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Thermostat fan switch temperature ranges?

V8Merc124

New member
26
2
3
Location
Modesto California
HI all I tend to be long winded so I can give all the info I have. sorry!
I am talking about the thermostat switch found in the cross over tube that controls the engine fan part number 12338599

Im working with a 6.5 turbo set up that was one of these rather new or very little used demilled powertrains. So the engine and radiator were flushed and cleaned many times when I had it all apart. Power steering pump was already on the engine so its in good shape and has new fluids. This was all done about a year ago.

So the story goes that the fan would never kick on even at about 220 maybe more so I unplugged the TDM for a while so the fan would engage until I found time to chase its tail. The temp on the dash never really goes past 200 -220 with fan on so it is not over heating at all. During the install of this engine I replaced the cadillac valve and TDM with what appeared to be new items that I had got in a box of parts, they were in original packaging but open and looked new and clean.
Per a youtube video I tested the Cadillace valve with a electrical tester (know it works anyway cause unplugging it the fan kicks on) and it was within the ohm? limits they claimed in the video. Good so the mechanics are good. I tested the thermostatic switch and got continuity at cold (constant beep) and I removed the switch to use a heat gun and laser temp gauge to get it up to as hot as a I could and still continuity. I wasnt too sure if the heat gun actually was able to get it to 220 so I decided to order a new switch anyway. At this point you can shake your head :LOL: I decided to use a torch and "gently heat it", still never broke continuity but got up to at the least 220 lol. Yes I destroyed the switch, I will show you whats on the inside.

The new thermo switch comes in so I install it and idle the truck to see when it will come on (I wasnt too convinced with the heat gun and the torch could ruin the switch so didnt want to do that). I come back to the truck and see its at 180 on the dash and the fan is on already?!? I laser the crossover/thermo switch and it shows a similar temp of 180ish or so (my dash agrees). Ok so I shut it down and wait to start the test again but this time sit near it and see when it comes on. This time Im quick and check the dash. 160! what the heck!?? I laser and it agrees. I shut it down and connect the electric tester to the switch and let it cool to see when continuity will come back wait for the beep. It happens at about 120-130 using the laser, dash agrees. I am very confused.

I get an exchange for the thermo switch and just did the same as above. It comes on at just about 210-200 degrees, so I drive to see if I get the temp down to where it will shut off. Nope. It wont cool past a little under 200 and the fan is still on. Theres no way the engine will cool to the point where the fan will shut off. For those wondering on the brand of the thermo switch, it appears to be military with aluminum crimped on numbers on the wire. But no where can I see a part number. Packaging came in a zip baggie with a blue plastic net thing to protect the threads (at least for the first one).

I did check the time delay module for those wondering. I have a known bad one and I also have one from another truck that functions fine. That truck is 6.2 and comes on for sure at 220 and off at 190-200? I forget now. The 6.2 tdm did the same thing as the new tdm on 6.5 so I assume it is good as it behaved the same. The known bad tdm I have will not turn the fan on at all and I got the 6.5 up to nearly 240 before I switched the tdm back. All the TDM I have are KDS brand

So the question is, are there different switch temperature ranges? Where do I find one in the right range? Or what am I doing wrong?
I know the fan is supposed to cycle on and off as you drive and bounce between 220ish and 200 as I have been on a long drive in the 6.2 truck. I dont want the fan to be on constant robbing the power.

Thanks for any input you guys have. And let me know if there is any questions you have that I can write a novel about :ROFLMAO: sorry!
 
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DREDnot

Well-known member
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63
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I suspect you are getting Chinese knockoff switches.
They are known to vary widely in their activation temps.
From what I can tell, most of the switches you see for sale are the repops.

This is what my known genuine switch looked like.

Thick heat sealed plastic. Expired shelf life date.

DSCN1439.JPG
 

V8Merc124

New member
26
2
3
Location
Modesto California
Yeah what I got came in nothing like what I would see for NOS stuff.
I didnt realize there were chinese knock offs of these. I did get it off amazon prime though, scold me later :LOL: I thought with the amuminum crimped number collar tag it couldnt be coming from any where else!

Where can I find a known NOS part for a reasonable price?
Getting into these trucks I find parts vary in price and tend to search instead of buy the first one. Strategic part searching has saved myself lots and lots of dollars on NOS in og packaging parts by not buying from first place I find.

EDIT: I noticed yours has a blue tag on the wire. Mine and some on fleabay dont have that (zippie bag ones) I found some on there with a blue tag like yours. I think I should go with that.
 
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sue

Active member
437
359
43
Location
tulsa OK
wow! your truck will cool down to 180 while driving? or you just tested the switch.

I decided to buy a thermo switch with a blue tag and NOS packaging (at least in the pics it shows this) so Ill report back once I get it.
When the fan engage’s it cools down to 180-182
 

Ajax MD

Well-known member
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1,415
113
Location
Mayo, MD
Mine might be going faulty. My fan failed to come on yesterday and the gauge indicated 235F. Normally it comes on at 220F just as it should. Out of caution, I unplugged the cadillac valve and forced the fan to run until the temperature indicated 200F.

Being as the switch is near the top of the cooling system, do you need to drain the system entirely to replace it or can you just partially drain?

I have 3 theories:

- Faulty switch

- I do think my gauge cluster has a funky ground, so I'm unsure if the gauge was reading properly at that moment and I didn't have the laser thermometer with me. ...but I'm not positive that the gauge was accurate at that moment. It's possible that the temperature was never high enough to trigger the fan.

- I recently replaced my thermostat and flushed the system. I also had a small leak at the expansion tank, which I finally stopped, so the cooling system has been "disturbed." When I arrived at my destination, I noted that the radiator cap wasn't very hot at all, considering that the gauge had been reading 235F, pushing 240F. I popped the cap and it barely vented but the fluid level was correct. I possibly had an air bubble in the system.

After tapping the gauge cluster (the gauges jumped around a bit) and momentarily venting the coolant bottle, the indicated engine temperature never got hot enough to trigger the fan. 210F was as hot as I could get the engine.

I guess I'll put the laser thermometer in the center console and drive around with it.
 

MYM998

New member
6
1
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Location
Virginia
This is a super helpful article. My fan would never turn on. I bought a new relay thinking it was bad, but still the problem continued. Sooo...I just unplugged the relay by the windshield washer tank and let it run all the time. I’m going to order a new temperature switch and see if this fixes the issue. Thanks for the details.
 

papakb

Well-known member
2,285
1,188
113
Location
San Jose, Ca
Years back when I got my truck and parts were scarce I installed this switch to address my fan problems. In the down position it's in normal automatic mode. The middle position the fan is always on and in the top position the fan is always off. I've done several of these switches for friends the only difference being I used a couple of rivets to hold this one in and today I just use the 2 bolts that hold the door strap in place. It's a great location for things like this or possibly backup lights.

Fan switch.jpg
 

WantOne

Member
72
1
8
Location
Leonard, TX
I had the exact same issue where everything seems to check out. suspected the fan switch so purchased a new one and it would never turn on the fan. It did not have the blue tag on it, and did not claim to be oem. Very resonably priced. Wired in a manual switch in place of the fan switch so I can run it while I get another, OEM fan switch. It's 3x the cost, but if it fixes the problem, well worth it. Wish I would have found this thread first. I tried to test my old switch out of the truck as well and blew it up as described by the thread originator.
 
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