1996 Cobra overheating fix? not your usual question

[sae156]

Do you have the air dam installed to the bottom of the car?

it's exactly as it was from the factory except for the 1998 a/c condenser. so not sure that answers your question. lol.

 

[01yellercobra]

If turning on the A/C helps it cool down I'd say you have a fan problem. First thing is get a way to check the actual temps as mentioned. A decent scanner should be able to handle that. If the Torq app is still a thing that might work if you have a bluetooth dongle.

Then while watching the temps make sure your fan turns on.

 

[sae156]

If turning on the A/C helps it cool down I'd say you have a fan problem. First thing is get a way to check the actual temps as mentioned. A decent scanner should be able to handle that. If the Torq app is still a thing that might work if you have a bluetooth dongle.

Then while watching the temps make sure your fan turns on.

thanks.

i've got a bunch of good ideas from all you guys! now i've got a plan

 

[sae156]

picked up an obd at wally world today.

got more snow coming tomorrow but i'll at least be able to let her run at idle in the driveway.

does anybody have the actual OEM factory set-points for the lo and hi speed fan temps? that will give something to check out until i can take her for a drive.

and thanks for the help everybody!!!! greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

The great google says 208 and 228. The climate control must be OFF.

Isn’t it the resistor that gives it low speed? If the resistor burns up you’d only have high (which would happen at 228 or when ac compressor comes on) if I don’t have that all mixed up

 

[sae156]

The great google says 208 and 228. The climate control must be OFF.

Isn’t it the resistor that gives it low speed? If the resistor burns up you’d only have high (which would happen at 228 or when ac compressor comes on) if I don’t have that all mixed up

i used to have all this crap written down but i lost the notebook. thanks!

i'm pretty sure that after i did the condenser, i played around and the lo and hi speed fans were working as expected.

 

[sae156]

This. Chances are what you're uncomfortable with is normal factory settings.

Personally I wouldn't run an SCT canned tune. But the MAF will make up for the change in elevation.

what exactly is the malfunction? Are you just worried because of how high the stock gauge gets before the low speed kicks on? IIRC, the low speed kicks on at 218 stock, which would read quite high on the stock gauge

found that post on another forum. maybe you are right! much ado about nothing possibly.

the scan tool will reassure me i'm hoping if the fan turns on as expected.

 

[01yellercobra]

The great google says 208 and 228. The climate control must be OFF.

Isn’t it the resistor that gives it low speed? If the resistor burns up you’d only have high (which would happen at 228 or when ac compressor comes on) if I don’t have that all mixed up

That sound's close on the temps at least.

Yes. The resistor gives low speed. If it's burned up he'll only have high speed. Had that happen once.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

That sound's close on the temps at least.

Yes. The resistor gives low speed. If it's burned up he'll only have high speed. Had that happen once.

So if the resistor is bad and it hits 208 do you get nothing or do you get high speed?

 

[01yellercobra]

So if the resistor is bad and it hits 208 do you get nothing or do you get high speed?

You get nothing. The fan won't kick on until the high speed temp is reached. It's two different relays in the CCRM.

 

[sae156]

one final question before i go hands on with the obd device:

obviously everybody's gauge will be slightly different, but can anybody give a hint as to where 208 and 228 falls roughly ? i.e. is 208 the O in NORMAL? is 208 the A in NORMAL?

 

[01yellercobra]

You can't rely on the gauge. It basically shows cold, warmed up, and too hot. I overheated my 01 and the gauge never moved from the middle. You need a scanner or aftermarket gauge to get a good reading.

 

[sae156]

You can't rely on the gauge. It basically shows cold, warmed up, and too hot. I overheated my 01 and the gauge never moved from the middle. You need a scanner or aftermarket gauge to get a good reading.

wow, that sux. how bad did it mess up your motor? heads or block affected?

i think i'll start with just this scanner and go from there. probably slap an autometer or soemthing similar eventually just for piece of mind.

