EGed up from the seat up

so today i swapped out my radiator for an aluminum one and when i put everything back together the fan wouldnt wanna turn on anymore. im pretty sure i put everything back the way i took it off, and i plugged in the plug for the fan. is there any way i can diagnose this? and i also will add that my vtec doesnt engage anymore if that has anything to do with it.

thanks in advance !

HondaPartsHero

Check the fuse, relay, and jump the fan switch on the thermostat housing to see if the fan cuts on. If so the circuit is good. Did you bleed the cooling system?

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

The aluminum radiator has greater cooling capacity than the stock one. It will take longer for the fan to kick on now. Ask me how I know.

EGed up from the seat up

how do i bleed the cooling system ?


and i drove the car to work and when i got there the fan still hadn't turned on, shouldnt it have turned on by then ?

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

How do you know that it didn't turn on while you were driving? Did you test to see if the fan was actually working? I don't see how changing out a radiator would cause your fan not to turn on.

EGed up from the seat up

well i dont see how it would turn on while driving and when i parked it would turn off ?
well i tested to see if it turns on with a paperclip and it didnt come on. and i dont see why it would cause that either thats why im lost lol

EGed up from the seat up

and how can i jump the fan switch ? sorry for the noob questions i dont have much mechanical experience

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Fans don't stay on. They stay on until the coolant reaches a set temperature and then the fan will turn off.

Former User

The fan switch has a 2P connector and is located on the thermostat housing. Unplug the connector and use a jumper wire or paper clip to short the two terminals of the connector. When you turn the key to ON(II), does the fan now run?

EGed up from the seat up

yes thanks for the help, the fan turns on now when i jumped the fan switch. so this means i need a new fan switch, correct ?

strategy400

I had the exact same scenario and then my fan started working. Bleed it?

Former User

First try bleeding the cooling system. This may take 20-30 minutes:

1) Park the car on an inclined driveway with the front end higher than the rear.

2) Push the dash heater lever/**** to MAX heat.

3) Follow the directions in the diagram below (hint: the bleed bolt is located where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine):

EGed up from the seat up

could having air bubbles in my coolant cause my radiator to lose some ?

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

NO. But a blown headgasket would.

Former User

Yes, if the trapped air causes the engine to overheat.

EGed up from the seat up

If my head gasket was blown wouldn't smoke come out of my exhaust ?

Former User

There's no single symptom that is seen for all cases of a blown head gasket.

slammed4dreg

dont jump ahead and start thinking your headgasket is blown, first change out that fan switch which could and most likley is the problem, if your still paranoid on the headgasket thing just keep an eye out on ur oil. most common symtom is milky oil. if anything u can do a compression test as well

LoLoCivic

iTrader: (1)

one way to test the fan is just take off the fan plug and just ground it out with a paper clip and if it turns on then boom its good and if it doesnt its bad im sorry its this is too vague, its hard to describe in words then doing it in real life