Hi everyone i recently got my astina(loving it) but i fear my readiator switch needs to be replaced...only problem is i cant find the bugger. Can someone please tell me where its located on the car.
Thanks

Radiator switch? Do you mean the thermostat?

Do you mean this one: http://www.fordprobestore.co.uk/store/p ... ts_id=2513 , the coolant temperature sensor?

well its the switch that lets the radiator fan know that it time to turn on now coz the engine is hot. Im new to cars and not sure what its called so please forgive my ignorance.
At the moment my fans arn't coming on and i have to turn on the aircon to bring the temp down.

What is the reading on the temperature guage? The fans should only come on if the engine is too hot - they shouldn't come on under normal conditions.

they shouldnt come on unless its over half wayish..
hae you had any overheating issues?

Well the gauge goes up to 3/4 and they still dont come on. The previous owner told me that i must always watch the gauge in heavy traffic as the car will overheat if i dont cool it down by turning on the aircon

If the radiator fan doesn't work at any time ( go to garage to give it a look ) then you need to replace the coolant sensor. I think that one has gone. Only, if the fan still works after testing.

If the fan doesn't respont, you need to check the relais and fuses for the fan.

Check it step by step

ok so then i take it radiator switch = coolant sensor.
that should be cheap to replace i just need to know where on the car it is, i checked by the radiator but cant see anything.

also called the thermostat...
my rover vhpd likes running a bit warm... so ive got a switch ive installed on the dash that bypasses the switch and knocks the heat down in traffic:P
just an extra precaution i guess...

the thermostat is different. You can check both, I don't know where that coolant switch goes, but do know where the thermostat goes

If I were you I would clean the earth on the front of the rocker cover. That has been known to make the temp gauge go haywire. It might not be actually overheating at all.

Coolant temp switch is located under the coolant hose by the distributor

On newer cars they integrated it in with the temperature sender unit.

Not to be mistaken with the radiator fan switch.

Radiator fan switch = turns the fans on
Temperature sender unit = makes the gauge work

On older cars they were separate, on newer cars they were one unit. Older ones have 2 wires, newer ones have 3 wires

Newer type with 3 wires


Older type with seperate gauge unit. The fan switch will be located under the coolant hose as andy said

Thanks a million guys especially Lethagized for adding pics. Lets hope i get it sorted.

Interesting, my post ford engine has all the pre ford sensors plugged in

ok i found the switch and replace it with exactly the same one and my fans still dont come on. When removing switch and breaching the connection directly the fans do come on. So the problem does lie with the switch but now im thinking that the one that was on there was not the correct one and now i went and bought the exact same one. So my question is, what is the right switch to place there? the markings on my current one says 21T, and on the other sides of it, 33250 and FAE.
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planetman is on the ball, and may well be refering to the problem I had with my temperature gauge.
Have a read here
http://www.club323f.com/club323f/forum/ ... highlight=

might save you lots of trouble becuase there might not be a problem at all.

Rob

had a read on the thread, my gauge is working right. trust me the engine is bloody hot. My fans are NOT coming on at all:(

It might be worth replacing the thermostat?

Or possibly a worse issue - water pump?

The engine does get very hot when it is running normally. It takes 5 minutes to clean the earth - worth a try I would have thought

Are both the top hose and the bottom hose getting hot? If they are then its probably not the thermostat.

You need to remember that it is very rare for the fans to come on anyway when the engine is operating normally.

I was half way through typing "check the temperature of the top hose" but for some reason, I erased it

Ok Will give that a try and let you guys know, Once again thanks for all the help, its very much appreciated.

Ok i thought maybe its because i bought an aftermarket switch that that might be the reason it didnt work. I thus went and bought a switch from the mazda agents and it still doesnt work. On another forum a user mentioned this
"The ECU doesn't use the same temp sender as the dash. On the back of the head to the right of the dash sensor is another sensor with a triangular plug."

Any ideas?

The triangular plug is the one i posted in my first pic. It's a 3 wire sensor. It controls the radiator fans AND the gauge. This triangular sensor is only fitted to later models. The eariler cars had a 2 wire sensor located in the same place, then an additional sensor directly under the distributor operating the gauge.

1 thing definitely worth checking is the main electrical connectors for the fans. It is located at the front of the car next to the headlight by the airbox

what will you do with that plug?