My car has huge problems. My 01' ac stop working awhile ago....maybe it had something to do with a loud grinding noise i heard for awhile....i then proceeded to ignore that noise because it was off and on, i no not smart.....fast forward to present day issues, i changed the radiator less then a year ago because it had a small leak....now the issue has come back this time the leak is huge and to go along with that leak is a really loud and violent rattling coming from the fans and radiator but it seems that it only occurs when the temp gauge starts to rise and the water or coolant gets close to probably empty. I would appreciate any in put and/or help....I'm thinking of changing the radiator by my self, but the question is do i need to change the fans too....they both seem to be working....i dont no, tried searching all over the net for answers but what do you guys think.

 

That rattling noise your talking about might be from one of your fans motor bearings. One way to tell is to check for play on the actual fans.

 

How do i do that exactly (i apologize for my lack of knowledge)

 

Only thing you can do is replace the fans. Your better off buying the complete shrud withe the two fans. Comes out cheaper.

All you do is hold the fan and move it around. It shouldnt move that much.

 

Ok thanx

 

All you really have to do it start the car and let it idle. Open up the hood and watch the fans. At some point the secondary fan will come on and when it does you will either hear that noise or not.

Bearings usually make a whining noise when going out. Unless your bearings are really bad and the fan is so loose it is grinding it doesn't make that noise. It could also be grinding up against something, maybe your radiator and causing a leak.

Since you'll need to replace your radiator anyways you might as well replace the whole fan shroud as previously mentioned.