Radiator fan adjustments?

General discussion about our beloved Tercel 4WD cars
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Kozuto_98
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My tercel:: 1987 SR5 Wagon
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Radiator fan adjustments?

Post by Kozuto_98 »

I'm not sure if this is common with these old Tercels.
I find my radiator fan comes on a bit too late compared to my coolant temp, and doesn't really stay on long enough.

What could I do to adjust the point at which the radiator fans comes on and turns off without manually turning it on or off?

This is the only cooling problem I have left to sort out with my wagon. I have just recently replace the water pump, thermostat, radiator, and done fresh coolant. All of this already has made a big difference compared to when I first the car.

The radiator fan issue I described only really happens when the car has been idling for a bit.
1987 Tercel Wagon SR5 4WD
1998 Honda Accord Coupe V6 J35 swap
1997 Acura CL (Sold for 4A-GE money)
RIP 2016 Civic (wrist pin recall)
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ALiveSR5
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My tercel:: Was a stock 1985, SR5, 4WD, 6-speed manual, Wagon.
Location: Pennsylvania USA

Re: Radiator fan adjustments?

Post by ALiveSR5 »

Could it be the temperature sensor at the bottom of the radiator going bad?
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Kozuto_98
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Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:45 pm
My tercel:: 1987 SR5 Wagon
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Re: Radiator fan adjustments?

Post by Kozuto_98 »

ALiveSR5 wrote: Wed Oct 21, 2020 7:21 pm Could it be the temperature sensor at the bottom of the radiator going bad?
It's certainly a possibility, but it still seems to work fine. I'm mainly looking for a method to turn the fan on earlier and to stay on a bit longer
than it currently does.
1987 Tercel Wagon SR5 4WD
1998 Honda Accord Coupe V6 J35 swap
1997 Acura CL (Sold for 4A-GE money)
RIP 2016 Civic (wrist pin recall)
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NWMO
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Re: Radiator fan adjustments?

Post by NWMO »

I would consider replacing the sending unit mentioned. They may even have something with a lower switch point. If you are just watching the guage, I would slso suggest a temp measurement to confirm what the guage roughly indicates.
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Kozuto_98
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Posts: 229
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:45 pm
My tercel:: 1987 SR5 Wagon
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Re: Radiator fan adjustments?

Post by Kozuto_98 »

NWMO wrote: Wed Oct 21, 2020 9:35 pm I would consider replacing the sending unit mentioned. They may even have something with a lower switch point. If you are just watching the guage, I would slso suggest a temp measurement to confirm what the guage roughly indicates.
Alrighty! I'll give that a try.
1987 Tercel Wagon SR5 4WD
1998 Honda Accord Coupe V6 J35 swap
1997 Acura CL (Sold for 4A-GE money)
RIP 2016 Civic (wrist pin recall)
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Radiator fan adjustments?

Post by Petros »

there is no adjustment, it is controlled by the sensor. could be the sensor going bad. they do not cost much. I would check out the actual on/off temps as specified in the FSM, and replace it if it is out of spec.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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