RMS and cooling fan low speed questions

[Oldguy57]

The more I read the forums, the more I know about my car 98 Boxster 87500kms, but also some times the more I worry. I've been reading much about RMS and IMS failures, my car leaks an oil drop between engine and trany, sometimes more often than others, and it seem to me that the more I drive it the less the leakage, could it be? last Sunday, bluebird day, we drove around 300kms, highway and little hilly country roads, not a drop since! Dip stick oil level always right. I'm waiting until I'll have to change the clutch to do it all.

Runs great, last srping when I bought it, I did some basic maintenance, changed the motor oil, trany oil, did a 86000kms service with the dealer, flush coolant and brake oil, but they didn't mention anything wrong with the fans.

Car runs great but... for me a bit on the warm side, asked questions at the dealer, only to be told that I'm in the "normal temps"... on highway needle is at the bottom of the zero of the 80C temp (Canadian car), but as soon as I get into some light traffic or stop lights, temps tends to go up until the upper part of the 80C zero (I figure temp should be around 100C) and that is when I hear the cooling fans go on, but at a very high speed.

Yesterday I did talk with a 2001 Bosxter owner, engine was running, asked for the temp and he told me it always stays around the bottom or middle part of the zero of the 80C, and heard a smooth running of his fans. This evening (is not my daily car) went for a drive, and noted that my cooling fans are probably not turning ON at low speed. Fuses seem right, seems to me a bit rare that the two relays would not be working,

I love this car, I'm trying to avoid dealer (overprice and under-service), but I don't know any good independent mechanic around Laval, or Montreal, does anybody know?

"Accrochez vous a vos rèves" as JFP in PA say, and any help in keeping this beautiful classical gems in good health would be really appreciated.

Fermin

Edited October 3, 2011 by Oldguy57

[Dale_K]

You might want to buy the Durametric diagnostic unit. It can check a large number of the systems of the car, including the fans. You can activate the fans manually in low or high. I wasn't sure my fans were working right but I tested them with the motor off using the Durametric and I could hear them running in low and again in high. You'll definitely know they're running in high because they're pretty loud at high speed. I believe the fans each have a big resistor that comes into play to create the low speed. If the resistor is bad the fan will run in high but not in low. The Durametric is good for some of the other problems, like diagnosing check engine lights. It costs about $300 USD.