Romeo wrote: Well, to verify if it's the fan, drive it at highway speeds and see if it still over-heats.

Or disconnect the wire from the sending unit and ground it. Or turn on the A/C if the car is so equipped. The fan should come on.

To be honest though, I'm not sure how a bad fan relay would affect this operation.

Rad fan is about 20mins to change.   If you have A/C good luck in finding an A/C rad fan as no one wants to give up one of those.   Non A/C Rad fans, I think I have a couple here, 20 bucks is probably fair. 

           As Patrick said, try grounding the sending unit and see if the fan turns on, or turn the A/C button on and see if the fan turns on.  If the fan does not fire up, as I said before, I have a couple non A/C fans kicking around. 

Oh on the subject of oil pressure, even an overheating engine should not loose so much oil pressure as to fire the warning light.   Depending on the mileage and condition of your engine, even GM released a tech bulletin that any Fiero engine over 60,000 miles (roughly 100,000kms)  should be running 10w30 instead of 5w30.  On really older engines, I run 20w50 in them.   

      Depending on how mechanically inclined you are, you can install a high volume oil pump, which will help to maintain proper oil pressure.  (Requires dropping the exhaust, starter, front motor mount, then the oil pan)      

       Not exactly, about 20mins drive east of Van.   Surrey to be exact.   We are in North Surrey and there is not much public transit over here.  I have actually never taken the bus, so I couldn't help ya on info though, I just know from a few people that have came over here on the bus and said that it is very limited. 

16908 104th Ave.

Just give me a few hours notice before you come out.  I'll check and see if I have one here at the house, but I may need to go out to the storage and grab one, or if you want, you can ride out to the storage with me and see if there is anything else you need.  

Take the Skytrain to Surrey Central, then go to Bay 11 and look for the C74 (It's infrequent, so check for times). Ride over the highway until you're on 104. When you see a gas station on your right, ring the little bell and get off. Head back towards the gas station, and go left at the intersection. Dave's house will be on the right. You'll know you're there as there's always at least two Fieros visible beside his house (Based upon my experience).

PS, your fare will be $3.75

jkehoe67 wrote: hey there, my cars been acting right funny, it was over heating and ive replaced the thermostat... and if i drove it longer the engine would heat right up to the point the coolant would be boiling in the tank any suggestions, im thinking the fan isnt turning on?

I just want to add that in a properly functioning Fiero cooling system, the rad fan will NOT usually come on at all unless it's a very hot day and the car is in stop and go traffic for an extended period of time.

Keep in mind that in a stock setup from the factory, the Fiero rad fan doesn't come on until 230 F which is pretty hot considering the stock thermostat is is 195 F.

I wonder if your Fiero has other issues such as air in the cooling system (have you "burped" it properly?), partially crushed (blocked) cooling pipes (along the bottom sides of the car), or a water pump with a slipping impeller.

jkehoe67 wrote: canadian tire said it was a burnt out fan, but they want like $250 to fix it...

I wouldn't let "mechanics" at Canadian Tire lube the chain on my bicycle.

jkehoe67 wrote: well my coolant was boiling and no fan lol

Is/was your coolant a proper 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water or just straight water?

...and, do you have the proper rad cap installed?

Both straight water and lack of proper cooling system pressure would/could result in "boiling" coolant at a lower temperature than normal. (At atmospheric pressure, water will boil at 212 F.)

Patrick wrote: Keep in mind that in a stock setup from the factory, the Fiero rad fan doesn't come on until 230 F...

              On the subject of cooling systems.  From personal experience and knowledge from working in the Radiator business years ago.  The best mixture for a Fiero cooling system is.

1 gallon antifreeze

1 12oz bottle of water wetter

roughly 2.5 gallons of distilled water from a grocery store.  You can buy it in 1 gallon jugs for about $3 per gallon.

         Don't use Tap water.  30 years ago, tap water was fine.  However tap water now has chemicals minerals and other crap that was not in it, also 30 years ago, most cars had brass/copper rads with almost no electronics. Now with all the junk in tap water and all the extra electrical stuff, you need to use distilled water.  

     Antifreeze is a HORRID coolant.  The heat transfer of antifreeze is really bad.  The only reason to use it at all is to increase the boiling point and decrease the freezing point of water.   So only use as much as you NEED for your climate.  Which around here is roughly 20% NOT 50%.   I drove my 88GT through Death Valley in August, and in Las Vegas in August.  Temps were 50C on the highway.  I can sit in local stop and go traffic literally for ever and never overheat.   

   It would also be a good idea to remove your front cap, stick your finger down there and feel the coolant tubes, if they feel slimy, or really dirty, you probably have crap in your tubes that is reducing the efficiency of your radiator.   Best bet is to remove the rad take out to be cleaned.  However you can TRY the cooling system flush stuff.  However the flush stuff can in some cases cause more damage that help.  if you have weak seals in your engine, it can actually cause water pump leaks or worst case head gasket issues.  

A cheap and easy way of cleaning it out is to remove the front and rear cap, put a garden hose in the rear, let it run so it flushes out the current stuff, remove the rad drain cock so you get as much of the garden hose water out, then fill with the above mixture and go.    You can also fill it with the tap water, run it for 10 mins, then drain / flush it again. 

Capt Fiero wrote: Antifreeze is a HORRID coolant.  The heat transfer of antifreeze is really bad.  The only reason to use it at all is to increase the boiling point and decrease the freezing point of water.   So only use as much as you NEED for your climate.  Which around here is roughly 20% NOT 50%.

There are also rust inhibitors and water pump lubricants in antifreeze.

Just don't forget though if you plan on visiting a colder location sometime during the winter (or if there's a freak cold spell here) that your protection will be somewhat limited. All it takes is ONE cold night. Ask me how I know....

IIRC and I would have to look it up to be sure.  But 20% antifreeze is good to about -21C  I think the coldest I have ever seen here is -16C the average cold is -10c during the winter. 

However 1 gallon of antifreeze is actully closer to 30% so in either case, you will be fine.

Found a good article on antifreeze and cooling systems http://www.max-boost.co.uk/max-boost/cooling.htm - Here . It even includes some info on checking coolant condition by using a voltmeter!

Dave, I agree that using a lower percentage of antifreeze than 50/50 will allow a cooling system to run a bit more efficiently when it's hot, but I just wanted anyone reading this thread to be aware that there are indeed tradeoffs, the big one being that their car isn't as well protected under frigid conditions.

Has the oil filter been changed recently? It could be causeing a problem, but I've never heard of it doing anything like what you're describing.

Also, does the engine burn or leak at all? Those could be a sign of low pressure once the motor warms up. Have you tried a thicker oil? (It would only be a temporary fix)

jkehoe67 wrote: can something be clogging the coolant from circulating

Did you see my earlier post?

Patrick wrote: I wonder if your Fiero has other issues such as air in the cooling system (have you "burped" it properly?), partially crushed (blocked) cooling pipes (along the bottom sides of the car), or a water pump with a slipping impeller.

Take your hand and feel the coolant pipes along the bottom of the car and feel for any crushed areas in the pipes.      To get a rough idea if the water pump is working.  Remove the rear coolant cap, fire up the engine, water should SHOOT out of the filler neck. If it does not move much at all, the pump is shot.

I am sure the good doctor could squeeze you in, even if it is just to confirm what the problem is.   Not sure how much time he has, as he is swamped with work right now.   He has a small home shop in West Surrey / North Delta.   A few blocks from Scott road in Surrey.    Drop him a PM and I am sure he can help ya.