 

[I_like_turtlez]

The gauge is there for more of a formality, also you don't want the engine running cooler than it was generally designed to, engines need to warm up to a certain temperature range and do it in a timely fashion

So having your thermostat open too early by installing the wrong one on purpose is not a good idea; you don't want your engine running at like 170 degrees, it can cause serious issues

If you verify the car is indeed running too hot(230+ under normal operation) then there's a problem causing it, the usual suspects are clogged radiator/heater-core impeding flow, it doesn't have to be a big clog

Since it's happening when the car isn't moving I'm going to guess radiator and/or low-speed fan not kicking on(high speed will be for A/C compressor cooling)

 

[sae156]

The gauge is there for more of a formality, also you don't want the engine running cooler than it was generally designed to, engines need to warm up to a certain temperature range and do it in a timely fashion

So having your thermostat open too early by installing the wrong one on purpose is not a good idea; you don't want your engine running at like 170 degrees, it can cause serious issues

If you verify the car is indeed running too hot(230+ under normal operation) then there's a problem causing it, the usual suspects are clogged radiator/heater-core impeding flow, it doesn't have to be a big clog

Since it's happening when the car isn't moving I'm going to guess radiator and/or low-speed fan not kicking on(high speed will be for A/C compressor cooling)

thanks

 

[01yellercobra]

wow, that sux. how bad did it mess up your motor? heads or block affected?

i think i'll start with just this scanner and go from there. probably slap an autometer or soemthing similar eventually just for piece of mind.

It's a long story. Ended up finding the block was bad from the get go. Warped the heads, but they were able to surface them.

 

[Sn8kebitten]

I remember over a decade ago, my 96 would hit the L on the gauge during the middle of summer here in KY and I’d have to turn the heat on or pull over and shut the engine off the cool it down. A Mishimoto 3 core was the first thing I ever did to the car, and I never had another overheating issue.

It eventually developed a pinhole leak for no telling how many years and across 3 other owners before I bought it back when it started pouring on me, so I replaced it with an SVE 3 core radiator. This one still stays cool but actually not near as cool as it did with the Mishimoto

 

[venom1997]

You can always do the high speed fan mod I’m gonna be doing this to cool my car between runs at the drag strip tap into wire #46 at the pcm on the passenger kick panel it’s a light green with purple stripe don’t cut the wire just peel back some insulation wrap a wire around it and solder. Tape it with electrical tape after or you can tap into pin 17 at the CCRM under the passenger wheel well that’s also the light green with purple stripe. Now run the spliced wire to a grounded toggle switch or if you want to do it with an alligator clip end under hood you could do that if tapping into the CCRM. This will allow the high speed fan to run when you turn the key on or engine running and you ground the wire.once you ungrounded it or turn the toggle switch off the fans will run normal as long as you don’t cut the light green wire with purple stripe


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[sae156]

I remember over a decade ago, my 96 would hit the L on the gauge during the middle of summer here in KY and I’d have to turn the heat on or pull over and shut the engine off the cool it down. A Mishimoto 3 core was the first thing I ever did to the car, and I never had another overheating issue.

It eventually developed a pinhole leak for no telling how many years and across 3 other owners before I bought it back when it started pouring on me, so I replaced it with an SVE 3 core radiator. This one still stays cool but actually not near as cool as it did with the Mishimoto

i was looking at the mishimoto too. apparently they are now only 2 row but they claim they cool just as well as the older 3 core.

i called fluidyne and they no longer make the one for 96 4V. custom order was $800 so that's out.

 

[sae156]

You can always do the high speed fan mod I’m gonna be doing this to cool my car between runs at the drag strip tap into wire #46 at the pcm on the passenger kick panel it’s a light green with purple stripe don’t cut the wire just peel back some insulation wrap a wire around it and solder. Tape it with electrical tape after or you can tap into pin 17 at the CCRM under the passenger wheel well that’s also the light green with purple stripe. Now run the spliced wire to a grounded toggle switch or if you want to do it with an alligator clip end under hood you could do that if tapping into the CCRM. This will allow the high speed fan to run when you turn the key on or engine running and you ground the wire.once you ungrounded it or turn the toggle switch off the fans will run normal as long as you don’t cut the light green wire with purple stripe


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

yes, i've seen a lot of posts about the hi speed mod. i heard access to the kick panel needs an expert in yoga! lol.

not sure what i'm gonna try just yet. cobra is still snowed in from the 3 feet we got last week.