When does your radiator fan switch on?

[bravekozak]

m3, when you purchase any used car, it's always buyer beware.
If you don't have it inspected on a hoist at a garage, then...

I did not do any inspection on my Festiva, since I bought it on eBay for $248.

Three words. In good faith.

[skeeters_keeper]

Running the car with the temp gauge near the upper white line and/or the coolant low can be enough to finish off a HG. There's a good chance it was fine when you bought it. I also wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it 100% has a blown HG without a leak down test and driving it longer at NOT (normal operating temperature) to make sure its not just condensation. This means fixing your cooling/fan problem first.

Since you don't seem to be the mechanical type, perhaps you should sell the car to someone who is and buy a newer vehicle. As much as I love festivas even the newest ones are >20 years old now, and either you're going to have to do some work yourself or you're going to have to pay someone.

[crazyrog17]

In regards to the cap and oil, it's perfectly normal for some condensation to build up there and look milky. Some moisture in the crank case will stay in the cooler months until it evaporates when it's warmer.

Leak down test will put you at ease. Maybe your temp is fine but the gauge is screwy.

[TorqueEffect]

Yeah I get the milky stuff in my oil cap too. It is normal.

Now if the milky stuff appears on the oil dipstick, THEN you have a problem.

[bolokid]

M3,

Before you jump to conclusions get in touch with me and we can schedule a time you can drive over and we will check the car out. I am currently in the process of rebuilding an engine for one of our Festies so it might be helpful for you to see the internals of the little 1.3 powerhouse.

I would like to see these issues corrected so you can join us when we go to Westiva in July. Also I am tossing around the idea of starting a local Festie club.

Bob

m3, when you purchase any used car, it's always buyer beware.
If you don't have it inspected on a hoist at a garage, then...

I did not do any inspection on my Festiva, since I bought it on eBay for $248.

Three words. In good faith.

[m3t4lm4n222]

Oh trust me. I know it's buyer beware. When I said i'd be upset, i'd be upset at myself. HOWEVER i'm also beginning to get upset with the ship where I got the temp switch and temp sensor replaced. As soon as I bought the car, I paid $200 to have both replaced on my day off, yet my fan still doesn't kick in. When I brought it back in, they said it's normal not for it to kick in until the final white notch. Not only that, but I got an oil change and my assumption would be that if I had any milky residue in my oil, they would of let me know.

Regardless of the situation, i'll be fine. It's just never fun seeing money go down the drain. Especially when you're 19 and unsure of when your job may end.

What tests should I perform to put my mind at ease. I'm confident I can perform a block test, but i've been told that if that passes, that doesn't necessarily mean there's no leak.

[m3t4lm4n222]

Let me be clear. The car wasn't out of coolant. The radiator is full of it. After I posted that picture of it looking low, I put maybe 1 10th of a gallon in and it was back to the top level.


I drove the car again and let it set overnight, then checked the dipstick. No milky residue.


I may not be 100% mechanically included, but I was smart enough to investigate the cooling issue as soon as it arised.

Should I replace the fan switch AGAIN? I did manage to find the sensor in the block you where talking about as well.

[bolokid]

Since my Festie is down right now you can come over and we will pull your switch and put mine in and see if the problem is solved. I know that my switch was working properly. You might want to stop at O'Reilly's and pick up a seal first. Just let me know. I will PM you my cell #

[m3t4lm4n222]

I just went by O'rielly's and picked up a sensor and a head gasket testing kit as well.

Kit passed. Fluid stayed blue.

I am going to test this new sensor before we proceed Bolo. I appreciate the offer, i'll probably take you up on it if the issue persists.

[m3t4lm4n222]

I replaced the sensor. Sure enough...it turns on at mid point now.

That frustrates the heck out of me, especially since now I know it was getting much hotter than it should have been. Not only that, but the shop I took it to told me this was normal AND charged me to replace the thing in the first place!

[crazyrog17]

Sure it's too bad that not everybody is an expert on a 20y.o. econobox. I'm sorry it didn't work out with the shop but I'm glad you still have a Festiva to take care of. One that will take care of you!

[m3t4lm4n222]

It's understandable not to be an expert, but what's not understandable is to tell someone with overheating issues that the temperature their experiencing prior to the fan turning on is normal when you inform them that the fan still hasn't been kicking on when you paid to have it replaced. Who knows what kind of damage could have or may have occurred due to the car reaching those near red zone temperatures. I managed to get a refund set up in regards to the repair already.