Mitsubishi Galant 1998. I was in a recent auto accident that damaged the radiator area and I am trying to fix it myself. The check engine light is on it runs pretty hot. First off I understand that the coolant system is pressurized. In the accident the coolant bottle was crushed in such a way that the cap does not fit properly onto the bottle. The hose is still in the coolant and it doesnt leak. Could this cause a problem since the bottle cannot be pressurized?Second the radiator fans do not come on when the engine is turned on. does the thermostat need to activate the fans before they come on? ie is this normalAny ideas would be great. Thanks!
I had a similar problem with my truck years ago. When I would turn the ignition on the fan would turn on even if the engine was cold. It ended up being that the temperature sensor wire got a break in it and grounded out. When the sensor grounded the computer thought that the engine was overheating and would turn on the cooling fan. With your car being in an accident the wire could have been pinched and grounded it self. Does the Temperature gauge go to the high side when the ignition is on and the engine off? If there is no temp gauge, just a Temperature light the light sould be off with the engine off and the ignition on. On most vehicles the coolant overflow bottle is not pressurized, but some are. If the radiator doesn't have a cap on it the overflow bottle will be pressurized.
move them your self , use string tie them up
The cooling system does need to be pressurized. With the system pressurized the coolant gets hotter than if not pressurized. The fans may not come on immediately when you start the car because they are typically controlled by the ECT (engine coolant temperature sensor). When this sensor has a certain amount of heat passing through it it increases the voltage going to the PCM and will tell it to turn on the cooling fan. However, if you run the A/C, the cooling fan, or auxiliary cooling fan should turn on immediately. As far as the check engine light being on, it might be telling you that a sensor is bad. I would just take the car to an advance auto parts, or autozone and let them scan it really quick. This might pinpoint your issue right away.
