Murphy's Law strikes!

[Steve]

Took the 'B' out today, not far, just a little jaunt across to my brother's house to drop of a birthday gift for the sister-in-law.

Get home, and I decide to clean the car. So far, so good. Then I decide to clean the engine bay. Also an outstanding success. Not completely spiffy, but a lot better than it had been.

Start the car, ready to put it back in the garage, and mess around with a few other odds and ends, then I notice steam escaping from under the bonnet. Not usually a good sign. I just cleaned in there, put that shiny stuff on the hoses, even. No splits or problems noticed then.

Took the car in the garage where I could see, and I notice that water is spraying out from around the fan switch. Taking a cloth, I touch it to push it back in, and the thing just shoots out together with a fair amount of hot coolant.

So, guess who's going to have to clean the engine compartment again?

A thought strikes me, though. That sensor/switch should have been held in place more firmly than that, surely? If I dislodged during just cleaning, I must be missing a securing ring or similar.

 

[Bugeye58]

Ah, Steve, as I mentioned in a post on another thread, "Murphy was an optimist!:
If you had my luck, this would have hapenend at 3 AM, somewhere in the vacinity of Ely, Nevada. During a thunderstorm. Just before the hail, following the tornado.
Wheee!!
Jeff

 

[DrEntropy]

If it's one of the Otter switches, the gasket is ~supposed~ to hold it in with compression. Hateful design. Two possible solutions (other than a new gasket): I've had some success potting it in with RTV. Or McGyver a retainer with 'tie-wraps' and a small plate with a hole the diameter of the switch, to keep the shoulder it has pressed against the gasket. UGLY but effective.

The fix on a more permanant and aesthetically acceptable scale: R&R radiator, take it for a rodding service and ask 'em to seal up the hole in the top tank while they're at it. Then mount an external thermoswitch.