Okay...My TJ has started doing weird stuff with one of the thermatic fans (driver's side unit). It's cold as anything in Victoria right now but when I take the car for a short spin the fan starts up and runs on for ten minutes or so. I took the car for a spin on the freeway and the fan did eventually cut out but when I pulled up and let her idle...on came the fan. Then I parked the car in the driveway and waited for the fan to kick in. Sure enough it did but it didn't switch off like, I assume, they are supposed to after a minute or so. It ran on for four minutes and then I turned the car off...sick of waiting. The passenger side fan never seems to come on.

I've checked the coolant...that seems fine and at the correct level. I checked that the radiator cap is on...that seems okay. The temperature gauge never seems to climb above 1/3 ...there's no wild variation on the gauge at all.

Any suggestions for checking the fan? Do I need to get some one with a MUTI to check it?

I think you either have a partially blocked radiator or your temp gauge is stuck at the 1/3 mark.

I think you either have a partially blocked radiator or your temp gauge is stuck at the 1/3 mark.


The gauge is okay as it moves freely. The radiator blockage theory may be on the right track. I never thought of that...thanks for the idea. The car has only done 34 thousand k since new and even though I asked the service people to drain and flush the radiator I'm beginning to wonder if they actually did so.

Might be time for a pressure test, huh?

We had a simolar issue with our KJ. But ours was on a mild temperture day like 25 it would get red hot and nearly top the guage. Thing we found was the 2nd fan wasnt coming on on its own but would turn on when the aircon was switched on.

Anyway we changed thermostat, still no fix, bought a new fan from the wrecker, no fix.

Anyway we couldn't afford the car to be off the road for long, so we just bought a new radiator off ebay, fitted it and sure enough car never rises above half way.

The gauge is okay as it moves freely. The radiator blockage theory may be on the right track. I never thought of that...thanks for the idea. The car has only done 34 thousand k since new and even though I asked the service people to drain and flush the radiator I'm beginning to wonder if they actually did so.

Might be time for a pressure test, huh?

Actually, pressure test will not show any abnormalities and it is only aimed for leaks..
34k for a 10+year old car is a sure sign that the radiator is blocked. The lack of anti rust circulation would cause the radiator cores to start rusting, and is common with cars not used enough.

I had bought a car that was sitting for 2 years. Full service history, but radiator was blocked, and used to almost get to the red zone in summer. This is my experience though.

Parking a car for an extended period of time and not keeping it serviced on a time basis is asking for trouble. Coolant goes corrosive after a few years and eats away at the alloy of the engine and radiator. When you then fire it up and start using it you get a lot of problems. I wouldn't buy a low km car unless it was serviced on a time basis, even if only does a couple of km a year.

So are we all saying that the radiator needs changing? The car has sat for long periods...my own stupid fault, really. Okay...Mad Max...do you think a radiator transplant will do the job or would you do the water pump as well? Or is it best to trade the thing and move on? I'd hate to do that as I really love that car.

A mate suggested that I do the timing belt and water pump because although the required distance hasn't passed the time limit has been well and truly reached. If that is the case perhaps a new radiator at the same time might ensure the Magna lives on for a few more years.

Do the timing belt and water pump as well. Mal/Madmagna has a workshop in VIC and he is very good.

I'd like to take the car to MadMagna but don't know where his workshop is.

I had a quote from Chadstone Mitsubishi (dealer) today...They have done some work for me before and they seemed okay...perhaps others here can tell me of their experiences.

Anyway...the quote is as follows:

-Change timing belt
-Change water pump
-Supply and fit new radiator core
-Replace brake fluid (Being that brake fluid is hydroscopic and the car has sat for long periods of time I think this is necessary).
-Change the engine oil

All up $1500, rounded off.

What do you all think...is it worth it?

How does the quote break down into labour and parts?

