I just bought this car two days ago. It got hot on the way home,and the temperature needle was in RED for probably one minute. I pulled over, let it cool off, and then kept the revs above 3000 all the way home staying in third gear to keep activating the fan on the rest of the way home. The cooling fans are on opposing sides of the radiator. One of the fans spins, one of the fans does not. With this information, I have determined that the cooling fan temperature switch is not the issue (because neither fan would spin if this were the case - right?). Also, I have disconnected the failed fan and tested the motor with tester lead alligator clip jumper cables - it spins just fine. So, I am thinking that the problem is the FAN No.1 in the fuse box. While observing and playing around and letting the car idle in my garage, I unplugged FAN 30A fuse while the functioning fan was running, and it stopped. When I plugged it in again, it ran again. So, I am fairly certain that the FAN No.1 is the fan that is not receiving power, and the FAN 30A fuse is for the functioning fan. Tomorrow, I will pick up a fuse tester from an auto parts store. Excited to see if this fixes it.
I checked the coolant and its fine, there's no coolant leak as far as I can tell. It's not water either, at least some of it is actual coolant. So I have reason to believe that the overheating is caused by missing half of the total cooling power (1 out of 2 fans not working). However, it is possible that I was sold a lemon.
One other minor issue is that there is heavy gasoline smell when I start the car. Also, I am not sure if this is a normal thing with Distributors, but the car never cranks on the first try. It always takes 2 tries including "priming" (turning the key to activate the battery twice before cranking) the distributor.
You could be losing fuel pressure. Failing fuel pumps can cause this. Next time instead if turning it over just turn the key to the run position for a couple seconds then turn it off. Repeat that 2 more times then start it. If it starts immediately you either have a failing fuel pump or a leak somewhere causing drip in fuel pressure. If you cannot find gas leak anywhere it’s likely the fuel pump.
On your fan I’m not certain about an 88 Celica but some cars have different relays, one for each fan. If you turn Max AC on both fans should run when AC cycles. If you AC works. If not you can switch positions of the fans. That’s a good way to test see if the motor is good or not. Or you could take the blades off the suspect one just so you can get it close enough to use the other fans plug, test it that way.If you do have two fan relays you can do the same there as well, just swap them around. Let us know how it goes and Good Luck!
Thanks for your reply Thumpy. Today, I was going to take it to an Auto Parts shop for the new fan relay but it wouldn't start. The starter clicks rapidly but there is no connection to the engine. The RPM gauge tinks around at 0 and the voltage gauge (in the dashboard) shows a lower voltage than what it was reading last night. I just tightened the terminals; one was lose. The issue is persisting: Starter clicking rapidly but nothing else.
Battery isn’t at full charge sounds like. You should have at minimum 11 volts. Normally 12.5. Take your battery to the auto store and have them charge test it for you. Or put a charger on it yourself see if it comes back.
I jumped it; it was the battery. Funny, the seller told me the battery was new. He must've taken the sticker from a new battery and put it on this one. I dropped it off to a professional and we'll see what's next for it. The new fuse that I bought did not resolve the issue. I will update tomorrow 😀