Moment fans kick in

[john 05141]

Hello all,

At which temperature needle position are the fans supposed to start?

John

[Ron]

The fans should kick on at ~207F (97C), or anytime the AC compressor is engaged. (The gauge is not very accurate.)

[CFI]

Mine kick on at roughly the half way mark.

[dmc4087]

Mine kick on at roughly the half way mark.


Same for me after replacing my temp sender. Previously they would have came on after the first quarter mark

I had to confirm everything was ok with a laser thermometer to keep the nerves at bay though

[Jonathan]

Same for me after replacing my temp sender. Previously they would have came on after the first quarter mark

I had to confirm everything was ok with a laser thermometer to keep the nerves at bay though

Ditto.

New senders don't turn on and off at the same points the old ones did.

[TheStoot]

Mine come on a couple needles width before the halfway mark on the temp gauge

[Helirich]

Mine come on a couple needles width before the halfway mark on the temp gauge

That's how mine is. They are two differnt sensors. I've checked the temp of the radiator tube right where the fan switch is. (It's correct) But my guage is reading low. I haven't determined what that problem is yet.

[Josh]

Never trust the dashguage for coolant temp. Ive seen it fluxuate depending on the day of week. Its hilarious when it falls and gets stuck against the clear plastic face.

[bytes311]

Never trust the dashguage for coolant temp. Ive seen it fluxuate depending on the day of week. Its hilarious when it falls and gets stuck against the clear plastic face.

I agree. I have Toby's cooling fan switch where you can dial in the fans so that they kick on at a specific spot on the temperature gauge, but the gauge is never consistent. There are times when the fans kick on and the gauge is no where near where you last set it.

[john 05141]

Thank,you all.

After 2 years I bought back my Delorean.
The previous owner told me he suspects the otterstat is not working, or he was affraid to let it climb to high.
I installed a bypass for manually engage the fans.
So how far should I let it go to see if they activate by themselves before overheating it?

John

[CFI]

Thank,you all.

After 2 years I bought back my Delorean.
The previous owner told me he suspects the otterstat is not working, or he was affraid to let it climb to high.
I installed a bypass for manually engage the fans.
So how far should I let it go to see if they activate by themselves before overheating it?

John

I wouldn’t let it get much past the half way mark. At that point you are not far from the caution range. This assumes that the gauge, temp sender, etc is working correctly.

[Bitsyncmaster]

My fans kick on a little past the 1/4 mark. But I think my otterstat is a lower setting. You don't want the fans to kick on until your thermostat has been open and the temp starts to rise. So on a cold engine you can feel where the thermostat opens bye feeling the hose feeding the otterstat pipe. Check what your gauge reads then. With the cold radiaor you will see the temp gauge go down and up a little a few times until the coolant warms up the radiator. Now keep it running and when the temp gauge starts to climb that is when you want your fans to kick on. So use your thermostat as your base line test, the gauge is less accurate.

[David T]

Every car has a slightly different point at which the fans start. The temperature gauge is not that accurate. What is important is how your car acts and if it changes that is a warning sign. Best to use a non-contact infra red temperature gauge and make sure the motor doesn't get over 200 degrees F. As important as when the fans start, when they stop is also important. If the cooling fan circuit breaker popping is what stops them, that is no good. Make sure you have the uprated breaker so the fans don't cycle because the breaker keeps popping and resetting.

[MrChocky]

Every car has a slightly different point at which the fans start. The temperature gauge is not that accurate. What is important is how your car acts and if it changes that is a warning sign. Best to use a non-contact infra red temperature gauge and make sure the motor doesn't get over 200 degrees F. As important as when the fans start, when they stop is also important. If the cooling fan circuit breaker popping is what stops them, that is no good. Make sure you have the uprated breaker so the fans don't cycle because the breaker keeps popping and resetting.

You could have just said "make sure your car doesn't get too hot", and that would have carried no less information.

[Helirich]

You could have just said "make sure your car doesn't get too hot", and that would have carried no less information.

He mentioned an updated breaker. I didn't know anything about this and don't know if I have it or not. (I will investigate) I did know everything else in the post, but not everyone would. So I would have to disagree that it carried no less info than your statement. On the other hand, I would say your post didn't advance our knowledge at all. It would be OK if it was funny, but I didn't get that either.

Just saying.

[David T]

Too hot is a subjective term. 200 degrees F is a specific temperature. The uprated breaker for the cooling fans are part of each vendor's "Relay Upgrade Kit" that includes several relays and circuit breakers. Each vendor has a slightly different kit of parts they include. Every new owner should make sure they have that kit and also that all of the recalls have been done. If you still have the blue fan fail relay, that should be removed too. I also recommend putting a 10 amp in-line fuse on the big red wire going to the door lock module and replacing the Ducy alternator if you have it. Other "improvements" include the upper muffler bracket, metal header tank, and copper/brass radiator. Tires no older than 7 years (read the date codes) and the battery no more than 5. These are the minimum required to make the car more reliable.

[MrChocky]

Too hot is a subjective term.

You don't do irony, do you David? I guess the following will be wasted, but I feel like saying it anyway.


Every new owner.. blah lecture blah

If every new owner followed your advice, they'd be filled with anxiety and would never have time to actually drive their car. New owners (and especially new mechanics) are looking for very specific advice and hand holding, not over-arching guidelines, or life advice.

[Josh]

You don't do irony, do you David? I guess the following will be wasted, but I feel like saying it anyway.



If every new owner followed your advice, they'd be filled with anxiety and would never have time to actually drive their car. New owners (and especially new mechanics) are looking for very specific advice and hand holding, not over-arching guidelines, or life advice.

You have leveled up in delorean ownership! You have been around long enough to find David's advice isnt always helpful. He does a great job at reciting the shop manual.
David does mean well, and he somewhat has a grasps on how forums work with how he replies (half the time). But for the most part just says his blurb and moves on. Take it for what its worth I suppose.

[Ron]

You have leveled up in delorean ownership! You have been around long enough to find David's advice isnt always helpful. He does a great job at reciting the shop manual.
David does mean well, and he somewhat has a grasps on how forums work with how he replies (half the time). But for the most part just says his blurb and moves on. Take it for what its worth I suppose.
You could have just said, "He's trying to be didactic", and that would have carried no less information.

[dn010]

I'm just posting this so my phone gets updates on this thread.

:popcorn:

[David T]

Irony isn't always easy to convey on-line. I try to be as helpful to other owners as I can but it doesn't always come across the way I intended. If you don't like my posts then don't read them. Not every owner (and especially the newbies) don't know about how to take care of their car. As for my recommendations, I don't mean to scare anyone but history has shown us areas of weakness in the car and ways to improve it. Beats getting stuck on the side of the road.

[john 05141]

I’ve had my Delorean for 12 years. I just got it back after 2 years but just before I sold her the fans stayed on all the time. So I asked Delorean Europe to send him a new fan relay. I assume the previous owner was afraid to overheat it and used the bypass. They have the new fans and are very quiet.
I will give it a try.

Thanks,
John