cooling fans set to key on good or bad?
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Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Sanford, Florida
Car: 1990 IROCZ
Engine: 5.0
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Richmond 3.73 and Aurburn diff
cooling fans set to key on good or bad?
I have a small overheating problem whenever i sit at a light my car will heat up to about 240 or 250 before it starts to cool down, and if i do a long burnout with my car it starts to overheat. well i was thinking about wiring up my fans to where they come on as soon as the key is or i could wire them up to a switch and turn them on whenever i want or need to? has anyone done this or is there a better way to do this?
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Cambridge, OHIO
Car: 85 T/A
Engine: BBC
Transmission: glide w/brake
You can put them on a switch, I don't really like that, but that's just me. I made a post looking for a coolant temp sensor that will kick the fans on around 200*F instead of 238*F. I think that would be the best answer, I'll reply again on your post if I can find out something.
Do you still have your A/C hooked up and working? If not, you could always just switch over to A/C, that will kick your fans on. Just an idea
Do you still have your A/C hooked up and working? If not, you could always just switch over to A/C, that will kick your fans on. Just an idea
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From: Fla
Car: 90 IROC
Engine: 406
Transmission: GMPP 93/4L60
Axle/Gears: 9 bolt 3.27
I have a small overheating problem whenever i sit at a light my car will heat up to about 240 or 250 before it starts to cool down, and if i do a long burnout with my car it starts to overheat. well i was thinking about wiring up my fans to where they come on as soon as the key is or i could wire them up to a switch and turn them on whenever i want or need to? has anyone done this or is there a better way to do this?
Supreme Member

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 9,550
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From: Charleston, SC
Car: 91 Camaro Vert
Engine: 02 LS1, HX40
Transmission: 2002 LS1 M6
I have a small overheating problem whenever i sit at a light my car will heat up to about 240 or 250 before it starts to cool down, and if i do a long burnout with my car it starts to overheat. well i was thinking about wiring up my fans to where they come on as soon as the key is or i could wire them up to a switch and turn them on whenever i want or need to? has anyone done this or is there a better way to do this?
instead of attempting to band-aid a problem..... why dont you fix the real problem with your cooling system?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 85
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From: Sanford, Florida
Car: 1990 IROCZ
Engine: 5.0
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Richmond 3.73 and Aurburn diff
um because i have all the stuff i need to do it and its free? maybe thats why.
but i went ahead and wired both fans to a swith that i can turn on when it starts to heat up before it reaches the 238 mark
Supreme Member

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 9,550
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From: Charleston, SC
Car: 91 Camaro Vert
Engine: 02 LS1, HX40
Transmission: 2002 LS1 M6
if im reading your first reply correctly......... assuming the fans come on at all..... the fans have nothing to do with your cooling problem.
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Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 85
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From: Sanford, Florida
Car: 1990 IROCZ
Engine: 5.0
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Richmond 3.73 and Aurburn diff
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 19,282
Likes: 103
From: Lawrence, KS
Car: Met. Silver 85 IROC/Sold
Engine: 350 HO Deluxe (350ci/330hp)
Transmission: T-5 (Non-WC)
Axle/Gears: Limited Slip 3.23's
Try the easy solutions first. Does the car have an air dam? Check for debris between the radiator and condenser.
JamesC
JamesC
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 9,550
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From: Charleston, SC
Car: 91 Camaro Vert
Engine: 02 LS1, HX40
Transmission: 2002 LS1 M6
really, it comes down to troubleshooting the actual problem.
i cant sit here on the internet and go step by step for basic troubleshooting, but i'll answer any specific questions the best i can.
----------
btw, the fans coming on should be a hint that the problem is NOT that the fans dont come on...... matter of fact, if you're overheating with the fans on, it should be very obvious that there is a problem that cannot be correctly solved by "turning the fans on more"..
check your coolant level(inside the radiator).
check if your thermostat opens and coolant flows freely..
check your radiator cap.
check your airdam.
check for crap blocking the radiator
go thru it step by step.
Last edited by MrDude_1; Jan 4, 2007 at 11:42 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 85
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From: Sanford, Florida
Car: 1990 IROCZ
Engine: 5.0
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Richmond 3.73 and Aurburn diff
it does have an air dam....i cleaned all the debri out of the radiator and flushed it not to long ago. I also replaced the water pump thermostat and both fans work. the only thing i dont have is a heater core which doesnt necessarily have to do with cooling really. but the hose ports on the radiator are blocked off. basically its fine driving down the road but if i sit for a while heats up to about 230-240 before coming back down and if i beat on it, it heats up pretty quick and doesnt come down. so i figured its the fans since they are still set to the stock and dont have enough time to get air through the radiator and get the coolant cooled down.
Last edited by irocz1228; Jan 4, 2007 at 08:27 PM. Reason: more needed
Joined: May 2004
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From: Lexington, SC
Car: 1987 SC/1985 TA
Engine: 350/vortec/fitech
Transmission: T56
Axle/Gears: 3.27 9-bolt
"btw, the fans coming on should be a hint that the problem is NOT that the fans dont come on...... matter of fact, if you're overheating with the fans on, it should be very obvious that there is a problem that cannot be correctly solved by "turning the fans on more"..
Thermo for me was in '84 and applied after that but I'm still intrigued by this "turning the fans on more" concept. It's got me feeling so, uhm , Newtonian, so to speak....
Thermo for me was in '84 and applied after that but I'm still intrigued by this "turning the fans on more" concept. It's got me feeling so, uhm , Newtonian, so to speak....
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 19,282
Likes: 103
From: Lawrence, KS
Car: Met. Silver 85 IROC/Sold
Engine: 350 HO Deluxe (350ci/330hp)
Transmission: T-5 (Non-WC)
Axle/Gears: Limited Slip 3.23's
This from the sticky at the top of the page:
http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox...overheat-1.htm
Good luck.
JamesC
http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox...overheat-1.htm
Good luck.
JamesC
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,338
Likes: 73
From: Lexington, SC
Car: 1987 SC/1985 TA
Engine: 350/vortec/fitech
Transmission: T56
Axle/Gears: 3.27 9-bolt
The cooling system is designed to transfer heat from one medium to another. A correctly operating cooling system will transfer more heat than the system produces and will cause a drop in engine operating temperature. Your engine operating temperature is not dropping so your cooling system is NOT operating correctly.
You said that even with the fans running the system still overheats. Think we can rule out fan operation as a likely cause of your overheating problem?
You said that even with the fans running the system still overheats. Think we can rule out fan operation as a likely cause of your overheating problem?
Supreme Member

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 9,550
Likes: 4
From: Charleston, SC
Car: 91 Camaro Vert
Engine: 02 LS1, HX40
Transmission: 2002 LS1 M6
The cooling system is designed to transfer heat from one medium to another. A correctly operating cooling system will transfer more heat than the system produces and will cause a drop in engine operating temperature. Your engine operating temperature is not dropping so your cooling system is NOT operating correctly.
You said that even with the fans running the system still overheats. Think we can rule out fan operation as a likely cause of your overheating problem?
You said that even with the fans running the system still overheats. Think we can rule out fan operation as a likely cause of your overheating problem?
you can setup your engine to overheat too.... check your timing... improper base timing can also dump HUGE amounts of heat into your cooling system, overtaxing it.
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