Hi all,
Well, we had a possible catastrophe on our '91 Imp. The radiator fan quit
working while my wife
was driving home. She got the "Engine temperature critical" readout, pulled
over and let it cool,
then drove home. She also saw some steam. Well, since she was stopped in a
very dangerous place
and had my 3-year-old with her, I decided to risk the damage by having her
complete her trip
despite the steaming.
A few minutes later, the temp was back up, and she got "Low coolant level"
warning. She pulled
over and let it cool again, and then limped to my in-laws' house.
When I got there, I found a small puddle on the ground. I removed the radiator
cap and the system
started leaking. It appears to be coming from the drain petcock. I went ahead
and drained the
system, then removed the fan assembly. The fan itself has begun to separate
from the metal
bushing in the center, and jammed the fan in the shroud. The motor then burned
up, finally
kicking the fuse.
I'm going parts-diving this afternoon. Anybody know of a good Chrysler yard in
the
Fullerton/Orange, CA area? Also, since the pressure was enough to blow out the
petcock, should I
replace my radiator cap? My understanding is that the cap is supposed to start
venting long
before it blows out the radiator or hoses.
I don't know if there was engine damage. The final part of the trip was mostly
downhill to level,
and the temp stayed high, but in the very top of the normal/bottom of high
range. The radiator
still had about a gallon in it when I drained it, the oil smells okay, and
there were no
"troubling noises" when my wife parked it. I'll replace the fan, fan motor,
fuse, petcock and
refill the system, and hope for the best.
Thanks.
Tim
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