Over heating when idling

[Shora]

I would like to apologies in advance for asking this question here rather than at another form. I never get the same level of help anywhere that I do here so I am taking a shot since many of you have a lot of mechanical know-how and experience with CVPIs.
Now, to the question(s): The 1995 CVPI that I bought from RoyalPITA for my security company seems to over heat when idling for over 20 minutes. I know that the summer heat in Miami, FL plays a role in said over heating but my Marauder, thankfully, does not. Before I begin to change things here are a few observations that I have noticed. On the Marauder, the fan only turns on after the motor has reached a certain operating temperature and/ or when the AC is on. The CVPI’s fan turns on as soon as I turn on the motor even if the AC is off and the motor is cold. Is this because the CVPI has a mechanical fan (I do not even know how to tell the difference) or because the thermostat is stuck open (I doubt that this is the reason since it seems to get to normal operating temps normally (?))

I also doubt that I have an air bubble in the cooling system because then it would over heat no matter what the temperate outside is or the heater wouldn’t work properly.

Lastly, if I was to drain the radiator where would be the proper location to refill it? On the Marauder I refilled the radiator via the plug on the metal cross pipe since it is the highest location in the cooling system. There is no such plug on the CVPI and I was planning to just refill it from the coolant reservoir until I heard that some 4.6s (such as certain Town Cars) need to be refilled by removing the thermostat and refilling from that hole.

Few last facts:
Only overheats when idling in the sun and not when cruising.
AC blows both icy cold and hot air (depending on what setting I choose).

Thanks in advance.

[RoyLPita]

Check the fan clutch and/or the electric fan.

[Shora]

Check the fan clutch and/or the electric fan.

Well the fan spins fast (always). As to the clutch...what should I look for exactly?

[RoyLPita]

The fan clutch is hooked to the engine's water pump and the fan blade is bolted to it. If the electric fan (the one inside the shroud and closer to the radiator) is inop, then that one would be the culprit.

[grampaws]

The 97 GM's had both a viscous mechanical fan and an Electric fan
the Electric fan should work the same as the MM's...
Electric fans seize and burnout ,relays could be faulty or the temp sensor
could be faulty..1 sensor for guage and separate one for fan..near thermostat..
Thermostat might not be opening fully..
Viscous fan when hot should feel stiff when you try to spin it..
"Engine off" check for play and oil leaking around the hub....
Wash out radiator, often overlooked....Bugs and dirt .
standard fill procedure for refilling through rad cap(i might be corrected on this).
distilled/or de-ionized water better for reduced deposits..
usually drain plug is on driver side beside lower rad hose..
usually use large catch pan and pull off lower rad hose messy but
faster..sounds like not enogh air flow through rad, wash rad and check fans..

[Smokie]

Ok here goes: I own a 1995 Crown Vic LS. The fan blade that is easy to see (white plastic) is belt driven and therefore runs all the time your engine runs, as soon as your engine is turned on that sucker should be blowing a seriously strong air tream towards the engine.

Now get yourself a strong flashlight and carefully shine right thru the above mentioned fan blades and you can clearly see at the front of shroud the smaller electric (black blades) fan. have a friend turn the A/C on and off and observe the electric fan come on and off with the A/C.

This will tell you if the electric fan runs or not, I am assuming you are idling with the A/C on; so therefore if you were to check when you are overheating with A/C on for electric fan running answer should be YES. IF it is running and you still overheat AFTER prolonged idling you probably need your radiator flushed. Good Luck.

[Drock96Marquis]

The Electric fan found on 95-97 panthers is for additonal cooling when the engine gets too hot, or the a/c is on. The mechanical fan blade is the primary cooling fan, and should be able to keep the vehicle in operating temps on its own, though having both functioning is ideal.

The fan-clutch wears with age and mileage, and will gradually loose effectiveness.

Now would be an opportune time to inspect your othe rcooling system componnets as well. Also, change the thermostat as it is very cheap and easy to do, and can cause a bunch of problems if it isn't functioning correctly.

[the_pack_rat]

Yep,

Make sure that electric fan kicks on when the a/c is engaged.

My 97 Town Car has a pretty distinctive sound when the electric fan is on. Not excessive noise - I just KNOW it's in fact on & when it's not - when idling.

While I wasn't having any cooling issues, the electric fan wasn't working last year. I was on the highway for quite awhile & didn't notice it wasn't working till I got off the highway & came to a stop. There was a bad fuse(check the box on the RH fenderwell) - replaced it & all has been well.

You may need a flush & to check the mechanical fan clutch too. If the clutch isn't up to snuff, it can't/won't be able to handle extended hot idling & make up for the electric fan not working.

