I live in Malta so the Felicia is used to be driven in the heat

Car temp always settle half way up the gauge 90 i think,

and thats when the rad fan comes on, the last three days it went

up to 110 and then the fan came on or it comes on when I turn

it off.

Can a faulty radiator switch operate at a different temp or is

delayed coming on as I think this is what is happening.

The car does not overheat and no loss of water but I dont

want to drive it this way as it will only get hotter over here.

Just some more info the radiator switch was replaced about

three years ago but then it was not coming on at all.

The skoda is petrol 1.3LX which I bought brand new and now

have 50000 miles.

Could be an air lock in the radiator. Would run the car with the coolant cap off and massage the coolant pipes, until the fan cuts in and then cuts out.

And yes, I believe a fan switch can become less efficient and operate at different temperatures to usual. You could test it with a multimeter in a pan of boiling water with a thermometer, but it's a relatively cheap part so easier to just replace it.

Sounds like the switch has failed , when you put a new one in , it mite be a good idea to wire in a bypass switch

As others, yes it's possibly for a thermoswitch to part-fail, and cut in at higher temperatures than it used to.

Alternatively, does the Felica have a 2-stage fan, cos that must use 2 bimetals, and the symptoms fit the stage 1 bimetal failing?

no it's not a twin stage one, it's either on or off

no it's not a twin stage one, it's either on or off

The car is a 1.3 carb version and its not a twin stage, I think the

thermo switch is playing silly bu@@ers this afternoon drove 10 miles

home from work with temp sitting at 90 the minute I turned it off

the fan came on, went out an hour later after about 20 min driving

temp went up to 105 and fan did not come on,turned heater on temp

returned to 90.

So is it possible the thermo switch can work intermitently and work

at different temperatures. will it also be a good idea to change the thermostat

can the thermostat sometimes not open at correct temp.

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance, I hope to sort this

out on Saturday.

That looks more like a connection problem than the actual bimetal thermoswitch bit. Put a live feed to the fan, and make sure it spins over.

If it does, clean up the fan and switch connections. Otherwise, it's the fan that's gone, not the switch.

It's also possible for the thermostat to stick yes.

I have the same problem too! My 99 Lxi 1.3 get up to 110 before the fan cuts in, I think the fan switch for felicias must be made to cut in at this temp. Its a bit too hot for comfort, especially on hot summer days. Its stays at 90 once up to speed, so the thermostat must be set to open at 85-90, but the fan doesnt cut in untill 110.

I have owned 2 VW's before wich ALWAYS reach 90 and then stick at 90 no matter how hot it is.

Also the engine idles much better at 90 than at 110. in summer traffic jams it sounds lumpy.

Does anyone know if there is a vw fan switch that will fit into the felly rad ? could the wiring be soldered ?

How best would you wire in a manual override switch ?

I think you can get low temperature switch versions intended for hotter climates that turn the fan on sooner.

How best would you wire in a manual override switch ?

The way to wire in a fan override switch is, to get a long length of two core wire and put one end through the bulkhead to a simple on/off switch or salvaged oe switch. th other end wire in to the fan switch in the rad with a couple of piggy back spade connectors and then refit the fan wires in to the piggy backs. When the switch is pressed it simply bypasses the rad switch

Remember to switch of when you leave the car or it will flatten the dattery as it is live all the time

Having checked out ebay, jorily offeres a low temp (82-92) Skoda Est./Rapid/Favorit Low Temp. Rad Fan Switch -NEW on eBay, also, Skoda, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 09-Jun-08 19:03:35 BST)

But the connection looks alot different to the standard one:

Skoda Felicia 1.3,1.6 6/98> Radiator Fan Switch -NEW on eBay, also, Skoda, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 09-Jun-08 19:03:50 BST)

Would some kind of electrical bodge fix this. (large blobs of solder and 13a mains cable come to mind)

Does the fan switch just vary its resistance with temp ---> ecu ---> relay, OR does it simply switch the full 5 amps for the fan on/off ?

I could always solder a fixed or variable resistor in line with it to lower the "on temp"

thanks rigsby. will have a go and post some pics. not sure where to get the right spade connectors. might have a go at splicing into the wire or something even more bodgetastic. What rating does the wire need to be ?

will 5A twin core do ?

Ok did not manage to do anything on Saturday as I had

to work all day at short notice, few extra Euros comes in handy.

Came home with the temp sitting steadily at 95 let the car idle

in the garage and the fan came on and off twice in a few minutes

so I can safely say the thermo fan switch must be ok.

After about a minute I checked the hose pipes the top one going

to the thermostat was very hot to the point that you cannot hold

it tight while the bottom two, the one under the alternator and the

one going to the expansion tank were also hot but you could hold

them tight, I even notice that bottom hose pipes were

cooling down slightly quicker than the top one.

Is this normal or is it a sign that the thermostat is starting to

play up, can a thermostat partially work.

Water flow through the radiator is normally top to bottom, so I'd expect the top hose to be the hotter one.