[Vwdiesel] fan was *more 81 Rabbit adventures* \

[Val Christian]

Actually, I ran a 91 Jetta NA without a working cooling fan for 
9 months.  The fan is seldom needed unless you endure start and stop 
traffic, or it's air conditioning season.  Even then, when rolling
down the road, the fan is not necessary.

Running in the winter, with the temp near red, there is a 
problem other than the fan.  For a couple of reasons....

first, from the description, this is a stable temperature,

second, the car isn't overheating, with boiling etc.

This suggests that it is stable temp wise, and that is
usually a circulation problem, such as an obstruction, or a pump 
which is impaired.  

I had a NA diesel which ran near the red, but never into it,
and it had a mecahnically failed thermostat.  Specifically, the plate on the
thermostat failed, and blocked the water pump.

So the bottom line is that:

a. In BOS at this time of year, one may not need the radiator fan

b. if the fan was not working, it would not explain a stable high
temperature

Good luck.


> 
> I know that the engine would heat up enough even in winter to often enough
> to overheat if the fan is not on (especially at high speeds and when
> climbing hills).
> I ended up running a line to a switch in the dash that turns the fan on, and
> that has kept my overheating to a minimum
> 
> 
> On Dec 19, 2007 10:41 AM, B & R Decker <bdecker001 at centurytel.net> wrote:
> 
> > Hi Stephen;
> >        I think you are on to something here. The radiator fan should have
> > been one of the first clues to whether the engine is really running hot.
> > If
> > the engine is truly hot, has coolant in the radiator and engine
> > circulating
> > properly then the fan would have to be running all the time if the
> > temperature sensor in the radiator and the fan are in proper order.
> > Normally
> > on a VW 1.6 diesel in a Rabbit it is hard to get the temperature up enough
> > in the winter time around here to cycle the fan. If I just start the rig
> > and
> > let it idle it would take forever. If I come back from a hard run and
> > leave
> > it running then the fan will usually cycle soon. One of the first things I
> > do when I acquire or work on a Rabbit is to be sure the fan is cycling. If
> > the fan cycles properly than the whole coolant system is working properly.
> > Brian
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com [mailto:vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com] On
> > Behalf Of Stephen Kraus
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 5:04 AM
> > To: William Longyard
> > Cc: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] *more 81 Rabbit adventures*
> >
> > Radiator Fan?
> >
> > On Dec 18, 2007 10:43 PM, William Longyard <longyard at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Get a new radiator.
> > >
> > > Bill Longyard
> > >
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> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Stephen T. Kraus Jr.
> > Home: (423)NONE
> > UB3RATL4Sf00 at gmail.com;
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> >
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Stephen T. Kraus Jr.
> Home: (423)NONE
> UB3RATL4Sf00 at gmail.com;
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