1992-1999 Series I L27 (1992-1994 SE,SLE, SSE) & Series II L36 (1995-1999 SE, SSE, SLE) and common problems for the Series I and II L67 (all supercharged models 92-99) Including Olds 88's, Olds LSS's and Buick Lesabres Please use General Chat for non-mechanical issues, and Performance and Brainstorming for improvements.

Radiator Fan Problem

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Old 10-12-2002, 09:04 PM
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n/a = not applicable
*/c = super charged
Old 10-12-2002, 09:09 PM
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Oh... crap... I should have known that! It'* definitely not supercharged (well, it might be, in my dreams ).

-Roger
Old 10-12-2002, 09:12 PM
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Originally Posted by RogerH
DeathRat -

I think you asked earlier if the engine is NA or SC? I haven't a clue... how do I tell?
What are the differences?

I can reset the PCM by disconnecting the battery... no problem. Good idea.

Question on the Coolant Sender vs. the Coolant Sensor. I assume the sender is the one that feeds the temp guage (that seems OK). That one is probably located on the block, on a water passage, near the thermostat, no? The Coolant Sensor... is that one on the radiator itself? Is its purpose to check (low) coolant level and not temperature?

Thanks for all the info... I'm getting an education this evening!

-Roger
The coolant temp sender is mounted in the block, the sensor is under the throttle bracket. This is the one that controls the fans thru the ECM. NA is normally aspirated, SC is supercharged. Your SC cover will say supercharged if it is. If it isn't, your intake is probably black plastic with a plastic sheild.
Old 10-12-2002, 09:14 PM
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Oh, the ECT can be checked with an ohmmeter. 60°F should read about 4.4kohms.
Old 10-12-2002, 09:15 PM
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Originally Posted by RogerH
DeathRat -

I think you asked earlier if the engine is NA or SC? I haven't a clue... how do I tell?
What are the differences?

I can reset the PCM by disconnecting the battery... no problem. Good idea.

Question on the Coolant Sender vs. the Coolant Sensor. I assume the sender is the one that feeds the temp guage (that seems OK). That one is probably located on the block, on a water passage, near the thermostat, no? The Coolant Sensor... is that one on the radiator itself? Is its purpose to check (low) coolant level and not temperature?

Thanks for all the info... I'm getting an education this evening!

-Roger
Let'* start from the beginning:
1> NA = Naturally Aspirated & SC = SuperCharged
2> Coolant SENSOR sends the signal to the ECM to tell it when to turn the Electric Cooling Fans ON! The Coolant SENDER sends the signal to idiot/gauge.
3> The Coolant Level Sensor is the one in the RH tank of the Radiator. This sensor has nothing to do with the fans!
4> There is 2 Cooling Fan Relays in the Engine'* Compartments Fuse/Relay Block! (1 for each Fan).
5> There is also a Cooling Fan Resistor located on the LH fan shroud.
6> The Coolant SENSOR is located below the throttle body & screws into the intake manifold.
Old 10-12-2002, 11:33 PM
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What could I change on the car to make the fans turn on at a sooner temp! And also what trans cooler should I get!
Old 10-12-2002, 11:46 PM
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VZ, this is gonna get scary....you ready for this? Well, first, any tranny cooler would be great. ANY. About the same size as the stock unit. Even the small ones will be a benefit, but better cooling costs more money. I spent about forty bucks. Do the 180° Stat at the same time, though.

Now for the fans....the ECT is nothing more than a thermistor. A resistor that changes value depending on temperature. To get the fans to come on sooner, you have to trick the ECM into thinking it'* hotter than it is. Easy, right? Yes, it is.

About every 20° change equals about a 100 ohm difference in thermistor resistance. For instance, 212°F is 177 ohms, and 194° is 241, 176 is 332, and so on. As you get to the bottom of the scale, it'* not so linear, but we don't care, because the fans come on at the higher range, right? So if you want your fans to come on at 20° cooler, you simply splice a 100 ohm resistor in series with the thermistor. The same trick can be done with the IAT.....if fact, kits for the IAT are sold commercially. You can do it yourself quite simply. Try this one.......you can use a switch to make them come on when you want, but then again, auto is better.

Any of this help?

BTW, VZ, I gotta know.......go here:
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=848
Old 10-12-2002, 11:59 PM
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That helps alot , but what do I hook up the trans cooler to? Is the stock one ine the radiator. Do I even have one ?
Old 10-13-2002, 12:03 AM
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First, too tired, too much beer.....I gave you the old thermistor problem in reverse. You have to decrease the resistance to trick the ECM into thinking it'* a higher temp. That'* putting a resistor in parallel...I could do the math and figure it out for you if you wanted.

Go look at your rad. If you see a smaller radiator in front of the big one, on the passenger side, you have one. Add another anyway. I did. Look at my sig down below. If you don't, get one, and we can tell you which lines to hook it up to.....you want to tap into the tranny line where it goes into the top of the radiator over on the passenger side near the positive battery terminal.
Old 10-13-2002, 12:38 AM
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Just got one off of www.jegs.com for 53.00 shipped polished aluminum . Gross vehicle weight 20,000 lbs . Made by B&M .


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