[V8] Radiator Auxiliary Fan Functioning Question

[Gunter Lorberg]

Spring has only just arrived and already the temp gauge needle has once gone over the 100 mark on a steady hill climb in moderate, but humid, temperature conditions.
 
I know that I need a replacement radiator--that project is already in progress...I had elevated temp gauge needle problems repeatedly last summer in hot, stop-and-go driving conditions....never overheated, however.
 
I was wondering whether the electric auxiliary cooling fan system was still functioning properly as I suspected it was malfunctioning late in the fall last year (but did nothing about it)....I believe that the fan was just not coming on...can no longer recall 100%, however.
 
I thought that one way of testing the system would be to test the thermostat switch on the bottom of the radiator by bypassing the switch and bridging the connector.....doing so I expected the fan to come on but nothering happened.......the electrical contacts are not corroded and the metal fuse on the driver's side strut tower is intact (I even checked for conductivity given that a few years back a previous fuse was broken but this was not readily apparent until after loosening the fuse fasteners).
 
I guess that my bottom line question for anyone is how should I be going about checking the operation of the auxiliary cooling fan system?  There has to be a simple way of approaching this........
 
 
The car is a 1990 with automatic and 190 000 miles.
 
 
Got my first speeding ticket of the year on the I-90 on Friday night east of Rochester....despite having a new Valentine 1.......I guess that I had become too complacent in my stealth driving techniques as of lately........I wasn't tailing anyone else, for example......I will find a way to fight it!
 
 
 
Thanks.
 
Gunter Lorberg
Toronto/Ithaca, NY (I spend my weekends in the USA)
(2) 1990 'Canadian' V8's with automatics