PhilipM1

190E 2.6, 1993, 187K


So its not really over heatign as much as its getting really hot.

It runs between 80c-100c with the AC off.

My problem is, when I let it sit for a while, exspecially if im running the AC It goes up to 120c+

I do not know what the cause of this is. My AC fans come on, but only when my car gets to a certian temp, 110c.

Is this normal?

mctwin2kman

It sounds to me that your clutch fan is not engaging. The clutch should engage around 100C the electric are set to come on at 110C. 120+ is not a good thing. I would check the thermostat and radiator out as well. If the T-Stat is sticking then of course it does not matter of the fans come on or not since the Antifreeze will not be flowing into the block. My 2.3 will stay at 100C in traffic with only my aux fan. I removed the clutch fan on mine and installed a sensor to activate my electric at 100. I did get warmer when I had a bad radiator.

PhilipM1

My clutch fan works all the time. and i hear the noise when it starts to over heat. as soon as I start driving the car cools right back down to 100c like withing 10-15 seconds. SO im thinking of flushing the raditor. I dont know how old it is, but it looks ok. my fluid is full and stats full. so ill have to try to flush it and see what comes out. Thanks guys.

slk230red

I would replace the thermostat first and see if that makes a difference. If it doesn't and your fans are working, then maybe the radiator could be the problem.
I had to replace the thermostat on my 190 about 6 months ago.

bicylindrico

The high pressure switch on your A/C controls your aux. fans also. It sounds like the only time your fans come on is when the the engine temp switch turns them on. They should be cycling with the A/C on.

80 to 100C is fine.

PhilipM1

when the A/c come on, they come on...


Forget the a/c is on. I just put a 167c thermo in it. Im sitting at TacoBell drivethru, car gets over 100c. I have fluid in it. As soon as I start to drive again, it starts to go down, or if i put it in nutruel and rev it up to 3k or so.

My clutch fan spins all the time, it makes mroe noise when the car start to get over 100c though. Thats with the AC off.

bicylindrico

Check your aux. water pump. It is there to provide better circulation under those conditions of extended idling.

perfectzero

Make sure you distinguish between the engine driven electric fan and the auxiliary fan. Is the noise you talk about the aux fan or the engine driven fan? One way to determine if the thermostat is stuck or if the radiator is clogged is to use a infrared temp sensor on the radiator or shut the car off and put your hand on the radiator fins (on the engine side) and find cold spots. Be careful if its really overheating

PhilipM1

When I start my car, a fan comes on. When it gets hot, it spins faster, when i hit the gas, it spins even faster and makes a noticable noise.

Im going to take it to my mechanic and have him look at it this coming up sat. First week of every month (Im early this month, 2 oil changes in one month ), I get an oil change, so while its there im having a few things looked at. It idles kidna rough, its getting hot

Also, kidna random but when I have the air on, and im driving, sometimes when the car shifts, my belt sqweeks, and the compressor stops and my AC gets not so cold, then it wistles and the cold air comes back. kidna strange. I already replaced the belt, and that didnt fix anything. Someone said pulley tensioner, but the belt feels tight. I see what it is on sat i guess.

Thanks for the idea's ill have all that looked at on sat.

perfectzero

You have two electric fans. One that sits on the A/C condenser and another one driven by the engine (off the water pump pulley). One way to tell if the engine fan is bypassed directly is to have the engine off and the ignition in the on position. The engine fan blade should move when you try to move it (or see if you hear a click sound when the key comes on). If the car is overheating, off and ignition in the on position should produce the same results. Another way is to bypass the pins on the sensor and forcing the fan on.

PhilipM1

My "clutch" fan, the really big one, it moves. Its always spinning. As soon as my car goes on. The two little fans, come on when my car hits 110c or when the A/C comes on. All my fans work.

Im going to have the coolant flushed sat. and have my mechanic look at it. Ill let you guys knwo what it is sat. afternoon.

Thanks for all your help guys. Im going to write it all down and have them check everything. I hope it can get fixed sat.

mctwin2kman

Actually he has a 2.6 so he has two electric aux fans and then a clutch based belt driven fan. The clutch on the 2.6 is not a locking clutch like the 2.3, it is a normal clutch that will spin more as the engine gets hotter, locks up more and is variable based on temperature, they disengage around 4000 RPM. No sensor controls that fan. A sensor will tell the aux fans to come on full bore around 110 degrees.

perfectzero

I didn't notice that he was talking about the 2.6. changes everything! it has a viscous fan clutch.

PhilipM1

That all sounds exactly how mine works. Im going in tomorrow morning at around 9. Ill let you know the problem when I get back.

PhilipM1

didnt really have time for the overheat thing. Got oil change, and a transmission reverse flush or something? I think they suck everythign out backwards, I dont know. It did help alittle shifting at 6700 RPM into the next gear, its MUCH smoother.

Overheat problem, along with something about the ac problem im having, when the car shifts sometimes, the belt sqweeks when the ac's on, and then the air isnt cold anymore, then after some time, it whistles and gets cold again. They said it was pulley Tensioner? Or something. The guy game the part to get put on when we both have time. My threads are screwed up on the one I have. So maybe ill do that in two weeks or so and see if it helps.

He said the belt doesnt have enough tension on it run the water pump properly, and to keep enough tension on the compressor. we'll see.

perfectzero

reading your first post. I noticed that you mentioned that the AC fans only come on at 110 degrees. This is wrong if the AC is operating. The AC fans should come on using a temp switch on the AC dryer. If the AC is on and the car is sitting, the condenser should get hot and the hot side pressure should rise causing the fans to come on regardless of engine temperature. Hope this helps.

PhilipM1

I appriciate the knowledge, my 2 aux fans come on when i turn the a/c on. no matter what im doing. if the ac is on the fans spin. the aux fans only come on at 110, when the ac is off. The clutch fan engages, and by engages I mean it makes more noise, at 110c. The clutch fan always spins when the engine is on. But it spins faster at the higher temp.

My thermo stat is brand new, its a 167f. wich i think is only 78c. or so.

Im going to try to get the belt tensioner done soon, latest 2 weeks, and see if that fixes it.

Thanks everyone

perfectzero

The system seems to be ok. The clutch is intermittent and engages as the heat from the radiator goes up. The tensioner would be a problem is the belt doesn't have the proper tension because when either the ac clutch or the fan clutch engage, it puts a high load on the pulleys.

mctwin2kman

Silly question but have you checked with a IR Thermometer to see what the actual temperature is? I bought one to verify my temp as I was changing out that gauge cluster due to a faulty fuel gauge . After testing I re-calibrated the gauge by moving the needle to the appropriate place. Both gauges were off, the old one read 10 C higher than the actual temp and the new on was 10 C lower reading. They are really not meant to be spot on accurate but actually set to read a hair higher than the actual temp and as with any electronic device that could be between 14 to 23 years old it may not be correct any longer. Not to mention maybe the sensor has wondered. I would verify temp ranges via an actual instrument as well as flush and fill the coolant system and maybe add some Water Weter. Ensure you use the proper coolant as well.

When measuring temperature measure the radiator in all spots to check for warm/cold spots, also check the block temp in multiple places. My temps were higher with my old radiator and when I put a new one in the temps have since been great, used to get to 100 and pretty much stay there even when on the highway, I wired my aux fan to run at 100 instead of 110 since I no longer use my main fan due to an overpriced clutch and the amount of power it robs when active from the little 2.3. Anyhow get an IR thermometer and check that baby out. It was $50 at PepBoys for some peace of mind. Not to mention the fun uses around the house for the device.