Tempature Problem????

I have a 1989 Thunderbird 3.8, 232 (Non LX or SC). When the clutch fan went on it, I replaced the entire fan with a Flex Fan thinking this type of fan would move more air through the radiator and cool the engine better than the standard fan and clutch fan. Well when I installed the Flex Fan, I noticed it did not fit with the factory shroud. So I trimmed the shroud a bit so the Flex Fan would fit.

Now my problem is, when in stop and go traffic or just at idle with the A/C on, the tempature needle goes to about the half way point, then the compressor cuts off. The compressor will not turn back on until the car cools a bit, and even then sometimes I have to turn the car off then back on again before the compressor will turn on. When the A/C is not on, the temp. needle doesnt even go 1/4 of the way past "COLD".

My questions are, could trimming the shroud have affected how the car cools itself when the A/C is on or is something wrong with my a/c system???? Should I get one of those high performance shrouds like the Trans-Dapt TRD-9454, and will one of these shrouds even fit on a TBird? The Width of those performance shrouds are 20", and the width of the factory shroud is 22". I was seriously considering either removing the shroud I have now and not using any shroud at all, or getting a shroud like the Trans-Dapt, but I'm not sure if it will fit.

The radiator and condensor seem to be free of anything thay might obstruct the flow of air. Any opinions will be greatly appreciated... Thanks.....

http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?Ntt=9454&Ntk=KeywordSearch&DDS=1&searchinresults=false&N=0&target=egnsearch.asp&x=10&y=11

I am not an a/c guru by any means but have the system checked out. I don't remember the specifec details as to why but your condensor getting too hot can make your car run hot.



Edit: They a/c system being overcharged will cause the condensor to get too hot.

you really dont want to go w/o a shroud. you thought you had temp. problems now. the problem would get greater. w/o a/c on does the car run cooler than when the oem fan was in good condition (clutch ok)? same, warmer?
with the a/c problem, it sounds as if you are moving less air across the condensor and rad.
is the shroud still pretty close to the edge of the new blade or opened up to a larger clearance than you had w/ the original blade?

Thanks for your advice and help. There is actually abour 2" of clearance now between the flex fan blades and the shroud. I think the shrouds current condition may be the culprit. I also think the A/C may be a little overcharged too, because when the temp. gets hotter, the compressor begins to become a little louder, then eventually shuts off. I don't know how normal that is. I'm gonna give that Trans-Dapt shroud a try and see what happens. If it installs on my car the way I hope it does, there should only be about a 1/2" clearnce between the shroud and the fan blades. I just wish I could see it installed on another car so I can have an idea of how it fits and installs.

another thing to check b4 you buy more parts: take shroud off and lean radiator towards engine and look for leaves, critters houses, trash bags, or any other debris between condensor and rad----i found a full blown opossum nest babies and all in one car --also check to see if any bent fins on condensor that may be blocking free airflow--the ac does generate a substantial amount of heat thats why its up front ahead of radiator and that heat could make it look as if you are overcharged-the more heat = higher pressures also is your lower air dam/deflector still in place ? the part most people think is just a little black plastic curb finder its very important for that to be on car as it acts as a dam backing air up under nose and deflects it upwards to condensor and radiator

Hey thanks coondawg6 for the advice. I was thinking about using a high pressure hose to clean the condensor and radiator. The condensor looks pretty good but the radiator does have a few fins that looked bent. A mechanic i spoke to said if i use a high pressure hose to clean the radiator off, the fins should straighten out. I dont know how true that is and i dont know how much of an affect the bent fins will have on the cooling performance. But i'll see how much of an improvement cleaning the radiator and condensor will make. Then i'll get a universal fan shroud and see how that works seeing as thats only around $25.

I do have one question coondawg6. What exactly is the lower air dam/deflector you refered to. Is that part of the Original Fan Shroud? If so i'm pretty sure mine is runied.

its not part of the fan shroud its under the car at the front should look like a long black piece(as wide as radiator) of plastic under the front nose (header panel) most people scrape them off on curbs when they pull in to far- if you dont see yours a pontiac firebird has a very large one cant miss it sticking down -should be about 2 inches tall on a tbird -on a firebird its about 4 inches tall