When I first bought the TC, the 1st thing I ever touched on it was the air filter. Been driving around for quite awhile, stopped at the parts store. Came out & started it up so the a/c could keep the inside nice & cool while I farted around with the filter(it was very hot out). So, hot idle with a/c on, I changed the air filter. I happen to notice that the mechanical fan was barely moving at all(just free wheeling from the air of the electric fan).

Drove it - idled it for extended periods for a few days here & there keeping a CLOSE eye on the temp, & still didn't see any issues with it climbing up, but I thought that the clutch fan may have been bad just the same.

Bought a generic replacement - installed it, & it did the same damn thing, not to mention it was noisy as shyte when it was engaged :rolleyes:. Went & bought a FoMoCo replacement like I should have done in the first place ... & that acted the same as the original OEM one I had yanked out ... & w/o the annoying fan growl on acceleration that the generic POS had. Long story short ..... the original apparently was fine.

Considering the heat & humidity here ... I think that's pretty good that there are times when the mechanical fan is just free wheeling at idle w/the a/c on, & the temps never really get funky.

[rvaldez1]

When I had my 1997 CVPI It did the same thing, but it would never go in the the red, then one day I blew the intake manifold (common for older 4.6s) I replaced it with the alum. crossover and the needle stayed where it was supposed to.Then Again, I also replaced the Thermostat while I was there.

[RoyLPita]

When I had my 1997 CVPI It did the same thing, but it would never go in the the red, then one day I blew the intake manifold (common for older 4.6s) I replaced it with the alum. crossover and the needle stayed where it was supposed to.Then Again, I also replaced the Thermostat while I was there.

4.6 engines from 91-95 have a full aluminum intake manifold.

[rvaldez1]

Thanks Sir. Man it always sucks to get showed up on this site, but its the only way to learn.

[RoyLPita]

Even I learn new things here. I used to own the vehicle in question. I chose the 95 CVPI because of the intake manifold.

[Shora]

Guys, thank you so much for such great advice!!!!

I will let you know what I find.

All the best.

[Shora]

Well you guys nailed it. The big white fan works fine but the little black electrical fan doesn't turn on even when I turn the AC on. I would like to check the fuse first, does anyone know where the fuse for the electrical fan is located?

[the_pack_rat]

Well you guys nailed it. The big white fan works fine but the little black electrical fan doesn't turn on even when I turn the AC on. I would like to check the fuse first, does anyone know where the fuse for the electrical fan is located?

Still going under the assumption that the 95 Crown Vic electrical system is laid out the same as a 97 Town Car ........

It's a 30A high current fuse located in the box on the RH fender well under the hood.

IIRC, when you remove the cover & flip it over, there is a diagram on the back showing the fuse/relay locations & their amperage.

The fan is fuse location "P".

Fuse "P" is the 6th fuse counting down from the top of the box, in the middle row to the left of the relays.

Additionally -

The 3rd large relay counting down from the top of the box is also labeled as "fan" in the owners manual.

[Shora]

Update:

-All fuses are fine.
-Mechanical fan fine (strong air at all times when motor is running.)
-Electrical fan does not turn on even when A/C is engaged so I removed it.
-Is there a way to check it in order to make sure that it is indeed broken and not some other problem before I buy a new one?

[Marauder2005]

This happened to me twice. Both times it was the thermostat.

[Shora]

This happened to me twice. Both times it was the thermostat.

Humm, I will replace that as well, but if the termostat is broken will it prevent the electrical fan from turning on when the A/C is engaged?

Does anyone know where the termostat is located on a 1995 CVPI?
Any advice/ tips on how to change it?

[RoyLPita]

The thermostat housing is located on the engine next to the alternator and it is hooked into the upper radiator hose.

[Shora]

The thermostat housing is located on the engine next to the alternator and it is hooked into the upper radiator hose.

Thanks bud. Not to sound stupid, but I must remove the radiator hose to get there. Is there a way to prevent all of the fluid from spilling.

Also, is there a way to check the electricle fan and make sure that it is indeed broken?

[RoyLPita]

Thanks bud. Not to sound stupid, but I must remove the radiator hose to get there. Is there a way to prevent all of the fluid from spilling.

You could drain some of the coolant out from the draincock at the bottom side of the radiator. You do not have to drain it all out.



Also, is there a way to check the electricle fan and make sure that it is indeed broken?

I guess that you could hook up 12 volts of battery power to it in a way.

[Shora]

New (from junk yard) electric fan=$30.00
New 50 amp fuse=$3.00
New themostat and o-ring=$8.00
New coolent and distilled water=$12.00

Figuring out that you must refill the coolent via thermostat pipe after you have already bolted everything back together= Priceless

Just kidding, I thank you all for helping me get through this.

She is running great. I challenge this heat wave to overheat her now.:beer: