So Firestone tech said my radiator fans are shot, randomly turning off and sometimes not turning on. He said the radiator is perfectly fine. He quoted me $2100 with new rear brakes. Seems outrageous. In wondering if he is including a new radiator.
It's a 350 with tow package. My question is can the radiator fan assembly be replaced without replacing the radiator? And assuming it can, can the fan assembly be removed from the car without having to also take out the radiator? Less work I have to do the more comfortable I would feel doing it myself

 

That is probably wrong. It is a sensor that turns your fans on.
Find an independent repair shop, not a Firestone dealer that will rip you off and do substandard repairs. He may not even know what he is talking about.
If you need help finding a great shop use this link of shops recommended by listeners of the CarTalk radio show. then cross check on Google or Yelp.

https://www.cartalk.com/mechanics-files

 

Are you experiencing any cooling/heating issue?

If you have the capability to DIY, why are you asking some one to do the brake work?

Salim

 

The fan assembly can be removed without removing radiator. IIRC, you may just need to remove some plastic covers, Be careful not to break the rad filler neck on top, it is plastic and gets brittle and you need to wiggle the fan around it. You can remove a couple of top rad support bolts to let it wiggle on top for more space.

 

The Firestone tech was lying to him. The fans operate with a couple of thermoswitches. One turns them (or 1 of them) on when the A/C is on and the other turns them on when the engine reaches a certain temperature. if the cooling fans do turn on, then there is nothing wrong with them. I think he was setting the initial poster up for what they call a wall job.. Where they sell you a repair you do not need, then park your car against the wall and call you later to say it has been repaired.
Anyway that price for both jobs was insane and over twice what should be charged for them.
In addition Brake jobs are one of the biggest profit items at a shop, easy and quick to do for an experienced tech and prices are way out of proportion for the labor involved.
I hope he responds, tells us what the initial problems were with his RX and finds a better repair shop.

 

So I should be clear that this is my sister's car. She took it to Firestone because she got a overheating message twice. Once while idling in the driveway for a few minutes and once when pulling in to the driveway. Both times it was around 100 degrees outside (Houston)
She did mention the AC was acting weird and blowing warm air when it should have been cooling. But it only did this sometimes and only the last month or so.

She took it to Firestone because its close by and I have a Firestone cc that allows no interest for 6 months each charge. Was hoping to not fork out several thousand dollars right now. Literally just did that earlier this month when a storm ripped through Houston and took down multiple tall pines costing her 5 grand to remove.

I included the brake prices because the tech said they need to be replaced and i don't have a price break down without them. I don't know how much of the cost is the brakes but I was planning on doing them for her. Ive only done it a couple times --a decade ago and never alone --but im good at following instructions closely and i tend to over learn how to do things before i do them .They're definitely bad though. Rotors seem to be rubbing. And the rims have that rusty look that i think comes from bad brakes.

 

Tell your sister to stay the hell away from that Firestone store. They just want to take as much money from her as they can get away with.

 

Thank you for clarification: Suggesting things to folks over the net is very hard as one has to make a guess or ask questions to determine what sort of help is appropriate. Please excuse me if my post was not polite enough.
The problem at hand is over-heating [let's ignore A/C issue for now]. The temp gauge is going above 1/2way point. Houston is hot but that is for Humans. The 5-10 degree variation during summer days [North/mid/south] does not mean much to machines.
Start by simple things: Coolant level/leaks. It should be free of air [if more than a cup was added recently then there could be air trapped in the system]. Make sure the radiator front is clear of debris and the air can pass through without any issue. Monitor, that when parked and idling, once the temp gauge reaches 1/2 way the fan kicks in regularly to keep the gauge from drifting up. If the fan does not come on then check for voltage on the fan.
The 2nd fan should kick in with the A/C turned on.
Arm your self with the circuit diagram to see the thermal switch [don't confuse it with the temp-gauge sensor]. Follow presence of voltage and path to ground.

Keep in mind the diagnosis from the shop may be right and at the same time they could be using replacement of parts till the fix is found/resolved.

Once you have the overheating resolved we can delve into A/C and brake issues. Obviously working brakes is more important than cooling/heating.

Salim
Note: Cooling/heating is term limited to engine in this discussion and not A/C in cabin.

 

A little hunting around on the Car Talk Mechanics Files lead to this highly regarded independent Toyota repair specialist in Houston, TX -

Toyos Limited
10220 Georgibelle Dr, Houston, TX 77043

Open ⋅ Closes 7 PM
Phone: (281) 495-3151

​​​​​​https://toyos-limited.business.site/

Some other highly rated shops that work on Toyota & Lexus
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Southwest Automotive Incorporated

8719 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77063

(713) 780-7445

View details

K Auto Repair

1118 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77019

(713) 529-5320

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Toyos Limited

7575 Synott Rd, Houston, TX 77083

(281) 495-3151

View details

Bestway Auto Service

12099 Beechnut St, Houston, TX 77072

(281) 933-0993