Diagnose my 350 engine?

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Old January 18th, 2018, 04:31 PM
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Is there not a temp switch in series with the fan? Does the terminal in the fuse block have power with the key on? Can you post some pictures?
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Old January 18th, 2018, 05:57 PM
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There is no switch connected to the temperature sending unit or anything. The wire is going straight into the battery. I will post some pictures tomorrow. but i know the fan is working because I connected the positive wire to the battery and the fan started working.
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Old January 19th, 2018, 02:28 AM
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Check for a blown fuse. I would hook your fan through a switch and fuse direct from the battery. Manually turn it on and off for now,
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Old January 19th, 2018, 07:56 AM
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Okay as you can see the red wire is directly for the fan that is spliced to the orange wire that is plugged into the ACC slot and the black wire is direct to my battery. Sorry about earlier when i said battery port, i forgot the name is underneath each slot. What is the ACC slot for anyway? and the picture below is the fan with the two wire setup.

But i like your idea a lot better than fixing this. What kind of switch should i be getting? and when you say use a fuse, do you mean use a fusible link wire?


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Old January 19th, 2018, 09:54 AM
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Looking at your picture, I think your radio fuse is blown.

The acc terminal, I believe is a keyed power source protected by an adjacent fuse. If you want to do it correctly look at the diagram below. For a temp fix, use an inline 20-30A fuse connected through a 10 or 12ga wire off the battery to a toggle switch under the dash and then run a wire from the switch to the fan. Connect the negative side of the fan to chassis ground.

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Old January 19th, 2018, 12:32 PM
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I need to replace my radio, but ill probably replace the fuse today anyway.

The diagram is perfectly explained and I can do it except for having the thermo switch. I have my temp sending unit for my gauge in the manifold right now so how would i be able to get a temp reading with the switch to the fan?

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Old January 19th, 2018, 02:14 PM
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You can get one of these to put in your upper radiator hose
Amazon Amazon

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Old January 19th, 2018, 05:24 PM
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I looked at my manifold and i actually have 3 spots for sending units so ill put the switch in the unoccupied one. I just did my flush and i cant get it clear! This is a picture of what the flush looked like after 5 times emptying the radiator after running the engine for a minute each time. I even took the thermostat out of it to make it go quicker. Any recommendations? after i cleaned the thermostat it looks pretty new.

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Old January 19th, 2018, 06:35 PM
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You can test it and make sure, or just replace it with a 180*. They are not very expensive, beats having to drain the system and replacing it later.
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Old January 19th, 2018, 06:53 PM
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Yeah im going replace the thermostat, don't want to risk it. I was just surprised how well it looked I was expecting something worn and gross. I think I need to buy some blue devil flush to get my system cleaner, at this rate im going to have to flush it 5-10 more times with regular water.
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Old January 19th, 2018, 07:55 PM
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man that water looks nasty.
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Old January 19th, 2018, 08:30 PM
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I meant to post this picture with the picture of the thermostat. First i drained the complete system and i filled it with water ran it for a minute with no thermostat and drained it 5 times and it still looks like this. As i said earlier i used Dexcool which is an orange color.

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Old January 19th, 2018, 08:47 PM
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Didn't someone make a fitting to put on the back of the intake manifold that connected to a garden hose to flush the system ? Seems like something could be rigged up to back flush (with the thermostat removed, radiator cap off and petcock open). Turn on the water to the garden hose and let it push loose crap out ?


On another thread, someone mentioned using a dilution of vinegar and water to loosen rust.


........just my two cents worth
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Old January 19th, 2018, 08:57 PM
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Unfortunately I don't have access to a garden hose at the my apartment complex. It would definitely help if i had one to use!
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Old January 20th, 2018, 06:12 AM
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I had a buddy that used to work at a Chevy dealer as a tech. He told me that when you mix the OLD formula of green coolant with Dex Cool, it turns into a gel like substance. They had so many problems with engines coming in for warranty that the dealer was flushing Dex Cool out of brand new cars when they came in from GM! Customers were topping off brand new cars with old green stuff and the engine had to pulled....

That was in the early days of Dex Cool and now the green coolant is usually safe to mix with Dex, but whatever was in your old carwas probably not the safe stuff. I hope that is not your problem but I would have someone with experience help out. You may have a clogged block. A hose blowing off simply from to much pressure is a huge red flag. And your telling us that the temp is skyrocketing at start up? Maybe your block is full of GEL?
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Old January 20th, 2018, 07:00 AM
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I put this dexcool in less than 6 months ago and dexcool was in there before so I don't think its the situation your speaking of. As for a clog, i took the upper/lower radiator hoses, and heating core hoses and they are not clogged and its not a gel consistency. The walls of the hoses are stained the color of the dexcool but that's it.

