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Old 07-13-2005, 06:40 AM   #1
RandallNeighbour
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 7,243
Radiator Fan and overheating

If you owners of older boxsters have noticed that your temp needle passes that second white line to the right of the numbers (180) when you are sitting in traffic in the summer heat, you may want to check two things:

1) Take a flashlight (torch for you Brits) and peer into the air ducts in your front bumper. Is there a pile of leaves and debris stacked up against either radiator? If so, you need to remove it with a shop vac and a long, thin attachment. Then, when the engine is cold, take your garden hose and a sprayer attachment and blast the radiators good to knock off any dirt or dust that has accumulated. We should all do this every six months or a year just as a PM item.

2) If you still experience some mild overheating problems, then you need to do a simple test to see if both fans are functioning. With the car hot and running, put your hand in front of the front wheels below the bumper and see if it's blowing hot air downward on both sides. If I am not mistaken, the driver's side is fan 1 and the passenger side is fan 2, so the driver's side should certainly be on if the engine is hot.

3) If one of the fans is not on, you need to have it tested with a PST tool, found at dealerships and mechanics who work on Porsches. Mine did this last night and found that fan 1 was out.

4) There are two main things that make the fan work. The fan itself and a resistor. My mechanic tells me that the resistors often go out and the fans are fine. If it's just the resistor, the test on the PST tool will activate the fan because it bypasses the resistor. If the PST tool can't start the fan, the fan may be out as well. The "stealership" service dept. usually quotes that the fan has gone out and hits you for a fan and resistor when you take it in for this problem. Retail on the fan is $335 and the retail on the resistor is $52. Of course, Sunset has them far cheaper and you should buy stuff there if you use an independent mechanic and supply your own parts or you do the work yourself.

Why tell you all this? I just decided to start posting everything I discover about my old Boxster when it happens to me so others can have a heads up in advance and not become so freaked out over what could be wrong. Even expensive or bad news is easier to anticipate when we have some information.

If anyone has any contrary info on this (I got something wrong) or has additional info to add to this thread, please do so. I always learn so much from everyone here.
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