Radiator fan

Hi all,I am new to this forum as I have only jus bought a 1992 Super Custom.
My question is this,after owning the vehicle for a couple of days I noticed that the rad fan seems to run constantly as soon as I turn the ignition on,im not sure if it did this at first but I cant remember noticing it,is it supposed to do this or has the rad switch failed in the closed position? Also the heater only gets lukewarm so im thinking of flushing the system and replacing the stat,no heat seems to get to the rear heater.
Also where would I find the front washer bottle?

Many Thanks
Gareth

the fan on my supercustom(2.4)is driven by a fan belt not an electric type,dunno about ya problem with the heater(mine isnt the warmest),and last your washer bottle for the front is only accessible when you open the passenger door just above the step.the rear (if ya looking)is on the left side as you open the rear tailgate

Hi Gareth, I have exactly the same problem - except my heater doesn't work at all! This weekend I'll give it a flush through ( worked well on the Townace! ) and fit a new stat. Will let you know what happens........

The fan turns all of time. It has a fluid clutch that makes it turn faster when it;s hot and less when it's cold....? I don;t get the logic for this type of system other than a failed switch wont result in overheating.

RE: no heat... If your temp gauge rises quickly and sits in the middle then there is no need to change the thermostat. It’s probably working correctly. Your lack of heat is likely just and indication that your coolant fluid is either low or has air bubbles in it.

Hi Zoochy, Temp seems to be ok, and I've checked levels & massaged the top hose - I think air is all out - but rad does not get hot. Could it be blocked rad? If it was, wouldn't engine overheat? Rear heater doesn't work either.

Hmm, we have a mystery fan too...
It's not the main engine fan that goes on with the ignition, not the heater, and it doesn't always come on either?!

And yes it comes from the front too...

(Our heater works fine though, apart from the missing adjustment knob for the temperature, it's on maximum...)

Thanks for all the replies,there definitely is a fan that comes on with the ignition and the engine doesnt have to be running, I wonder what it is? does anybody have a drivers manual?

A tip regarding poor performance from the heater, get one of the better halfs tights, take off the hoses to and from the heater.
Put the heater on full, put the tights over the pipe to the heater, attach a hose pipe to the exit pipe and back flush the heater.
You will be amazed at the muck and rubbish that accumulates in the heater radiator.
I do this at least 3 times a year as it appears that the heater is a filter for the heater system. Its much better than Rad Flush


I reckon the electric fan must be a mod as the manuals show the viscous fan hub which only turns when the engines running.

could it be one of the large aircon fans on the underneath

Is there a seperate fan for air con,sounds like it could be this as I have been fiddling with various buttons........

I still have a fan that starts as soon as I turn on my ignition,I now realise that the cooling fan is viscous so what is the fan I can hear coming from the front of the vehicle,are they indeed air con fans?if so how do I turn them off?
Gareth

Okay,now im getting somewhere.....replaced the stat, heater now fine,after poking around and learning some more I realise that engine is cooled by viscous and condenser for air con sits perpendicular to rad with its own fan,if I plug the fan relay back in im still getting live to the fan all the time with the ignition on,I have used the air con today and although its blows very cold it is obviously not as good as it should be with the air con fan not pulling air past the condenser,Does anybody know if the fan is supposed to come on when you turn the compressor on every time or does it only come on at certain times like when the ambient air is above a certain temp for example?

Gareth

I don't notice too much noise from our 97 with air con on. Maybe the sensor is buggered or the wiring modded?

Some vehicles do have a separate fan for aircon which spins all the time though.

my aircon packed in working because one of the three sensors on the radiator cap manifold was loose(2.4td sensor was the one under where the top hose attatches).not saying its this but it could be one of many that maybe faulty causing it to stay on.have you tried pulling the switch from the console and testing it?you could have a faulty switch

Maximus Hi,I have checked the sensor on the thermostat housing and this seems to check out okay,my air con relay has five contacts,one is constantly live and one becomes live with ignition, im not sure what actually switches the fan in and out,the air con cools great whilst in motion but im guessing that with the fan relay removed as soon as I get in traffic it wont be as efficient as there is no air flow passing the condenser,does the fan cut in depending on temperature of the refrigerant? and is the relay pin that I have constantly live supposed to be the switched one?

Regards
Gareth

sorry fella cant help you with the testing of the relays n stuff i havent got the gear or the knowledge .it is possible that someone on the site has already done this or its their area.can anyone else help

Okay thanks,just need somebody with a Super Custom,a test lamp and kind heart
Gareth

Hi guys,finally got to the bottom of this rad fan thing,turns out it WAS one of the sensors on the thermostat housing,it controls the rad/air con fans but according to the chap at the Toyota dealer it also controls the cold start side of the injector pump........I thhink he said something about a possible fifth injector but also said that I would be always running too rich as the faulty sensor was telling the ECU that it was always cold hence 25mpg!!!!,will fit the sensor in the morning and hopefully the fans will only work when they need to and my fuel mileage improve.

Gareth