Cooling fan/anti-freeze questions?

[bobstad]

My car is a '91 Festiva L 5-speed I've had nearly ten years almost and have about 163,000 miles on which had 85,000 when purchased June of '99. The car runs great, and seemingly even better than ever after an AutoRx treatment about 5,000 miles ago.(the motor is supposed to've never had any lubricant other than MOBILE ONE)

I was in grid-lock on the freeway, then rush hour traffic in downtown Seattle at 5:30 pm this past Thursday; when one of the OEM clamps on my bottom radiator hose I guess allowed the hose to slip off due to pressure from the motor being hot.(I replaced both top and bottom hoses with new Goodyear ones and screw type after-market clamps on the way back home; adding anti-freeze figuring the ninety mile drive without pump lubricant might damage or cause undue wear on the water pump I don't want to fool with until I replace the timing belt again in about 40,000 miles)

I've never had a functional cooling fan since I got the car June of '99 I didn't even notice didn't work for several years since living in Eureka, CA I never got in traffic jams and most miles were country, rural ones.

Now I've found SHUCKS auto parts here can get me a replacement switch for the one which is thermostatically controlled to turn the cooling fan on and off I assume is why my system has never worked; as I've read here at FF.com is often the problem.(the fan itself works fine, and I've never wanted to rig the thing so it runs all the time since that would cause unnecessary wear-though I'd like to maybe have a simple on-off switch to control the fan from the dash, but have read here at FF.com this would need to be pretty rugged due to the amps involved)

The switch is $40 and common to some other Fords, Mercurys and Mazdas of similar vintage.

I'm wondering if there is anything I need to know when installing this new switch I should be aware of?

And, I also now have nearly 100% anti-freeze in the motor; which seems to make it run a little warmer. Is this a problem and should I dilute to 50/50?(I've never seen another Festiva or Aspire like mine of the half dozen or so I've looked at in Eureka's local wrecking yard getting parts: Since the timing belt cover I noticed when I changed mine is very heat distorted I guess means the previous owner let the motor nearly fry, who got the car new in Alaska and is a jet helicopter mechanic with the Coast Guard who was being re-stationed there again from Eureka; is why I got the car June of '99)

I've also noticed there are several types of radiator additives available supposed to make the motor run cooler; which mostly seem suited to competition applications since they seem to function best when used with just water. Would one of these be worth the ten dollars or so they cost, to add to the coolant?

[jglutz]

When the electrical connector is remmoved from the switch...the fan should be running. It's a fail safe thing. If you disconnect the switch and the fan does not run...the problem is probalbly not the switch but somewhere else in the circuit.

If it is the switch....be sure to remoce the switch with a six point socket or box wrench....you will lose a little coolant....this be prevented by partially draining the system.

Be sure to clean the female threads in the engine with a small wire brush or the like.
I typical coat the new threads with red RTV prior to installation.
Make sure every thing is clean and you should not have a problem.

[mechanicaldj]

ahhhhhhhhhhh

my eyes my eyes!!!!!

too much to read, strained them, now i can't see


MEDIC!!!!!!


rant over

Bobstad, could you keep it short and to the point next time



and you may want to keep a 50/50 or 60 a/f 40% water in your radiator or you could be in for a surprise when your hoses erode and the straight a/f catches fire on your exhaust manifold just like a local police department found out (the HARD way)

[Pu241]

Also use only distilled or 18M Ohm water when you dilute the anti-freeze!

[bobstad]

Thanks; I'd thought there were reasons not to use 100% anti-freeze.

Sorry I'm not better at automotive short hand, but I didn't want to leave anything out.

I've been looking around at the old threads on the subject too here.

[freshtiva]

The timing belt covers distort anyway, it doesnt mean it nearly fried. It might be because they get oil on them from the leaking valve cover gaskets. Timing belt covers from aspires are different BTW. If your car has a/c you can test the rad fan motor by pushing the A/C button in.

[bobstad]

No A/C.

The cooling fan and assembly is external the car currently and has been for years. I've replaced the radiator with an all metal a/t after market one, and am currently shopping for the fasteners to reinstall the fan & its assembly with.(looks like a snug fit to get the fan/assembly back in with the a/m radiator)

So; with the fan connected to its power sources and the connection at the thermostatically controlled switch unplugged the fan should work assuming the switch is the only problem.(if a problem at all?) Might be a solution to immediate driving woes in the city...

I've had one radiator hose fail a few years ago I had to replace, and a tiny little one near the fan switch area of the motor. I got some generic heater hose to replace the stock heater hoses with; without the preformed bends. And also a length of small generic coolant hose to replace what remains of original small coolant hose.(I've seen posts where all the original OEM hoses are still intact and seem in good condition, but with two failures already going through my system and renewing everything; along with getting the fan working is my plan)

[bobstad]

So, the Aspire timing belt cover will not work on my Festiva?

I've seen enough undistorted ones on Festivas to imagine I could replace mine with one of those the next time I change the timing belt.(I wonder if Ford still sells the rubber gasket set; which was I think around $90 circa 2000 I didn't use then)

I do have some oil leakage, which after tightening the valve cover attachments improved. The engine was pristine when I got the car; though I have fewer resources to indulge any fastidiousness.(compared to a jet helicopter mechanic, I'd guess)

I'm surprised the Aspire timing belt cover is different; I'd wanted to snag the one off the '97 I got parts for the brake swap from, for my Festiva.(got side-tracked elsewhere instead)

[bobstad]

BTW Bellingham here is super eco "green" so that the whole county has banned wrecking yards more or less.

There are only two in the yellow pages; one a small one on the Lummi Nation.

The other place says staying in business here if difficult, due to environmental regulations being super stringent.

There are a glut of them south of here though; in Skagit, Snohomish, King & Pierce counties.(no doubt inspiring the local aversion to same)

I tend to enjoy my time picking parts at such places, so too bad now perhaps a fading reality if the trend here is indicative.(?)

[freshtiva]

I went out to get a picture of the aspire timing belt VS the festiva timing belt but could only find one of them without a lot of digging. If you got both halfs of the aspire cover it might work. But the two halfs of the festiva cover are different. I dont think you could use the upper cover from an aspire with the lower half of a festiva cover or visa versa. The angle where the halfs join is different.

[WmWatt]

If you don't have distilled water you can dilute the antifreeze with melted snow. Clean snow.

[Pu241]

The question is how clean is the snow?
The point is the cleaner the water the better.
So no dissolved solids and no organics is best.
It wouldn't be too difficult to make a very simple still to boil water and condense the vapors.
Especially in Ottawa, I would think, and the fester doesn't have a large capacity radiator(5.0 liters including overflow reservoir).
And you would only need 1/2 of that capacity (2.5L) of distilled water.
The remainder being antifreeze of your choice.
Maybe use clean snow and distill it!

[FB71]

just be cautious of yellow snow...

[anomoly40]

You could use brown snow if you distill it. Just make sure your distillary is outside, otherwise your house would be a little unplesant..

[miami man]

how about a b6 cover