dipsomaniac

speaking to a mechanic today who said that the fans do not necessarily come on together. has anyone got a definite answer on this?

why didn't i think of that? hope the wires reach?

can anyone explain how the two cooling fans are supposed to work? why two? are they supposed to come on together? i have just let car idle on the drive, got to 'm' of 'norm' on the temperature gauge and the largest fan nearest the air filter kicked in. tried switching on air con and still only the one fan came on. is this normal or should both fans be spinning?

FYI. spanner size is 29mm for cooling fan switch. you need a combination spanner as you can't access with anything else. just my luck, after finally finding a spanner shop that sells 29mm combination spanners the price was 12.57. a 28mm is 4.99 and a 30mm 7.99 - don't know why? the switch does not have a washer - i used a little boss white and it has now sealed ok. can't see how it can do any harm as it is only on the thread.

had a similar problem with a ford escort. it was the keep alive fuse which had blown resulting in the fault code reader not being able to take power from the car battery.

does anyone know what size spanner fits on the cooling fan switch as i need to buy one? i can't get to it with an adjustable.

my mistake. i was referring to a mk1. i have just noticed yours is a mk2.

i agree with seatkid there must be some other fault codes logged somewhere. dealer or autobox specialist? i'd telephone both and ask how much they charge to put on diagnostics. if its an autobox fault the main dealer will almost certainly sub the work out to your local autobox specialist. let us know the result.

maybe worth disconnecting battery for 20 minutes (radio code) to see if management system resets.

i don't think rac man would have done any damage at that speed and distance - what does the manual say? am very surprised he didn't have the kit to raise the front wheels to be on the safe side.

sorry can't help with garage in leicester. has your mate with the snap on machine tried to find the fault manually? if it has only happened since replacing relay you have to start there by retracing your steps, look for any relays/fuses/wires that may have been disturbed. you then need to look under the bonnet for anything obvious. look around the transmission control module and gearbox for any damage to the loom. if the logged code is a symptom, have a look at any sensors (especially lamda) for any damage.

squeeze the two plastic tabs and pull - probably just needed a bit more brute force.

the online version of etka doesn't even show the cooling fan switch. is there a full version? the switch is screwed into radiator between top and bottom hoses.

can't think of any reason why changing relay 30 would cause these symptoms. was 'man with machine' the rac man or someone you paid to diagnose problem? you have done the right thing by reading the fault codes first but the code it has thrown up doesn't reveal much. are you sure that no other fault codes were logged? did 'man with machine' try clearing the code to see if it came back?

have you got a part no. for seal/washer/o ring

i think the code is more likely to be a symptom of the problem and not the problem. car will go into limp mode for a variety of reasons to protect the engine - i would have thought that another code would have been logged also. did you have any symptoms before it went into limp mode?

dtc p0700 is a transmission control system malfunction. not sure if it is a cause or symptom. is that the only code logged?

thanks mk2vr6. that is another job on my list behind fixing leak from cooling fan switch. refitting bumper, headlights, and grille. fitting new wipers, tyre and heater matrix.

thanks seatkid. will look again at old rad to see if i have left off an o ring or washer. just hope i can get to it ok as i don't want to remove rad again. it is hard to tell if bottom hose is ok until i fix switch. when i popped out again earlier this evening it didn't appear to be leaking. i am just hoping that the parts might have been bedding in as i ran the car until fans kicked in and let it cool.

have now found it. it is the pcv (positive crankcase ventillation) valve.

thanks mk2vr6. are we talking about the same pipe as it is not near brake master cylinder? i have attached image.

the concertina pipe going from the head to the main air intake appears split and i can see some smoke/fumes coming from that area - it may just be burning oil on the pipe. there is an occassional sucking noise around there and i am not sure if it is the evap or something else.

has anyone got any diagrams of the throttle body/air intake system with all its parts for the v6. the pipe which runs from the main air intake back into the top of head is damaged. i think it is some sort of emmissions recycling system.

radiator delivered this week and began fitting yesterday. autodata are quoting 1.7 hours - i have been working on it for about 5 hours sofar. without discharging air con it was a nightmare trying to fit condenser onto radiator in situ. it is attached by four bolts, 3 are reasonable easy to access and fit, the fourth took me about an hour and i lost half the skin on my fingers. just filled with coolant, radiator is ok but have a leak from the cooling fan switch on the rad and it looks like the bottom hose might be leaking but hard to tell until i have fixed switch. anyone know what i can use to stop leak on the switch. i was thinking of plumbers mate or ptfe? or can i just tighten a little more (if i have a spanner big enough). there was no sealant on the switch when i took it out of the old rad. should i also have replaced the spring hose clips with jubilee clips? if the bottom hose is leaking that is the only thing i can think of doing.

not sure if mail order but i have found GSF to be reasonable and have plenty of outlets. my rear shock on my mk1 failed the mot. garage charge