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Old January 20th, 2018, 07:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Christopher Michael Drew
I put this dexcool in less than 6 months ago and dexcool was in there before so I don't think its the situation your speaking of. As for a clog, i took the upper/lower radiator hoses, and heating core hoses and they are not clogged and its not a gel consistency. The walls of the hoses are stained the color of the dexcool but that's it.
I would not use that info as a conclusion. The Dex Cool was clogging engines where it was the hottest, the heads and block. The HEADS are where most of the heat builds up in an engine. I literally saw a 6 month old Tahoe at that dealership that was having the engine pulled, and my buddy was saying it was a daily occurrence. If it was a simple fix, they could just flush and replace a few parts and the car would be out the door. If it were my car, I would be pulling the water pump and intake to inspect. Also, I don’t know how much coolant you are getting out when you’ve been draining the car, but from from the pic above, it doesn’t look like much. I drained my Cutlass a few weeks ago and it was several gallons. Also, I have a daily driver Honda that was getting hot. I drained the radiator and NOTHING game out. I have no idea how I could drive it at all, when you took off the radiator cap, the radiator was full. Somehow, the water pump was still sucking enough to cycle something, but not much. I replaced the radiator and found evidence of someone using that stop leak stuff. It clogged everything and I had to do a complete head resurface and gasket job. 2 years later, no problems. My point is, it takes a lot of effort and experience to diagnose strange car problems.

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Old January 20th, 2018, 08:52 AM
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The problem with dex cool was not so much the gelling, but it would destroy gaskets and develop leaks.
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Old January 20th, 2018, 01:15 PM
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Well i bought 2 containers of the Presetone flush and hopefully that does some good for me. If i put another 5 gallons of water plus the flush solution through the system and if its still not clear I'm going to consider pulling the radiator and intake and do what I have to do to make sure the problem is fixed.
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Old January 20th, 2018, 01:35 PM
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You need to find somewhere that has a water hose to be able to flush it clear. You don't need anymore flush solution, you need a large quantity of fresh water to run through it.
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Old January 20th, 2018, 03:15 PM
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Okay so I flushed it with one container of the prestone flush in my first flush and i flushed it 4 more times after with plain water and i got this water consistency. So yes, its clearer than last night but still not good enough.

I think the radiator has been using dexcool for awhile before I got it. Look inside the radiator! Its really hanging to the walls. I've been thinking about getting a new radiator for a long time now and maybe that's the best choice for the sake of the engine.




Oldcutlass I think a hose would help but look inside the radiator, is this normal? Is it just too dirty to clean? and I cant find a radiator shop near me to get it worked on.

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Old January 20th, 2018, 03:29 PM
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A little rust won't hurt anything as long as it flows.
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Old January 20th, 2018, 03:43 PM
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Alright. How far can i drive with the car with just plain water in it? I can drive the car to my dads and have access to the hose.
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Old January 20th, 2018, 04:03 PM
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As long as there are no freezing temps, you can drive it for a long time.
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Old January 20th, 2018, 04:22 PM
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Yeah im in Florida, no problem with freezing temps haha
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Old January 20th, 2018, 05:27 PM
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I would definitely get the inexpensive flush kit that hooks up to the garden hose mentioned above. I would not trust using a regular flush on a car already having problems. Using the water pump method is just for regular maintenance... There’s no way to know if you are really flushing anything as is. Are you running the heater full blast? How much water is going in and coming out? Both pics you show, that’s hardly anything. If you are truly overheating soon after startup, a dirty radiator or non working cooling fan would have nothing to do with it. That kind of problem sounds like a completely dry engine or one with zero flow. I use a Centech infrared laser thermometer for stuff like this. You can get a super cheap one at Harbor Freight. Just point and shoot the laser beam at the intake and heads, and I bet you could find a problem area rather fast. You should see consistent temps. If you aim it and find a real high temp, you found a blockage.
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Old January 20th, 2018, 07:06 PM
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My A/c and Heat is not set up, a previous mechanic bypassed the the heater core hose from the water pump to the back of the manifold. Where can a clog develop? I know my hoses are clear. Every flush i was watching the water get sucked into the engine and come back in the radiator so the liquid is going through the system. All the water im putting in is coming out. But that laser sounds like a good idea, ill head to harbor freight in the morning.
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Old January 21st, 2018, 06:48 AM
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Use a good strong acid, something like couple of CLR containers mixed with water for a day or two, it will remove rust and scale. Your lucky rust is all that is in there. When Dexcool mixes with regular green antifreeze it turns into a grey mud. Dexcool was not a good move for GM, it caused all sorts of issues.
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Old January 21st, 2018, 11:02 AM
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The car never had green coolant in it which is good from what you guys are saying about the mixing of the two. So your saying use some type of rust remover and water and drive around for a couple days and that will get a lot of rust out? Should I drive it or not?
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Old January 21st, 2018, 04:33 PM
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[QUOTE=oldcutlass;1069381]Looking at your picture, I think your radio fuse is blown.

