I only now realized that the 2 fans in the front, radiator fans i assume, typically do not spin, the only time they decide to spin is when my AC is on. within the last month, my board with spedometer, odometer etc has been losing power or something and been going out. I beleive that the loss of power may be causing the fans to turn

now i know nothing about mechanics and very little about my car, but it seems like something is wrong, if anyone can help please dont hesitate to post even the simplest suggestions. I NEED HELP!

thanks in advance
Bryson 'Skold'

I'm pretty sure what your experiencing is normal. First off, assuming that your a/c is turned off, then both fans will be off when you first start up the car. If you leave it running for a while and the temperature gauge goes a bit beyond the halfway point, only one fan will turn on.

Now, if you're running the a/c, I believe both fans run constantly due to the extra load on the system. But with the a/c off, the fans normally don't come on unless your idling for an extended period of time.

I don't know about your gauges losing power, it could be a wiring issue or a bad fuse. Check and make sure your alternator is okay, it should be reading around 12-14 volts on the voltmeter.

-C-

Thanks a ton, i think my alternator is ok, but i will go ahead and test it though, also, another thing i forgot to mention is well my car is 1988 2nd gen, and that my water pump, i assume thats what it is, is making all kinds of noise, my dad, who knows nothing about cars, thinks the bearings may be shot. i dont know what caused this, it is a new noise, if you know of anything that may have caused it, id love to know, i dont wanna fix the symptoms, i wanna correct the cause.

Thanks again

If you are losing coolant and/or your engine is running high, then your waterpump is shot.

The only way to tell if our water pump is gone is to see green stuff underneath your car when its parked with the car running. Water pumps have a seep hole that if it goes bad or out water or/and coolant will leak from it. Thats when you need a new water pump. What type of noise is it making? A moaning noise? If so check your Power Steering fluid when the car is on when your power steering fluid gets low itll make a grinding noise kinda like a bearing is going out. Use Automatic Tranny fluid to fill it up as recommended by Nissan if it is that. Bearing going bad while the car isnt moving might end up being your ps fluid is low.

ok thanks for the info, ill check on that, but the noise isnt really a moaning, its more of a bad knock.

Again thank you for the suggestions

Check your pulleys and belts. Get the Nissan Haynes Manual. Or if you can an FSM (Factory Service Manual). Make sure all pulleys are tightened on good and no belts are loose or too tight.

12-14!!!???....eek mines says the voltage is usually at 18...might be why my dash is unsusally bright at night when i turn it up all the way

18 volts?!? Man, you better hope your voltmeter is broken. If not, your alternator belt is probably way too tight. You're eventually going to burn up that alternator and probably snap the belt. I'm surprised your light bulbs haven't blown out yet.

-C-

I'd also check the terminal voltage at the battery with a digital voltmeter with the engine running.... 13-15 volts is normal output for an alternator/generator. 18 volts should burn out the voltage regulator, ECU, anything transistorized or electronic, and it should fry your battery, causing it to overheat and start violently gassing and spewing battery acid. then you'll be replacing that too. I really would make that a priority, that can do some SEVERE damage to the car.

ohh and as for the fans....they don't spin all the time, there are two thermal switches in the radiator that sense the temperature of the coolant, if it's hot enough to close the switch, one or more fans are activated by a series of relays. since you said they spin occasionally, it sounds like they're working fine. just make sure the temperature gauge stays right around halfway on the scale. if they don't work at all, I'd check the relays and fusable links for a malfunction.