I have been racking my brain over this issue I have with the engine running upwards of 220 (with AC off), and hotter, upwards of 240, with AC on. I put a 180 Tstat in it, and a brand new CTS in. When I was bleeding the cooling system, I noticed the driver's side fan is not as loud as the passenger side. Is there a way (preferably free, or cheaply) to tell what the actual fan RPMs are at? I am thinking that the Driver side is spinning slower than the pax side.

Also, if I spin the drivers side by hand it makes a faint little squeaky sound.

Could this be a contributing factor to why it is running so hot?

* The passenger side fan is on all the time (key in the run position). The driver side only comes on when the engine is running, but is on until the engine stops. The Fan switch in the pax cylinder head is disconnected and no sign of the connector anywhere. The PO was real hack when it came to wiring.

 

If you have enough air going through the rad it will cool. You need to get the fans closer to the rad so the fans arent bleeding off air around the sides of the blades. Run the car and spray water through the rad when it is getting hot and see how well the water hose cools it. Get a friends car with the same fan set-up and see if they make the same sound as in RPM.

 

Any time theres a problem with a cooling system I say change the cap first.
Sounds like the PO ground the wire going to the switch in the head. What's a CTS. Sorry.
If you have two fans running while the car is running at all times and a 180* stat and are still pushing 220*/240* than I would even look closely at fan rotation. Have someone kill power to each fan one at a time watching closely with a bright light. If there pullers than make sure they are pulling. If the PO liked to hack at the wiring he may have the polarity backwards on one or both fans. Also if you or the PO drained the system than making sure there are no air pockets in the system is very important.(burping).

 

Both fans are pulling. Put a piece of paper behind them and it blows toward the engine. How Do I move the factory fans closer to the radiator? Burped the HE11 out of the cooling system again, changed the cap, gonna try it out again.

CTS=Coolant Temp Sensor.

 

When does it run at these temperatures? Highway? Traffic?
Moving the fans closer to the radiator is really pissin in the ocean.
How long has it been acting this way? Was it normal before hand?
Need more info.

 

You can't test the fans that way. A pusher fan will not push all of the air through the fins of the radiator. A large percentage of the air is kicked back.It will give the impression its pulling. That’s the reason some of the guys I know got it wrong. They either don't know that the fan wires can be connected either way. One way pulls and the other pushes. The polarity gets mixed up. So they mount the fan and test it by sticking their hand down there to feel if the airs blowing the right direction. As mentioned above air that does not get pushed through blows back. .Its easiest to see the blades slowing down rather than on startup.

This may sound trivial but can easily be eliminated as a suspect.
I know this first hand. I have installed two thermostatically controlled ,adjustable switches and had to go through this procedure.

 

well, I have been driving witht the new CTS sensor. Temps are more stable. Drove arouind the city (stop and go) for about an hour and it just barely kissed 220 when I got home (never ran the AC). Fan still gives a little squeaking when I shut the car off.