I have had my Blazer for about 2 and a half years now. It's been great for me, getting me back to school and from my work. On this past trip home (the trip is about 150 miles) I noticed my temp gauge was going through the roof and my good old "check gauges" light came on. It would stay somewhere around 210 just as long as I kept it at about 40. I pulled over and noticed that my fan wasn't running very fast. The fans in Blazers usually run a mile a minute and you can hear them as you accelerate. It seems as if my fan is spinning incredibly slow and not kicking in when I punch the gas.

I took it in and all the guy could do for me was add more coolant. He said there wasn't a problem with the fan at all. The clutch or something for the fan was in good order and looked like it had been replaced recently. The belts and everything looked good and there were no leaks. The only thing he could suggest is a new temp sending unit.

My truck has been running well ever since except whenever it gets warmed up it stays at about 210. I know that's pretty hot for the Blazer and sometimes my acceleration can be somewhat affected. I'm not quite sure where to go from here or what actions I should take. Should I get a second opinion, or should I just drive it 'till she drops?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Your fan clutch is temperature controlled. When cold, you should find very little resistance when attempting to turn the fan by hand with the engine off. If after driving for 15-20 minutes, stopping, and turning off the engine, you do not experience quite a bit of resistance when turning the fan, then you have a bad fan clutch.

And 210 on the gauge isn't all that hot. When it gets up to the 220+ range is when you have to worry. The 195*F stat will run typically anywhere between 195 and 205. Also, the gauges are known for not being all that accurate. But if you just noticed this, then it is a sign that something is amiss.