That quote is quite high as they will do belt only without seals and tensioner pulleys

My address details are all over the net lol, here in AMC in the contact section, on Google including maps etc etc

If you are wanting a quote, PM me and I will prepare one for you. Not sure why you are getting quoted on Radiators etc but to give you an idea, a full 100k service including spark plugs, timing belt, trans flush, fuel filter, air filter, oil filter, oil, brake fluid, coolant etc etc is around the $1100 mark, even with a brand new radiator thrown into the mix will not take to $1500 and this is including far more than quoted above

now I have read more of this thread, I am highly doubtful that the radiator is the issue

If you have had a flush of recent times, could be that the coolant that was replaced was too concentrated. either way, if the fan is a heating issue then the temp guage would also rise. This issue sounds like either the ECU is playing funny buggers or the temp sensor is faulty. These can be a little hard to diagnose but if you are getting fan on when engine is cold, then the radiator is definately not blocked.

One other question, are you running your aircon to defrost when the fan is noticed as being turned on

now I have read more of this thread, I am highly doubtful that the radiator is the issue

If you have had a flush of recent times, could be that the coolant that was replaced was too concentrated. either way, if the fan is a heating issue then the temp guage would also rise. This issue sounds like either the ECU is playing funny buggers or the temp sensor is faulty. These can be a little hard to diagnose but if you are getting fan on when engine is cold, then the radiator is definately not blocked.

One other question, are you running your aircon to defrost when the fan is noticed as being turned on

Hi MM...please PM me with a quote by all means...please include the address of your workshop.

I let a "knowledgeable" mate (not a mechanic...just a guy well into cars and stuff) looked at the car for me. We started the thing...ran it for a bit and watched to see if there was any "movement" of the water with the cap off. There was none that we could see but we didn't run the engine for more than six minutes. I couldn't see any rust or muck under the radiator cap, which looked as new as the day it was put on in Tonsley Park. The content of the overfill container is clean as well.

The only fan coming on is the one on the driver's side and I haven't run the air-con at all for last few trips I've made in her... The passenger-side fan seems to stay idle. I took the car for a spin down the Mulgrave freeway yesterday and the temperature gauge stayed pretty much where it has done since the car was first delivered...at about one third of the calibration. I took the car off the freeway and then stopped outside the old AFL Park at the intersection there and heard the fan come on...it stayed on for another two or three minutes and I stopped the car on the side of Wellington road and turned the engine off. I restarted the car and the fan did not come on for a minute or so whilst it was idling. Once it started it stayed on for a few minutes but by that time I had to get going again because the traffic was building and I didnt want to get caught in peak hour if the motor was going to give out on me. So I drove home and parked the thing in the driveway with the engine idling. The fan came on and stayed on for about three minutes. I switched the motor off...waited a minute and restarted...the fan was off but came back on within two minutes and stayed on for quite a while. I got sick of waiting and backed the car into the garage and switched her off and left her there.

I suppose I have become really paranoid about the car since it was caught in the garage during the big December downpour and it was flooded out to a height of about 10cm in the floor wells (the water didn't reach the ECU). First I had a problem with a dicky brake light switch which I had repaired and then I was really worried about residual water in the car's interior which I worked bloody hard on to dry out. It is as dry as a bone now...I keep a humidity-collecting "Damp Rid container in the car and this has remained dry as a bone ever since.

I love this car and have a very sentimental reason for not wanting to sell it (family reason) and I cannot afford a new car because I am now retired and I just don't have twenty grand or so laying around to finance a new purchase. And I cannot take out a loan because of my fixed income.

I have tried to keep this car as pristine as possible and, cosmetically, she is as good as the day I took delivery of her, new, from Bradys Mitsubishi back in 2001. I just made the the mistake of keeping her garaged too long, using her too sparingly and not sticking to the required service schedule, due to the low kays it had travelled. More fool me! Just because the car has only done 34,000 is no guarantee that old age won't get to her innards!

MM... please PM me with your workshop details. Perhaps the car's radiator just needs a good flush but I know she needs a new timing belt, water pump and a good service and am desperate to find a mechanic who knows Magnas like the back of his hand, takes care of the car's appearance (in other words, wont ding the crap out of the body whilst it's being worked on), isn't outrageously expensive and is a trustworthy "keeper"...someone you can keep going back to with full confidence...like the old days.