dkas Posted May 15, 2014 Report Share Posted May 15, 2014 I need some expert advise on this problem. I have an 1994 olds cutlass convertible with the 3.4 dohc. Driving in town when I stop the temp gauge shoots up and just before the red it the fan comes on and reduces the temp a bit, when the fan turns off it shoots up again. While I am driving the temp goes back to normal. Recently I have starting driving to a new job on the highway for about 30 minutes each way. The temp gauge never moves, but the car is so hot. When I got home tonight, it really smells, and it was still to hot to touch after almost 2.5 hours of sitting in the laneway. It is not overly hot today, with temp in the low to mid 60's. Where it is the hottest is the metal over the radiator (painted part) and the dual overhead cams are burning hot. Letting the car run, I have observed the fan on the passengers side come on, but never seen the on the driver's side come on. Last year I had the thermostat changed when it was in the garage for a tune up. I am sure the car is overheating but he gauge may not be working right. It is way to hot after sitting for so long and it smells like it is burning. Suggestions, thoughts would be appreciated. I am leaning towards, the driver's side fan not working so not enough air is being pulled through the radiator, or the rad may be gummed up, but the rad looks to be fairly new and in good shape. The other thing I am thinking is the water pump is not working right, but I don't hear any noise or puddles under the car. It does not leak anything but a bit of oil. The coolant is good, and full. It is not dirty and it does not have oil or dirt in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Escobar Posted May 15, 2014 Report Share Posted May 15, 2014 Have you tried bleeding it and seeing if any air bubbles come out? There's 2 bleeders. One by the brake booster, the other by the thermostat... which btw you didn't mention whether or not it was bled after swapping. Also, an ALDL cable might be of help for you so you can see what the ECM thinks the car's temperature is. That would take out the "gauge isn't working" possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxie500XL Posted May 15, 2014 Report Share Posted May 15, 2014 (edited) I'm betting the primary (driver side) fan either isn't running, or runs too slowly to cool the engine at low speeds. The key here is you seem to be describing things are fine while at highway speeds, where plenty of air is pushed into the radiator by your speed, and things get hot when you slow down, and the engine has to rely on the fan. The ECM will command the secondary fan (passenger) to come on when things get too hot, then shut back down again, as the ECM is assuming the primary fan is on the job. Easy test, turn the air conditioner on. The primary fan should be on any time the A/C is being used. Keep in mind, though, just because the fan is running doesn't mean it's running fast enough. You should feel pretty good airflow from the fan at least as far back at the back edge of the black plastic DOHC cover. If not, replace the fan motor. I've replaced far more tired fan motors that couldn't move enough air to keep things cool, than I ever have had one completely fail. Edited May 15, 2014 by Galaxie500XL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkas Posted May 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2014 Thanks guys, I am going to replace the primary fan and see if that makes a difference. Thanks for the ideas I am sure I will get it resolved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkas Posted May 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Ok been chasing down this heat issue. I have witnessed the driver's side rad fan operate and it is working well, I don't think that is the issue. I believe the gauge is working because the car is not overheating until I turn it off and it sits. I driver the car for 30 minutes, came home check the engine and it was warm, but not hot, hot like it has been. 30 minutes later the engine was so hot that if you touched it you would burn your fingers complete with blisters from the burns. The entire engine was this hot, the oil dip stick I could not pull out because it was so hot. The antifreeze is fine, the heat in the car works really well, there are no coolant leaks and the coolant level never changes, so it is not burning it. I had a garage change the thermostat last year, I don't if they bleed the air off, I am assuming so, but you never know. I will try that tomorrow. My son thinks that cat might be plugged??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 that sounds kind of normal..... i know the LH0 loves to transfer transfer a lot of heat to the upper intake once the engine is off. i wonder if the same effect is common on the LQ1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 So you've seen both fans on? I know it has been that I couldn't touch any first gen engine intake manifold after it was well warmed up, including LQ1, but you're claiming burning smells, etc? Are the spark plug wires melting to the manifold or anything? I can only recall a couple times I couldn't touch the core support due to heat, only the hottest summer days running the A/C after a good long run I imagine. I dunno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkas Posted May 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Really, this could be normal? I would expect an engine to heat up a bit more after you turn it off because coolant is not circulating, but even after an hour, I still could not touch the engine. The fenders were even hot to the touch and it smelled like it was burning or about to go up in flames. I don't think I will be parking it in the garage. It just seems very excessive and since heat is the #1 killer of engines I thought it needs to be investigated. Seriously, it burnt me and I got a blister from the burn by trying to check the engine oil. The dipstick was that hot. I need to find one of those temp guns you point at the vehicle and it shows you the temp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 So you've seen both fans on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxie500XL Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 So you've seen both fans on? An excellent question...though it sounds as if your symptoms are a bit different from what you first described. It sounds a lot like the thermostat is occasionally sticking, but it's hard to say. LQ1's do tend to run fairly hot..fortunately for me, the genius I bought my car from tried to jack up the car at the lower radiator support, crushing the radiator in the process, so the first thing I did to mine was replace the radiator with a new one, along with a new thermostat, and water pump. It rarely runs above 200*, except on very hot days in traffic with the air conditioner on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.