fan switch

[mike t]

The other day I am stuck in traffic and I glance at the water temp to find it creeping toward the danger zone. I am really not moving much and the outside temp is 40f. Then I remember this small switch on the center console which I noticed turns the cooling fan on and off and I assumed this to be some sort of auxiliary fan the previous owner installed for additional cooling. This however does not seem to be the case as with this fan turned off there is no fan operating hence the temp creep. Once I turned the fan on the temp came down to about 210 untill I got moving then returned to 190. The question and it took a whole getting here is, what advantage is there bypassing the automatic cooling system with manual setup. Any ideas thank you.

 

[warren s]

Here I go again -

If done right and both fans operate from the switch, the temp will go down to the thermostats rated temp or verty close to it. The advantage would be to prevent the temp from reaching 235 before the fans come on.

Sounds like maybe only one fan is going on, or the cooling system has other issues. Check the link below-

http://community.webshots.com/album/102276848UPNpsc

 

[mike t]

Thank you very much for the information. I just came in after a long run and checked to see if the primory fan came on and it did at about 230F, now I see that the manual fan is needed and it does work. When I toggle the switch to get a digital readout of water temp and oil temp all I get is 0. Perhaps this has something to do with when the fan kicks in or not. Thank you.

 

[warren s]

Anytime! And good luck with your 95!

 

[WhalePirot]

I believe the ECM controls the fan ON temperature, as well as sending it to the dash. If it is not getting the information, it doesn't know to activate the fan and might be why the prior owner installed the switch.

Methinks a proper fix is to find out why the ECM reads zero and to utilize the auto function. It could be the temperature sending unit or a wiring issue, which is the order I'd attack it in.

 

[mike t]

Thank you that is a great help. You may be right and could explain the temp issues. The corvette is off the road now so in spring I will take in and have it tested. I believe it did work when I got the car about 6 months ago.