Hey guys, have been battling with my 04 trying to overheat this summer. Got all the air out of the system, checked temps of the whole radiator(all hot), did a combustion test that was fine, put a actual 180 degree thermostat in last month but it still wants to climb into the 200+ range. With ac on it gets up to 222 before I have to shut it down. I know the temps are in the 100s everyday here in Texas. I did find that the condenser fan is not working. Would that be the culprit? Thanks again for any help.

 

Yes, that is it.

 

Yes. Condenser fan if working with a properly maintained cooling system will keeps temps low. I found out mine wasn't working by using a long screwdriver and spinning it with it. If you want to replace the whole unit it can be quite expensive. I ended up rebuilding mine which cost me around $30. If you need any help let me know.

 

This is where I admit I was wrong. I had been saying for years how the condenser fan doesn’t help cool very much. Well, I was wrong. In the 90s ambient above 7k feet, I rarely see 190F on the UG. If I turn off the AC, it climbs much quicker at idle.

My guess is your fan isn’t doing so hot. Maybe think about a water pump as well. All I’m running is the 180F soft spring T stat, new Nissens Radiator, medium duty clutch and the Dorman fan with 50/50 green stuff and a splash of Water Wetter.

Something else to keep in mind is the condenser fan won’t kick on until 210F on the engine or if ambient temp is 80F (I think) and the AC is turned on.

 

Okay guys, found that the fan was rusted out, put a new/used one in and when ac was turned on while vehicle was running fan came on. Drove it later and sure enough temps started rising past 220. Looked and fan now does not run with ac. I’m guessing it might be a fuse but what would have blown it if so?

 

As I understand it the fan kicks on when 1 of 3 things happen - a/c on, coolant temp above 212F and driving below 30 mph. You might want to get a new radiator and temperature sensor. That made big difference for my 04 this year. BTW, I use the Hayden Severe Duty fan clutch with the Dorman fan.

 

Yeah the condenser fan isn’t your problem.

We’ve had up to 96F ambient the last couple days and on the climb up to 7400 feet from the office at 75 mph I hit 201F on the UG with both AC systems blaring. The moment I get off the freeway and it gets a break, it actually has dropped back to 177F. Now idling at stoplights for a couple minutes it will get up to 197F and settle there. If I’m going to sit for a few minutes I pop it in neutral and run the revs to 1200 and it drops to 186F.

In your case, it sounds like you have other components not working. When I buy a D2 (I’m on my 3rd) pretty much standard procedure is to replace the radiator, thermostat (180F- soft spring version this time), and the fan and clutch. I flush thoroughly with 50/50 green stuff ad add a splash of water wetter.

As I’m babbling, I just thought of something. I made the mistake this last time of putting the thermostat in backwards. Have you verified you put it in correctly?