I recently noticed that my engine temp is VERY high. The needle goes to the red zone near the H. And i've noticed that my fan doesnt come on. I drive through puddles and stop at a stop light and steam comes from under the hood and car. What are somethings that might be wrong?

 

sounds like a bad fan, switch, fuse, or relay

 

if ur fan doesnt turn when u attempt by hand, then the center of it is melted together. i recommended english motors (i think thats were i got mine) on 17, they have a lot of used cooling fans. as with most auto parts, dont buy from the dealership, you'll save $.
hope this helps.

 

are u sure u didnt break a belt?

 

Whoa!!! The fan worked when i tried it by hand and we checked the fuse, so thats cool, but there was something else that i found.. In the antifreeze/coolant tank there was this substance that looked like mud. There was brown sludge in there.. i replaced the radiator cap, cleaned out that sludge, poured new coolant, but its still over heating. my dad believes its the switch that went bad. Anything else i should look for?

 

i had the same problem...check your water pump.

 

check the thermo stat, i think if there is a prob. with that the fans sometimes dont come on, maybe the temp sensor also

 

There are many reasons for this failure. A mechanical fan has two main functions, 1, you could have a broken or slipping belt, 2 the fan clutch could be perminantly disengaged. An electric fan, well, first off, check your fuse box, as well as any relays along the circuit on the wiring diagram. There is a thermostatic switch in the radiator itself that may need replacement. Of course, there's always a bad fan motor as well. good luck man.

 

we tested the fan by hand, it works, replaced all the sensors, thermostat, etc etc. but it still over heats. we think the radiator is cloged. We took it to steves radiator on georgewashington near the new walmart. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

Are you guys dumbasses or what? Brown sludge in the radiator? Man you have a blown headgasket. Oil + antifreeze = brown mud. You might have warped your head too if it's aluminum. Get it checked out by a professional.