radiator

[Mike Mulholland <meyeke@netinc.ca>]

well i need some btdt pleeeeeeze. my 5kcdtq cooling fan has been running on
tornado mode only, for a few weeks...it -has- been hot here...but it still
seems to cycle on and off too frequently and during a long run, especially
in stop and go the fan draws a substantial current on start up. enough to
momentarily shut down the ecu!!!! today i decided to look at it. i drained
the rad, disconnected the electricals and the hoses, undid the two bolts and
the one nut from underneath, and removed the fasteners from above.....only
to discover that the a/c condenser is connected to the rad at the bottom.
huh?? how does a guy get at these fasteners connecting the condenser to the
rad? and what are they?
        btw when i removed the top cover for the rad plenum i was shocked at
the amount of crud collected on and in my rad fins...no wonder it was
overheating. none at all on the condenser though??even though it's in front
of the rad. i wonder if the p/o replaced the condenser and no one cared
enough to clean the rad---he used the dealer for everything, and spent more
in one year than i paid for the entire car and two subsequent years of diy
repairs.
i'll appreciate any help here. the underneath is covered by plastic ducting.
also since i'm typing..is the metal plate fastened to the frame in front of
the rad and condenser the resistor block for the cooling fan??

thanks

mike

86 5kcdtq
84 5ks
84 5ksw