How do I tell if it's working or not? It's definitely not seized--how hot do I need the engine to get to make sure it engages?

Currently, if I'm just sitting in traffic, or stop and go freeway stuff, the temp gauge gets to the hot side. Is it just heat from the exhaust manifold, or is the fan not doing its job? As soon as I'm up to a good speed, the car cools right down, so as long as there's air flowing through the radiator, the cooling system works fine. I've also gone to the the 160 degree thermostat.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

do a search for clutch fans on the forums, im pretty sure weve had a discussion about this before

Has the cowling been removed?

Have you considered moving to an electric fan. The mechanical fan sucks horsepower from the engine to operate, and the electric will come on at the preset temp.

Food for thought......

Forgot to add...

What state is the water pump in?

What state is the rad in? You can easily change the rad to a 3 or four unit for extra cooling.

Are you running coolant (anti-freeze) in your water. Make sure you do because it contains anti-corrosive agents that reduce aluminium corrosion in your head and water pump. It doesn't matter if you live in a "non freezing" area as anti-freeze also cools.

Have fun lookin...

To answer...

I tried a search for "fan clutch" and didn't come up with any diagnostic posts. I want to find out if mine works or is trashed. There is exactly a 50/50 antifreeze mixture in there--and I live in a climate that freezes and bakes--NYC. The radiator is an original Z unit I believe, and I had it flushed and fixed probably within the last 700 miles. There is no shroud, and I tried to affix the electrical fan from motorsport, but it didn't clear the engine (specifically, the fan pulley). Is the one from Victoria British any slimmer?

As stated previously, the car cools itself fine when it's actually moving, it's the stop and go stuff that gets the gauge climbing. So there's something about the fan at low speeds that's not working. I could go for a 4 row and a shroud, but I'd prefer to not overkill the situation if there's something simple I've missed. As for shrouds, are they all fiberglass? What about heat and melting? How much extra heat is shed using a vented 280z hood? Ceramic coated headers?

--Chris