radiator fan/ thermostat-HELP

[satmad]

i have a 95 1.8 gl. i just noticed today that the fan never kicks in the temp gauge is always stable at 80. i left the car unning and noticed steam coming from the top right side of the radiator behind the fan housing. all except one pipes are all warm but the fan still doesnt kick in. the bottom pipe out of the rad only warms up once i have turned the car off. i am not using the car noe in case of any further damage. do u think the thermostat is working? should i replace to eliminate it. last changed 3 years ago

[lolly]

i'm by no means an expert but i'm kinda working on a few things atm that covers some of the probs u have there. first off, have u checked the fuse for your fan? if its blown then there's a reason for it. mine blew and i'm still trying to figure out why.....might be the spindle is stuck. if your temp gauge only reads 80 then the fan won't kick in - it only starts on speed 1 at 92-97 then switches off between 84-91

as for the steam, most probably a leak somewhere. check all pipes first, squeeze them and check for any signs of a leak. sometimes u can hear a squirt as u squeeze if there's a leak. another thing perhaps is when the engine is cold and has been parked stationary, check the ground where the radiator is for any leaks.

haynes manual recommends you change your t-stat every 2 years or every 20,000 miles. t-stat could be stuck tho. i'm checking my t-stat on my 94 1.8 driver very soon and i'll be testing it to see if any probs. prob will change it anyways cos i havent had the car long and i dunno when the last change was

wouldnt recommend driving it until u sort the probs

[rysmee]

hi there, how long did you leave the car running for? in this cold weather it could take a good 20 min / half hour before it gets hot enough for the fan to kick in.
If your in any doubt and one of the pipes is staying cold i would change the stat anyway. its cheap and easy to do and will give you the piece of mind that its working. There are other things that could cause problems ( air lock in system or faulty temp sender) but the stats a good place to start.