Engine Temp Cold, Fans Running On High??

[Jake0811]

Went out to leave for lunch. I had my car on remote start mode and as i walked up i heard loud fans like that's not normal. Saw no steam or any signs of fluid on the ground. Got in and i got a engine temperature warning but my guage read "Cold". I immediately shut the car off. Checked around for anything abnormal and saw nothing. Check engine light is on so my only thought was stuck thermostat? 2015 SHO 126k currently. I don't want to drive it in fear of damaging anything mechanically.
Thanks!

 

[Austin2013SHO]

I have a couple or random questions, 1 how long did u start the car before u got in it to drive(5mins,10mins)

I had similar issue that ended up being a water pump issue. I could never see anything leaking because it would go out the little weep hole by alternator and fall onto splash shield. Of course my splash shield has this carpeted foam padding and was absorbing the fluid leaking.

Thermostat is easy and quick fix, when my car did its overheating stuff I got to 255 before I cut it off one time and things were fine, I don’t recommend this but my drive from that location was 2 minutes, no way I could pay for a tow to go 3 football fields.

 

[Jake0811]

I have a couple or random questions, 1 how long did u start the car before u got in it to drive(5mins,10mins)

I had similar issue that ended up being a water pump issue. I could never see anything leaking because it would go out the little weep hole by alternator and fall onto splash shield. Of course my splash shield has this carpeted foam padding and was absorbing the fluid leaking.

Thermostat is easy and quick fix, when my car did its overheating stuff I got to 255 before I cut it off one time and things were fine, I don’t recommend this but my drive from that location was 2 minutes, no way I could pay for a tow to go 3 football field

It was running for about 10ish minutes before I discovered the fans running on high which would otherwise indicate am overheat condition. I didnt see any leaks or fluid on the ground no busted hoses or any steam.

 

[Austin2013SHO]

Yeah with it running for 10 mins at idle temps shouldn’t have gotten hot enough for the thermostat to open IMO. For it to be hot in such a short time at idle is definitely head scratching, coolant levels are fine? Also I would undo the splash shield and see if u see any residue (typically white-ish) on it. Next I would try thermostat because it is cheap and an easy install. If that doesn’t do it, possibly bad radiator but I would put a scanner to it and monitor temps to see what it is really running.

 

[Jake0811]

Yeah with it running for 10 mins at idle temps shouldn’t have gotten hot enough for the thermostat to open IMO. For it to be hot in such a short time at idle is definitely head scratching, coolant levels are fine? Also I would undo the splash shield and see if u see any residue (typically white-ish) on it. Next I would try thermostat because it is cheap and an easy install. If that doesn’t do it, possibly bad radiator but I would put a scanner to it and monitor temps to see what it is really running.

Coolant level was fine. Mine doesnt have that lower shield under the engine wasn't there when i got the car. But i managed to get it home quickly and i parked it. Sunday i already had planned to replace the water pump and timing chain even though i dont have to but with 126k and just the age of the car being 10 years old im sure its time. Id rather have it replaced and have peace of mind. Im also gonna check both turbos to make sure they're tight and not loose and no oil leaks. Car otherwise has been fine up until today.

 

[Austin2013SHO]

Yeah brother my water pump went out at 130k and it was it like an instant stopped working, if I kept car under 3k rpm and drove like a grandma it would stay fine,(I drove from Las Vegas to LA and back like this) but if u got up on it a few times it wasn’t working well enough to cool the car off or maintain normal operating temp. I finally figured out with the dumb shield there what was happening after that trip and fixed it. Not a hard job just make sure u get all the bolts on the timing chain cover. People typically miss one on back side closest to fire wall and crack the cover. If u want DM me your number and I’ll send u all the videos I made while doing the job.

 

[SHO@Sparks]

Since you stated that the engine temperature was not showing an overheat, but the cooling fans were on High and the check engine light was on, I would get it scanned to see what codes were set.

I wouldn't recommend replacing the water pump and timing set until I knew what caused those issues, especially the check engine light. If the engine temps weren't too high, then you shouldn't be overheating. Basically, it can be a false reading from a sensor that is causing this.

Electric cooling fans are commanded on for multiple reasons based on strategies of the cooling system. PCM PIDS to monitor would be CHT cylinder head temp being high, ACP air conditioning high side pressure going excessively high, even with the AC system OFF.

Hope this helps.

 

[Austin2013SHO]

I will say with my water pump going bad I never had any check engine lights or codes just my dash flashed coolant temp high.