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Car Radiator Cooling Fan Questions and Answers - This category contains featured
questions as examples. They relate to most vehicles.
Question: 1999 Ford Taurus V6 3.0 mileage: 65,000. When I put the air-conditioner
on it works fine until the condenser heats up at which time the clutch slips. The
problem is that the fan under the hood does not come on when the air is turned on.
What activates this fan to come on when the air is turned on?Answer:
First, check for 12-volts to the fan motor when the air-conditioning is on. Also,
check the wiring for damage and poor ground connections. The fan is controlled by
an integrated controller. You may need a cooling fan motor.
Question: 2001 Ford Foucs mileage: 87,000. I have had to replace the cooling
fan relays about three times within the past year. What do you think could be causing
the relays to go bad so quickly?
Answer: If the cooling fan motor is starting to fail, it will pull extra
AMPS through the relay causing it to fail prematurely.
Question: 1999 New Yorker mileage: 85,000. My cooling fan relay is bad.
Can you tell me where the relay/circuit is located? I can't find a diagram or picture
for the life of me. My Haynes manual shows a later model picture. There are 3 possible
boxes located toward the front right under the hood of course.
Answer: It is located on the left inner finder panel in a group of relays.
Counting from the left, it is the second relay.
Question: 2002 Ford Mustang mileage: 65,000. I'm having a problem with
the electric cooling fan. The fan will not come on which causes the car to run hot.
The fan motor works when straight wired to the battery. It also works if I remove
the wire from the electric fan switch and ground it. During troubleshooting I have
replaced the electric fan switch, the a/c-cooling fan module and air temperature
sensor. This is why I replaced the fan switch. Also note that the a/c compressor
does not kick in, unless I jumper it at the accumulator press switch. When this
is done the compressor kicks in and the electric fan kicks in, remove the jumper
and compressor kicks out (like it should) and the fan runs for a few seconds (like
it should) before cutting off. Also note the code scanner does not give any trouble
codes. It all checks out fine. What have I missed? I have spent numerous hours troubleshooting
and looking at wiring diagrams, with very small print, I'm stumped!
Answer: We would check for a faulty radiator cap.
Question: 2001 Saturn SL2 DOHC mileage: 78,000. The electric cooling fan
is not engaging. The fuse is ok, the relay works fine, and the temperature gauge
is measuring the coolant temperature correctly. I assume there is a sensor somewhere
that is not working but I cannot locate it.
Answer: Test to verify that the fan motor is not burned out.
Question: 2004 Isuzu Rodeo mileage: 35,000. I am having a problem with
my fan/blower. I can tell that the air is hot when using the heater and cold when
using the AC, but the fan will not blow. I checked the fuse and also changed it
and it still doesn't work.
Answer: Check for 12-volts at the blower motor. If 12 volts is present,
replace the blower motor. If not, check for a faulty relay or fan switch.
Question: 1999 S10 Chevrolet mileage: 63,000. How do I remove the
fan/clutch from my truck? It does not have 4 bolts, instead it is held in place
by one large nut that screws on to the water pump shaft. There is no way to
hold the water pump shaft still to loosen the fan/clutch.
Answer: It sounds as if you have removed the fan belt. If you have,
reinstall the belt and use it to hold the pulley as you loosen the fan clutch nut.
Question: 1999 Nissan Altima mileage: 95,500. My fans never work;
only when the a/c is on do they turn on and off like they’re supposed to.
What could that be?
Answer: There is a temperature sensor that signals the fans to come on
when the cooling system gets warm. Your coolant sensor may be faulty or disconnected.
Question: 2003 Toyota 4 Runner 48,000 miles. I try to do a lot of
the maintenance myself by referencing my most prized car repair possession- "How
to keep your Toyota alive for the complete idiot.” It has saved me an armor
truckload of money. Anyway, when I cold start her, the fan sounds as if it
is loose and making rattling noises until I get it on the road, eventually eliminating
the sound. Could this be the sign of the fan clutch needing replacing?
Appreciate any advice guys.
Answer: Without actually “seeing” your vehicle and driving
it, it is difficult to diagnose the problem. We are guessing that you may
be right – it could be the fan clutch. With the engine off, and cold, grab
a hold of the fan blade and move it back and forth to see if the is any movement
in the fan clutch. If there is, replacing the fan clutch should fix your problem.
Question: 1994 BMW 318ti. How do I get the fan clutch off?
Already have the radiator off and out of the way. I need to install a new
fan. Thanks for any help in this regard.
Answer: The fan clutch unscrews off the water pump, however it has
reversed threads (left handed threads).
Question: 2003 Dodge Caravan mileage: 41,000. Just recently the
engine will run hot when not moving. When moving ever thing is fine.
I know the fans are not coming on. Even with the A/C on the fans are not coming
on so I do not think it is the temperature sensing device. I have tested the
fans by hot-wiring them. They both come on fine. The fan fuse (40 amp)
is fine by all appearance. I believe it to be the relay or control module.
The relay I can do if I can find it! Where do they hide that thing exactly
and what does it look like.
In another Q&A, you said it is by the fan. The only thing by the fan in
my case is a small connection. I have not "pulled" it apart because it is
hard to get apart. It is fed power from a mass of wires all connected together.
By the way, on both sides of this connection is voltage ~6.4 volts when the A/C
is on. (For ease of testing, I never let the radiator temp get to the
cycle on temperature. I was using the A/C compressor to request for the fans
to be on.) Does this sound like the relay? If so, please give exact
description of location and appearance. Thanks.
Answer: What you are looking for is on the frame rail on the driver’s
side front by the radiator. It is a solid-state speed control although Dodge
calls it a relay.
Question: 1996 Mercury Tracer, mile: 56,000. The cooling fan will
not stop running. I already replaced the temperature sensor but it did not
fix the problem. I have read that for air-conditioned cars, there is a fan
controller but I do not know where to find it or what it looks like. Another
problem is the blower fan; it will not blow any air. I already tested the
fan, it runs in another car so it works, and I do not know what else can be wrong
with it because the fuses are fine, and all the connections are well plugged.
Answer: First off, the fan control is located behind the glove
box. It is approximately 3 inches by 4 inches and black in color. Secondly,
the blower fan problem is probably a faulty fan switch or the resister block for
the blower motor.
Question: 2004 Mercedes CL600 mileage: 30,000. I am having problem
with my heater. I can tell that the air is hot but the fan is not blowing
it out. I checked the fuse and also changed it and it still doesn't work.
I am trying to find the fan itself and am having trouble finding it. Can you
help me with this?
Answer: It is under the dash, in the heater ductwork and repair
as needed.
Question: 2002 Toyota Avalon mileage: 40,000. Without warning, the
air conditioner & fans quit working. This car has an outside air temp display
& it suddenly does not show a temperature reading. I checked every fuse I
could fine with a meter. All ok. The car starts & runs fine & all other
electrical works ok, i.e., lights, rear defroster, windows, door locks, seats.
It is equipped with an auto mode for the air with a temperature adjustment that
will control the blower speeds. This is not working, or if you try to punch
manual blower speeds, (each button will light up) but will not turn fan on, or if
you push the ac button, will not work or light up. No engine service
light either? Thanks!
Answer: Check wiring for damage or loose connections.
Check ground connections.
Question: 2001 Oldsmobile Alero mileage: 66,000. The radiator fan
is not working properly; the fan motor goes on and off way too much. I have
noticed when the motor goes on and off a clicking noise is coming from a relay located
on the firewall. It almost acts like there is a short in the wiring.
I have tried a new relay but this did not fix the problem. Do you have any
suggestions? I am hoping this is something minor and a simple fix. Thanks
for any help you may have for me.
Answer: With engine cold, remove radiator cap and check
coolant level. If okay, scan computer to check coolant sensor.
Question: 1999 Ford Windstar, mileage: 110,000. The heater/air-conditioning
fan does not appear to have enough volume blowing out the vents. I put on
new fan and washed out the air conditioning coil, but it didn't appear to help.
I also straight wired the fan directly from the battery to see if it was an electrical
problem in the speed control. The volume didn't change. Any suggestions
would be appreciated.
Answer: The “doors” in the heater ducts may not be opening.
Check vacuum hoses for leaks or loose connections in the engine compartment.
Question: 1999 Dodge Caravan mileage: 87,000. The fans are not working.
Our Dodge overheated as a result. Can you tell us -- where to locate the relay
sensor to this van? Or what do you think the reason could be that the fans
are not working? Our engine light is also staying on also. Any ideas on how
to get our fans working? Thanks
Answer: The fan control module/relay is probably faulty. It
is located by the radiator fan, the part is a dealer item. The “check
engine” light will “light” when there is a malfunction in the engine management
system. The fault code is then stored in the computer. The computer
must be scanned to retrieve these stored faults to pinpoint the malfunctioning component.
Because the check engine light indicates something is wrong, a trip to you neighborhood
automobile service center sooner rather than later is recommended.
Question: 2002 Mitsubishi Montero mileage: 46,000. My car is running hotter
but so far, it has not overheated but has been very close to being in the red according
to my temperature gauge. This is a fairly recent change. My car stays cool when
it is out on the highway but when I'm in town or stuck in traffic it gets a lot
hotter. I have also observed that my radiator fan no longer works. Can I assume
that if my radiator fan worked, my car would not be running hotter and how easy
is it to fix. I believe I have two fuses for the radiator fan in a fuse box under
the hood and I think there is a temperature-sending switch that might be easy to
replace on my own. Please let me know your thoughts on this issue.
Answer: You have nailed you problem exactly. Nice work!
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