996 C4 - Running Temperatures

[levelad]

Could anyone please give me the temperature at which the 3.4 996 engine should run at once its up to temperature, Now the weather is warming up Ive notice that the temperature is heading up very quickly to around 90deg in stop start traffic before the fans kick in. I may be paranoid but its the first summer Ive had the car and coming from a Boxster S that seemed to be at a constant 80Deg
has made me prompt the question.

[lightweight]

never seen a watercooled 911 above 80 even at the Ring over easter

[ballcock]

Yeah the 3.4 is designed to run at 80 if you're travelling along at a reasonable rate , once you hit traffic , the temp increases to around 90 , the fans then kick in which brings the temp back down to 80 again.
It's worth checking that both fans are working from time to time as the capacitors burn out , and you don't want to be sitting in traffic with your front fans knackered!!
The engine will also run hotter if there's any foreign matter stuck in front of the a/c condenser .. have a look in thru the front grilles to check for leaves, crisp packets , badgers etc , when you get a chance.

[levelad]

thanks for the advice, I'll check that theres no obstructions, have a distinct feeling though that the n/s fan may not be cutting in, I'll run it up to temperature again and check it out.

[ballcock]

levelad said:

thanks for the advice, I'll check that theres no obstructions, have a distinct feeling though that the n/s fan may not be cutting in, I'll run it up to temperature again and check it out.

Alternatively , just turn on your a/c .. both fans should run immediately

.. If you've got an opc warranty , the capacitors are covered .. Ask me why I know

[simes69]

Ditto above - have no temperature problems with mine. The fans on mine come on straight away after start (maybe to test 'em) so it should be pretty obvious if they're not working.

[911wise]

ballcock said:

levelad said:

thanks for the advice, I'll check that theres no obstructions, have a distinct feeling though that the n/s fan may not be cutting in, I'll run it up to temperature again and check it out.

Alternatively , just turn on your a/c .. both fans should run immediately

.. If you've got an opc warranty , the capacitors are covered .. Ask me why I know

OK then its been an hour and a half. Why do you know then?

[sportsandclassic]

Hello

The fans have a resistor pack each which provides full or half speed you need to get it checked to see
if both speeds are working correctly.

Mike

sports and classic

[Fidgits]

ballcock said:

levelad said:

thanks for the advice, I'll check that theres no obstructions, have a distinct feeling though that the n/s fan may not be cutting in, I'll run it up to temperature again and check it out.

Alternatively , just turn on your a/c .. both fans should run immediately

.. If you've got an opc warranty , the capacitors are covered .. Ask me why I know

I may need mine replacing, as it does seem to go above 80 and stay there (though occasionaly the fans sound like their on, but could just be the one?)

[Mandeville]

Does anyone know what the resolution of this problem was? I'm getting exactly the same symptoms and the OPC, after replacing the thermostat and water pump, say they can't find anything wrong and that its therefore normal. Any extra suggestions welcome!

[JonA]

I have a 996 c2, 1999/3.4l that's just the same. In this hot weather temp goes to 90 in traffic. Both rad fans at the front kick-in, and there is no visible debris around the radiators. It never goes above 90...
On the other hand, fon't know about whether fans operate at both speeds, and I've never had the bumper off to do the full-radiator "flossing" that I've seen described on other web sites.
Interested to know results too..

[chargerman]

Both fans run at half speed as soon as engine runs if the A/C is switched on, to draw cold air over the condensor rads, if you switch the A/C off both fans will cease running for a while

Never really seem to run at full speed unless A/C is off & engine has been idling for a while

Have seen 90C displayed on the dash, dont think it's anything to worry about, just glad weathers warm enough to not have the heater on anymore