Lately, the radiator fan of my 1998 S70 T5 has been spinning even after I cut off the engine. It spins for almost five minutes before it stops. This concerns me since this is a new behavior, and I assume it's also using up my battery.

Any thoughts?

 

Check engine light on?
Does the temp seem any higher at all lately?

 

yes, CEL light has been on for a while, long before this radiator issue came up. I haven't noticed any higher temps.

 

I would pull the codes and see if one of them is for the ECT.

 

I have a new thermostat and ECT ready to go. If I pinch off the expansion hose or find some way to stop the flow, then I won't need to drain the coolant, right? I already had my coolant flushed recently.

About the hard to turn T40. Will a T40 bit + extension on a ratchet + breaker bar work? If not, should I invest in a long T40 bit or PBlaster?

 

I use a speed wrench and have never had a problem. Also, use good bits. Get a set from a good store.

 

Also, I never drain the system. I do it with the motor cold and I just take the bolts loose, swap it real fast and bolt it back down.
http://www.atthetipwebs.com/technolo...thermostat.htm

 

Are there certain brands of bits that you'd recommend? Would a dewalt set of bits be good; I was looking at a set of drill and driver bits from them.

I went shopping for PB'laster but came up empty handed. After having tried to turn the head with my tools, I could tell that it's going to require some assistance.

 

I couldn't find PB'laster locally, so I went with a generous amount of WD40. I got them to turn just a bit before I gave up from worrying that I'd ruin the heads. I tried again later with more confidence making sure I was lined up straight, and with my bit in a ratchet with a breaker bar, I got both to unscrew.

I pinched off the hoses as best I could, but I didn't pinch it off soon enough. I didn't realize that as soon as the screws were loosened enough that the coolant was going to flow.

Well, the end of the story is that my CEL is off after erasing the OBD codes. So far, I haven't heard the fan stay on, so that's good. That was probably a bad drain on my battery.