last night, it was about .5-1 cm
below the low line on the cannister.  I forgot to check it this morning on
my way out the door (I commute by bike and use the Westy mostly for fun).
None of the indicator lights have come on.

I also checked the rear of the car and it seems subjectively warmer than I
recall.  I have no data on this and have not paid much attention, but a
five-mile trip last night had the rear panel of the back end (beside the
license plate) quite warm to the touch--I mean I could easily hold my hand
on the external metal, but only just.

I tried scanning the archives for info but the search engine seems to be
hammered and a manual search of the last few archive files did not yield
anything relevent.  So I turn to the list for suggestions on what might be
going on.

I plan to top up the coolant no matter what, but should such a small drop
in coolant levels lead to this strange behaviour?

Thanks,

Rob.
Salt Lake City, Utah
'87 Westy