Overheating Problem (1 Viewer)

[TunaBag]

Good evening all,

I recently moved to Houston and have been having an overheating problem while idling. It happens when I've been driving for awhile and then get stuck at a light or something where I have to sit there idling. It's not the radiator fan because I can hear in engage and disengage based on if the engine is warm or not yet. I can also control it by putting it in park and revving above 1,000RPM (doesn't take much) and the temp will come back down to normal. Anyways I figured the problem was the electric fan as I never heard it coming on when it would get hot. So I went ahead and replaced it and the old one was definitely bad as it did not spin freely. Let it idle in the garage for awhile and got hot again and the electric fan never came on. So from here where do I go? Is there a sensor somewhere that tells this fan to come on? If so where and is it easy enough to replace? Connector to the fan looked to be in decent shape. What else am I missing or is the sensor the next thing to replace? Is there another way to test and track down the problem that I'm missing? This is a 2002 LX by the way.

Thanks for your help!
Taylor

 

[nissanh]

The electric fan is for the AC.
It could be your radiator coolant tubes inside the radiator core are clogged or both AC condenser and radiator core fins are clogged with particulate matter. Also check the gap between the AC condenser and the radiator. When I bought mine, I found about a plastic bag full of hey and other stuff.
How old is the radiator? and the fan clutch?

 

[TunaBag]

Ahhh ok I knew it was called the ac condensor fan but just figured it came on when the ac caused everything to get too hot. So if it's solely for the AC when does it come on? I've never seen or heard mine come on even with the AC on full blast.

It could definitely be that the fins are clogged, there's a lot more bugs down here and the front of the car is plastered with them. Any suggestions on how to help prevent that if it's the problem? I'll take the pressure washer to it tomorrow night and see what comes out.

The fan clutch is about a year and a half old. Not sure how old the radiator is but mechanic had it out about a year ago to do the timing belt and water pump and didn't say anything about it looking bad then.

Sorry last question, why doesn't it automatically kick up the revs/fan when the temp starts to rise? I feel like I've had other cars that did that but maybe not.

 

[nissanh]

The condenser fan comes on with the pressure at the high side. If it is too hot, the the fan comes on. ''Yes, get rid of those bugs and such. I wash the condenser and radiator with the garden hose. Make sure to apply the stream of water 90 degrees to the fins otherwise you will bend the fins. First apply a gentle spray of water and let it soak. Then wash it with a garden hose (without any pressurized water). I generally do it from inside of the engine towards the front.
If the radiator is more than 10 years old, it is best to replace it. You can find the manufactured date printed on it. It's like a dial in the clock with an arrow pointing to a number. You see 3 dials like that, each per year, month and date.

Some install bug screens to prevent bugs getting in. You can install it behind the front grill. I am thinking about doing it too. Many in Australia is doing this to their trucks. Make sure to remove it when you are towing something or on a very hot day.

 

[TunaBag]

Ok fantastic, thank you for your help! I will give it a good wash tonight and see if that doesn't help.