IceShark

After replacing a bunch of vacuum lines and testing them out, everything was fine.

But I noticed how dirty the bay was so I spent some time washing off the bay, motor, etc. with some dawn dish soap and a garden hose. The car actually started after than and I drove around for about an hour and then I noticed something bad on shut down. The turbo water pump wouldn't stop nor would BOTH rad fans. I figured it must be water related since I did use quite a bit so pulled both relays to shut things off. Then squirted WD 40 (that actually stands for Water Displacing version 40) on all the senders I could get to easy.

Dry for 8 hours and the turbo pump started working right but not the fans. Now it is 24 hours later and fans still both come on. I tested the fan relay and it doesn't look like the 4 coils in it are welded shut. So I tested to ground the slots where the 2 thermo switch leads come into the fuse/relay box. They are both reading about 100 ohms of resistance so there is contact down at the switch or somewhere in that harness back to the relay board. With 100 ohms of resistance you can drive those relay triggers.

So the question becomes has anyone washed the engine bay and soaked the plug on the termo fan switch enough to cause the same effect? How long did it take to dry out and work right? I really don't want to dig down, or rather up to the thermo switch and plug to test them out. I find it hard to believe the switch or relay pooped out right after the wash especially since the turbo pump recovered.

Any ideas?

944_S_TYPE

Dan you have a PM.

Epic2112

I had a problem with my fans once after washing my engine, they wouldn't come on. The culprit was corroded terminals on the relay though, which you've checked for so I don't know.

ninefiveone

It took over a month for my turbo water pump sensor to dry out enough to work properly after an engine bay wash a few years ago. Just a datapoint that may help.

IceShark

Well, I met up with 944_S_Type and we pushed the car in the air, took off the middle belly pan and tested per Clark's Garage the pinouts in the thermo fan plug. We did it from the bottom, I don't know how these guys that say you can do it from the top in a turbo without some major removal of parts.

Anyway, the relay tested good - whew! cause that is $100, and it is the cheap thermo fan switch.

When it rains, it pours. On the way home from Kevin's something new has popped up. We were there dicking around, testing, BSing and taking pictures for about two hours. When I started to leave the temp gauge was almost at the red line so the motor core hadn't cooled down at all in that time. Seems very strange. I thought something was now wrong with the temp sender so I turned on the heater and out came hot air like it was straight from hell.

I made it home keeping the heater on full blast and with a couple pit stops to shut down and spritz a couple gallons of water on the motor and managed to keep it on or a tad under (like a hair's width) the start of red mark. Upper rad hose hot and lower rad hose cold so I guess my thermostat just failed in the closed position. Air lock seems unlikely as the heater works, boy does it, and the bleed screw squirts a steady stream with no bubbles. Not losing any coolant either.

This all sound right to everyone? Now who was it that found the best tool to pull that fricking snap ring while in place. And isn't there a couple different O-rings floating around - what does the one for an '88 TS look like when it is not all squished up?

God, I hope I didn't warp the head and that this is the end of quite the repairs week with all these little things going at once.

944_S_TYPE

Iceshark... Mabye we were looking at things wrong. What if the raidator is plugged, Not letting coolant flow back to the motor. That would keep the water in the raidator pretty hot? running the fans? I do think there is 2 problens though. Swithh plus thermostat. Or swithh plus raidator.
AND OF COURSE ON THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR SO FAR HERE IN MINNESOTA. 88DEG. THEY SAID ON THE NEWS!

Keep me posted.

944_S_TYPE

I meant switch, not swithh.

kennycoulter

the best tool that i used was a "cotter pin extractor" it is only one point, not 2 like snap ring pliars. it is like a beefy 1/4" scratch awl that is bent in 2 different places. and i found it easier to go from the top, with a mirror for the thermostat. but if you have a lift, that might be better.

IceShark

Well I solved one problem, the two wires coming out of the gauge temperature switch are uninsulated terminals and those were touching causing the gauge to read at the start of red and only move slightly up and down off that. I made this discovery just a few minutes ago when the motor was dead cold yet the gauge still read the same at start of red. Ok one problem resolved. Who knows what temperature I was running at today, but it was hot.

Kevin, no that thermo switch is stuck closed. I put the relay in when the motor and radiator were bone cold and the fans kicked in. But I will confirm continuity when I get the car back up in the air.

Previously, the car ran at the first hash mark all the time. The only event that changed things I can think of is washing that damn engine bay.

But I'm still not getting sufficient fluid to flow through the radiator I think. So either the water pump impeller is sheared apart or thermostat or some clog somewhere. The puzzel is how did this happen overnight?

Kenny, I'll have to look for one of these cotter pin tools. Thanks.

Hans

Shark:
- Hoses cold, engine hot: Thermostat would be my bet
- Search for "snap ring" there is something with (modified) 45 deg angle pliers to get the ring out.
- Cause: Advantages of modern science...
FWIW: I stopped cleaning the engine bay of any car with water with or without additives a long time ago.
If the dirt level in there reached a point beyond my acceptance, i use break cleaner with some rags, (engine very cold!!). No power cleaner or hose pipe.
TakeCare

smokey

Re the thermostat snap-ring, 911 and Porsche World has an article on it in the current issue. The author took a pair of 90 degree internal snap ring pliers, heated them glowing red, bent them to 45 degrees with water pump pliers, and quenched them in cold water. He then "removed the snap ring in seconds."

alpenweissisnice

Sorry for your pain...I feel better about my dirty engine bay now, however...

Chris_924s

FWIW.. the guage may be off due to a bad ground in the engine bay. Get an IR thermometer and check the real temp of the block to double check the VDO guage reading..

Tech question of the day?

Which mark is for what temp in F on the "temp guage"?

Anyone, anyone - Bueller..

1st one who gets it I'll buy you a beer..Imported. Your choice.

*If you pressure wash your engine bay expect some electrical anomalies.

It's always true.
If you are like me you pressure wash away from home, cover the cap/rotor. and then highway run it for an hour or so to "blow dry" everything off..

Always bring plastic to cover the cap and rotor. WD 40 should always be in your car.

Peckster

Doesn't quenching make the metal softer?

IceShark

LOL! You are suggesting I have bad grounds in the engine bay? I guess you don't know who you are talking to.

It is the sender spade terminals that were the gauge problems.

On the quiz, that is pretty easy. On the post 85.5 gauge 1st wide is 104 to 140 F; 1st hash is 176 F; 2nd hash is 212 F; red zone starts at 239 F. I can give you the pre-85.5 for another beer.

Hope no one beat me to it as I need that beer after all the BS I have been through on that car this last week.