The acc terminal, I believe is a keyed power source protected by an adjacent fuse. If you want to do it correctly look at the diagram below. For a temp fix, use an inline 20-30A fuse connected through a 10 or 12ga wire off the battery to a toggle switch under the dash and then run a wire from the switch to the fan. Connect the negative side of the fan to chassis ground.


Hey Oldscutlass, can you help me with this wiring diagram. I did everything this diagram said but the thermostat switch( i need to order it. but for now i have the toggle switch hooked up.) I think the problem is my 12v source. Im hooking the 12v source straight into my Acc in the fuse box. I thought because it said ACC in the diagram I could use that. Maybe I grabbed the wrong toggle switch?

Heres some pictures

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Old January 21st, 2018, 06:23 PM
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Do you have power with the key on at the acc terminal? Have you tried connecting the fan directly to the battery to make sure it works? I can't tell what terminal #'s are wired on your relay but if you followed the diagram it should work. Your switch is 3 positions, center is off, and it moves left or right connecting the opposite terminal from the direction the toggle is moved.
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Old January 21st, 2018, 06:24 PM
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Yes, I drove for a week with the water and acid in there, it really cleaned it the scale and crud. It just needs a really good flush before you put antifreeze and water in. I suggest a 70/30 water to antifreeze living in Florida.
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Old January 21st, 2018, 06:53 PM
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I did test the fan by connecting it straight to the battery twice and it turned on. And I check for power with a multimeter to see if i get a reading? Would you suggest a different 12v source? and looking at my toggle switch, the ground would go in the middle terminal and the wire from the relay should connect to one of the terminals that say ACC/On and I dont do anything with the third terminal, right?

and i will put that water and acid mix in tomorrow and go for a drive once this fan situation is all finished!

And thank you guys for helping me out, I know I ask a lot of questions but I want to know every little detail i can and you guys know your stuff!
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Old January 22nd, 2018, 04:16 AM
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Yes, the chassis ground should go to the center switch terminal and the relay connection to one of the 2 outer terminals. If wired correctly when you turn the ignition key on there should be power on relay terminal 86 and relay terminal 30 should have power all the time. One you flip the switch to the opposite direction of the wired terminal it will supply the ground and engage the relay which closes relay terminals 30 and 87 and sends voltage to one wire of the fan. The other fan wire needs to be connected to chassis ground. Note, if the fan is turning the wrong direction, switch the power and ground wires.
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Old January 22nd, 2018, 07:52 AM
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The ground wire from the fan is going to the negative battery terminal, is that fine? and my fan is a puller(the fan is in the middle of the of the radiator and the engine) so i believe it should go clockwise?
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Old January 22nd, 2018, 08:01 AM
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Yes that is fine, although it just needs to be connected to metal on the radiator support. Just make sure the air is flowing towards the engine.
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Old January 22nd, 2018, 11:22 AM
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Okay, the fan is working, i connected it to my radio fuse and it powered up. but the ACC port in the fuse box has this 2 wire connector that will not come out of the port! So im just gonna find a new 12v source thats safer than just shoving the wire in the radio fuse slot. So what a good easy and accessible alternative?
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Old January 22nd, 2018, 12:33 PM
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The ACC port is just a 1/4" male spade terminal that should pull out. Does that terminal have power with the key on and none with it off?
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Old January 22nd, 2018, 02:00 PM
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I know, Im trying to pull it with my finger and pliers and it will not budge! As you can the plastic connector is connected to two wires. It will just not come out, and i dont want to force it and rip the fuse box out.
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Old January 22nd, 2018, 02:11 PM
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It may have gotten hot, just keep working at it. Wiggle up and down while pulling on the wire.
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