Well there is some resistance... I can spin it by hand but as soon as i let go it stops. I just tried spinning it with the engine at temp and interestigly the fan has the same amount of resistance to my hand spinning it hot or cold. Another thing about the fan clutch is that it does have some play if i push it back and forth. Someone elsewhere said that was an indication it is bad. However the fan does spin and blow some air when at idle.

I am unsure if the fan clutch really is bad or if there is really any good way to test it, but I do believe now maybe my cooling system is working ok it is probably just not working at 100% efficiency anymore.

 

Confused by the nascar reference.
Chances are, the vehicle isnt alway parked in the shade. So add about 10 degrees from the hot pavement.....110 degree air entering a condensor coil in front of the radiator is going to get heated up by the AC running. That means the air going to the radiator is probably at least 130 - 140 degrees. Add in the fact that the truck is idling. So the air cooling the radiator is only 60 degrees lower than the thremostat setting.

BlakeM states that he hears the fan pulling more air when he bumps the RPM and the truck runs cooling going down the road. That is all normal. What is abnormal are the conditions where the truck is!

I bet a dealer will tell him the same.

Still confused by the nascar remark. Havent sat down to watch a race in years. LOL

 

i agree with the poster above who mentioned the radiator cap its a cheep fix and many never suspect it if the system isnt under the correct pressure you could over heat and make sure you have atleast 50% antifreeze in the system,water boils at 110 or 112 but water under pressure will boil at a higher temp then add your coolent and the boiling point goes higher yet. the radiator doesnt efficently cool water vapor like it does water, advance will rent you a radiator pressure tester wtih a cap adaptor, make sure the system and the cap will hold the correct pressure marked on the cap or the system will fail. if you looking to drop some $$$ you can upgrade you fan from pully driven clutch fan to an electric fan with a thermo-electric switch and they say you can even gain a whole 1/4 to 1/2 of a horse power (impressive right) because your removing a small load from the engine. its been 100 here and my temp gauge hasnt move from the position it was in when it was 75 out there

 

I

Nascar cars normally run temps of 240-260 during the race so for them it's normal. Since you said up to 260 was normal then by inference you must drive a race car.

 

Gotcha.

Outside of making sure the coolant level is where it is supposed to be, and making sure there is no air in the system, I still wouldnt touch anything. 260 on my guage is where the red line is. Unless it gets up there and stays there, that is all i would do. As soon as the hot weather breaks I bet it returns to normal.

(Oh yea, make sure you dont have any cebris or tumbleweeds plugging the condensor or radiator. ) That could agravate it also.

 

I think I will take your advice and not touch anything unless it begins to overheat while driving or get worse in general. When I first noticed it getting hot I just thought it may be an emerging problem that will only get worse. The engine temp will only climb above 200 when it is over 100 outside which is usually only a short time in the summer here in Oklahoma. Although this year it is most of the summer.

I will check the radiator cap as others have suggested. It may be an easy thing to replace. That does remind me about when I kept getting the P0442 CEL when my gas cap was not sealing correctly.

 

Have you cleaned the exterior of the radiator? Dirt & other road debris (bugs, etc) can build up between the fins of the condenser & radiator over time. As the problem gets worse, it will start to affect coolant temperature more and more.

Are the fan shrouds intact and in their proper position? Fan shrouds that are broken and/or out of position can cause low speed lack of air flow across the radiator.

Have you removed & flushed the radiator? I have seen radiators get plugged up on all kinds of different vehicles (independent of the coolant used mind you). By removing the radiator and inspecting the lower core tubes through the radiator outlet, you can quickly determine if the radiator is healthy on the inside. While it's out, flush it really well, maybe leave it set with a 30/70 mix of vinegar & water to dissolve buildup.

 

I have the same problem with the temperature of my 2000 blazer but in addition to this when the temp reaches 200 the a/c begins to blow hot air. And I had it checked and it was fully charged. When I am driving the a/c is great, but at idle it will blow hot air. Does anyone know anything about this.
The radiator has been cleaned inside and out and the radiator cap is good the fan kicks in well after the temperature reaches 210 and up with a roaring sound. And have a new 160 degree thermostat.

 

my dads did exactly as yours is doing. Runs hot at idle with ac on or off,drops back when moving. His thermostat was stuck open. I dont think anyone has mentioned that,i glanced over the thread. 5.00,a hour,and 2 beers fixed it.

 

I am not sure what you mean about 2 beers fixing it. I put a new thermostat in. My main problem is that idle when the temperature gets to 200 or above the a/c will blow really hot air at idle. When I start moving, especially above 30 mph the a/c will blow cold air again. Don't understand why this is. Some have told me that the computer turns off the a/c at this temp to protect itself. Don't know how true this is. Does anyone know about this?
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2000 s10 blazer 4x4
4.3 v6 tbi