So, the intricate details aside...my fan assembly quit working while I was legally operating my Z and the engine overheated to the point that it blew. I have the extended fan warranty as well as the Nissan certified used car warranty which covers me for 84mo/100k from 7/12/06 given a $50 deductible per part or whatever that is. I*just* called AAA and I'll have it at the dealer in two hours or so.

As far as what blew, I don't know. What is known:
*Neither fan will kick on
*Engine did turn over and run in a limited fashion for probably 45 seconds total after the blow, but as of now is seized and will not turn over at all.
*heat gauge was fine 1.5 minutes prior, but was beyond the "H" mark at the time it refused to restart.
*Fuses are fine.
*Oil level is fine; no metal shavings.
*When it did turn over, it made a god-awful scraping noise.
*Transmission is fine.
*Coolant, while low from boiling over, is not leaking.
*No leaks of any kind.

edit: For those unfamiliar with the details of the used car warranty, it doesn't cover engine components should the failure be caused by a non-covered component. The fan is covered, but by a different warranty.

Thoughts? I get that it may or may not be covered depending on what mood the Nissan rep is in at the time.

BTW - If anyone local to me has LS-related connections I'd appreciate that info

 

My fans failed and I never overheated (badly at least). It creeped up at red lights but never exceeded 220 and took a while to get there and dropped quickly once I was moving. This was in 100deg weather too. I do have an aftermarket radiator tho..

 

Why was it running when it went past the H mark? Even at 3/4 temp you should have shut it down.

 

I wasn't aware it was that hot; it went up a lot faster than usual so by the time I checked it was too late.

 

If you want to go the V8 route, look at the LQ series engines too. Cheap V8 powahhh!

Thoughts on keeping a VQ? Just buy a used one from a reputable member here or a trusted vendor. Unless you plan on going FI VQ. In that case, use this opportunity to build a solid bottom end.

 

Yea, it's either a v8 swap or FI...most likely v8 though due to the ease of making power.

 

Weren't you running a big nitrous system at one time? Was it on the car at the time of failure?

 

There was no aftermarket anything on the engine at time of failure except intake and exhaust...which I never count, lol. Anyway, the issue here is that the engine overheated and subsequently failed because the fan failed; while fi or something of the like may have accelerated internal wear, it was the fan that actually caused the failure.

 

What were the symptoms of the fan failure? I'm not sure how you would know that occurred and caused the overheating.

 

So you blew it up while it was parked with the engine running? The fan does nothing while the car is moving