cooling problems

[junk_jivin38]

i had a major coolant leak on my 93 GP se 3.1...the steel heater line that runs along the pass. side inner fender was rusted out...hacked it out and replaced w/rubber heater hose...while refilling and (attempting to) bleed the system,i noticed the motor getting very hot...temp guage read normal,but the spilled coolant was steaming off the engine and u could just feel the heat...replaced the t-stat and same thing,then i noticed the fans werent kicking on...i searched this forum and found a similar thread.

i unplugged the coolant sensor at the block and ONE fan came on...driver side...is this normal? or should they both be on at idle?

another thing i noticed is that with engine warm and radiator cap off,coolant wasnt flowing (as it does on my truck)...im thinking the water pump may be bad...how can i test this? and could that be the prob w/the fans?

i bought this car in a kind of unique situation...wholesale from a dealer(a good friend) but it has to pass NYS inspection before i can get the title,therefore,i need to get it going as cheap as possible...then if it passes,i will make permanent repairs...if it doesnt pass,there will be some parts for sale lol

any help or observations will be greatly appreciated

jon

[richtazz]

These cars are known to get air bubbles trapped in the upper engine anytime the cooling system is opened. The resultant air causes a vapor-lock type situation which blocks coolant flow. One of the most common symptoms is rapid steam build-up which will cause coolant to boil over into the overflow bottle. You need to use the coolant bleeder screw(s) to purge the air if you didn't do so.

[junk_jivin38]

that is what i was trying to do,but it got hot and was steaming...so i shut er off...as i said before, i was 'attempting' to bleed the air off,but soon realized i really dont know how...i remember seeing a cpl diff ways somewhere but cannot find....mebbe you or someone could run me thru that?

the other thing was the cooling fans...only one comes on with the sensor disconnected...my guess is- not normal...gonna check for power at 2nd fan when i get back over there....either a bad wire or bad fan motor...