hey guys

so i just jumpstarted my car (cuz i left the lights on...otherwise the car's been running great recently) it was after that that i noticed i was overheating (like almost in the red) i checked out the radiator while it was still running and the fan wasn't running. is it supposed to turn on while the car is running or just once the engine is turned off?

it looks like everything else works (no leaks or anything) but i havent checked out the thermostat or anything like that cuz i dont really know anything about how those work...womp womp...

anybody got an idea of where to begin looking for the problem?

oh also the temp gauge rises mostly when im idling but once i drive around a bit it tends to go down a little bit but not very much

Is this a 1st gen (S30) Z car? If it has the stock mechanical fan and clutch setup, the fan will spin ALWAYS as it's driven by the water pump, which is in turn driven by the V belt.

Maybe a missing or split belt? Fell off due to improper tension? If the belt is in place and spinning, then the water pump may have seized, which would explain the overheat - you need to see if that pump is spinning before you run the car anymore.