Good evening, My Bora overheats at low speeds and I think it's due mostly to inadequate radiator fans. It currently has (2) 10"diam fans, each one is drawing 5.5amps current. Both thermal switches operate, and trip sequentially. Subjectively, the airflow feels low compared to other fan-cooled cars I've had where my hand would be forced back significantly by the push of the air. The fans on my Bora don't come close to this sensation of air flow. I think the low ampere draw is part of the proof... my other fans drew current in the 10-20amp range - although there are two gaps in the fan shroud I will have to close up before I make a final current reading. Before I proceed with new higher-rated fans, how do the above descriptions compare with your radiator fans - Bora or not? Thank you, -Art
Is it a 5 or 10 degrees C variation? What's the maximum it reaches? I'm not going to to tell you that the Bora's cooling system is adequate but something is not normal about yours if it's overheating at this time of the year. Those fans are out of a Mercedes. I don't remember which one. I had to replace one of them within 30 minutes of ownership of my car. Fortunately there was a Mercedes dealer nearby. Check everything in the cooling system but start with the electrical supply to make certain you're getting adequate voltage and current. I never put newer style fans on mine though it probably would have helped somewhat. That's NOT the entire reason Boras have cooling issues. I think there are few discussions on here about the cooling issue and even more on the Yahoo Groups Maserati site that no one frequents these days. YOU SHOULD GO OVER THERE AND READ SOME OF THE DISCUSSIONS! You have something glaringly wrong if it's really overheating now.
The electrical leads to the fans were probably incorrectly hooked up at the factory. Make sure both fans are working and that the blades are rotating counter clock wise. If not, reverse the wires. There should be major air flow coming out or that vent/louver once the fans kick in. 95F no problem here in Hotlanta! Ciao, George
There have in fact been actual examples or fans having been wired in reverse, hence the check everything suggestion.
It's easy to do. I did it accidentally on my Pantera. The thing could sit running all day long in any temp, but drive it and it would get hot fast. I bought an aluminum 4 core radiator radiator and then discovered the problem, lol. 71 You have a very nice Bora, I saw it on a mopar forum.
I wired the fans on this Bora and I am pretty sure I checked that they were rotating correctly. I've wired fans backwards before so please check my work Use a leak detector to verify that combustion gases are not mixing with the coolant. NAPA makes an inexpensive kit that works great. It is part #BK 700106. Click on the link below. NAPA AUTO PARTS Ivan
My Bora leaked past the head gasket not too longer after I bought it with 3,000 miles on it. It sat in a museum too long. It would do this when you ran at high rpm, you know where the fun begins ... No tailpipe water or steam though just combustion gases in the coolant which made it hotter. It wasn't crazy bad either but when I got it apart I could see the problem. At that time the leak detector stuff never registered though.
I failed to mention that the counter clock wise rotation of the fan blades can be observed by removing the covering shroud from the inside of the trunk. You can then also see if both fans are engaging. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. Ciao, George
Sorry for not responding earlier - thanks for all the input! I've been busy in the garage getting a Mopar ready to show in early May... how time flies! Bob - No, the Bora definitely ISN'T overheating this time of year. I have not scrutinized at what temp it levels off this time of year. A wild guess is 85C indicated. Both fans do operate sequentially, several minutes apart, when left to idle. They stay on until either engine shut-off or I drive away. But they do not come on when driving at a decent road speed, around 45-50mph and up. If I pull over promptly to check, the fans are not running. I'll check the Yahoo GRoup and see what I find. I will also be more diligent collecting temperature data. Ivan - You wired them correctly (at least you did if the air is supposed to be expelled at the rear of the radiator and discharge out of the front hood vents ;-). Thanks, I will check for exhaust gasses in the coolant as a precaution. George - Thanks for your comparison, it is encouraging if you experience 95F without overheating. EarlyCat - Thanks, small world! :thumb: It's my good fortune to be able to enjoy this Bora alongside my lovely big block Satellite's. You may have seen 'Feets' thread on the Mercedes cooling fan swap he's done on his big block - a ton of data in that thread and one of the reasons I'm focussing on the Bora's fans before the summer hits here. My Bora fans do not appear to be Maserati OEM. Their molded plastic shroud is much too crisp and modern-looking. And I'm used to seeing 10-20A on cooling fans. I feel their draw of only 5.5amps each is an indication that they could be working a lot more efficiently, or are simply under-rated and ripe for an upgrade with fans drawing enough power to pull much more air through the radiator and thus ensuring adequate cooling. What I observe is that the force with which the Bora fans blow air out the back is distinctly lethargic compared to when my Alfetta and Mopar fans kick on. So I'm going to focus first on getting the existing fans to work more efficiently by shrouding the radiator completely. Then if the fans still aren't cooling enough or drawing more current, I'll look into upgraded ones. Either way I'll share the results here. Thanks again to all! -Art
The fans should be pullers not pushers and there should already be a rear mounted shroud. It's not up to modern design standards though. http://www.eurospares.co.uk/userImages/117/Large/117_006.gif Fan and cooling technology has come a long way so yes there are much better fans out there. The original radiator core can be increased in depth to 2" as well just don't get the # fins per inch too dense or it obstructs air flow. I have a late car and both fans come on at the same time. IMHO with these cooling system challenged Italian cars having them come on in a staggered fashion just silly. That's why so many guys back in the day installed manual switch overrides they could turn on when they slowed down in heavy traffic. But once at speed fans aren't the problem. Seriously, go do some reading on Yahoo Groups Maserati. Save yourself some time.
