I have a 1995 3.8L that sometimes runs a little warm (can get 3/4 of the way to hot on the factory temp guage, though I'm not saying that that gauge is 100% accurate).
During the Winter I do not seem to have the problem, but once it gets warmer the temperature will start going up when sitting at idle, after the car has run for some time. If the car is moving over ~30 mph, there isn't a problem. And upon cold start up there is not a problem (when letting the car idle for 10-15 minutes).
Two years ago I had the fan relay (I believe that was the part) replaced per a Ford recall, and I'm not sure if that's the issue. Today I drove the car for ~35 min and then let it idle for ~10 min. I did not see the fan turn on at all, even when the temp started to increase slightly. I'm not sure how warm it needs to be for the fan to turn on, but to me it seems like the fan is not working. How can you tell if this is a fan related issue?
Here are a few more observations:
-When the car is warm and at idle, right before the temp starts to increase the rpms drop a bit (50-100 rpms) and the battery voltage drops too (1-3 volts). The rpm/voltage drop only happens for a few seconds, then it returns to regular idle rpms and voltage, but temp starts to increase little by little.
-I do have a small coolant leak somewhere. I think my reservoir bottle has a small crack in it. When I fill it, it drops to about 1/3 full after a few months (2-3). My radiator has always been full when I removed the cap (when the car is cold). I'm pretty sure it's not the radiator leaking, the upper or lower radiator hose, or the water pump, but I'm not 100% sure. When I spot coolant under the car, it is usually minimal and seems like it's falling from the front of the car (radiator/reservoir area).
To me, it seems like the fan is trying to kick on when warm (hence the rpm and voltage drop), but something is wrong and it won't turn on. However, maybe I'm completely wrong.
And I don't know if it matters, but the car is the base base model 3.8L V6. It has factory A/C delete.
Thank you in advance for the help
During the Winter I do not seem to have the problem, but once it gets warmer the temperature will start going up when sitting at idle, after the car has run for some time. If the car is moving over ~30 mph, there isn't a problem. And upon cold start up there is not a problem (when letting the car idle for 10-15 minutes).
Two years ago I had the fan relay (I believe that was the part) replaced per a Ford recall, and I'm not sure if that's the issue. Today I drove the car for ~35 min and then let it idle for ~10 min. I did not see the fan turn on at all, even when the temp started to increase slightly. I'm not sure how warm it needs to be for the fan to turn on, but to me it seems like the fan is not working. How can you tell if this is a fan related issue?
Here are a few more observations:
-When the car is warm and at idle, right before the temp starts to increase the rpms drop a bit (50-100 rpms) and the battery voltage drops too (1-3 volts). The rpm/voltage drop only happens for a few seconds, then it returns to regular idle rpms and voltage, but temp starts to increase little by little.
-I do have a small coolant leak somewhere. I think my reservoir bottle has a small crack in it. When I fill it, it drops to about 1/3 full after a few months (2-3). My radiator has always been full when I removed the cap (when the car is cold). I'm pretty sure it's not the radiator leaking, the upper or lower radiator hose, or the water pump, but I'm not 100% sure. When I spot coolant under the car, it is usually minimal and seems like it's falling from the front of the car (radiator/reservoir area).
To me, it seems like the fan is trying to kick on when warm (hence the rpm and voltage drop), but something is wrong and it won't turn on. However, maybe I'm completely wrong.
And I don't know if it matters, but the car is the base base model 3.8L V6. It has factory A/C delete.
Thank you in advance for the help
