1993 Acura Integra Radiator fans

Hi steven162,

I hate to see wires flying around and it would be best to rewire then circuits so that the fans or other items can work correctly.

Is the original wireharness still there?

With the amount of damages described, a complete harness would be the best option.

Alternatively you can concentrate on the section that is bad.

You can try sourcing the scrap yards, they might have the engine harness but there is a possibility you would need to reattach some as they might have been snipped off.

If you require wiring diagrams I can assist you.

To remove the radiator, disconnect the top and bottom hose.
Disconnect the trans fluid cooler pipes.
Remove the brackets on top of radiator and you can pull radiator out from top. Remember to disconnect the fan wires first.

It is not easy to describe everything that needs to be done and you should be able to identify what needs to be removed for easier access to any part of the wire harnes.

All connectors are clip on and except for a few, which requires them to be removed from the holding brackets, can be removed after pressing the release clip.

You are welcomed.

You may ask as many questions as you like and I will try my best to help.

Our aim here is to help. :)

Did you bleed the system of air? Recheck the coolant in radiator again. If it is low, top it up and run engine without radiator cap, keep topping coolant till it stabilises.

As to the fan not working, driver side is condenser fan and the other is the radiator main fan.

Did you test if the fan motor is working?

If fan motor is working, check the radiator fan relay in underhood fuse box. Try swapping with the condenser fan.

If relay is good, unplug the fan switch and use a jumper wire across the harness connector. Turn ignition switch ON and if fan runs, fan and wiring circuit is good.

The fan should come on when gauge reading is around 1/2 way mark. The reading is too high. Possible causes are :

1. Inaccurate reading. Engine is not overheating but reading is high. Could be caused by inaccurate temp sender unit or a bad ground connection at inner fender behind headlights.
Is the engine showing signs of overheating by coolant being pushed to the reserve tank?
Did this happen only after driving vehicle for some time after bleeding system?
Did you recheck the coolant level both in radiator and reserve tank?
Does overheating occurs only when idling or while driving?

2. Faulty fan switch. It is too slow to response to the engine temp and is delayed in activating.

3. Engine is overheating due to a bad head gasket. This would be indicated by coolant losses in radiator and reserve tank level keeps increasing.

Let us go through the checklist and see if we missed out anything.

1. Coolant in radiator is good.
2. Reserve tank requires topping up. This indicates a leak in the cooling system. A pressure test would be required to find out where the leak is coming from.
3. Head gasket replaced. Was overheating the reason for replacing the gasket? Did you reface the head? Was the condition of the engine block surface checked for eveness?
4. Radiator fan running but only at 3/4 gauge reading. This would indicated the fan is running too late. Disconnect the fan switch wire and use a jumper across the wire connector terminals to run the fan full time. Test if overheating occurs. If fan is turning on too late, the fan switch is the most likely culprit.
5. When reserve tank was full and steaming, was the fans running? After engine cooled down, was the reserve tank coolant absorbed back into radiator?
6. Radiator cap and thermostat replaced.
7. Cruising speed no problem with overheating.
This eliminates a fault with the thermostat.
Occurs only when climbing hills. This could mean partially clogged radiator or weak water pump.
Occurs when at idling. This could mean the fan is not working or there is air in cooling system.

When no circulation occurs, either there is a clogging of the passages or the water pump is weak.

There is no standard operation procedures for water pump terting. Runnning the engine without the thermostat is one way of testing if the circulation is good. A bad water pump would not circulate the coolant and a weak one would cause the coolant to circulate at a much slower rate.

Since fans were working and coolant is overheating, this rules out the faulty fan switch.

I would suggest removing the thermostat and testing it. I have encountered a vehicle which had a problem with the thermostat and replacement was made. 1 month later thermostat failed, stuck in closed position. Replaced thermostat, same problem occurred after a few weeks. So far 4 thermostat had been replaced and each time it lasted a few weeks. All parts were OEM. Replacing the thermostat solved overheating problem until it reoccurred.

I only did the last replacement, previous replacement were done at the dealer.

Each time thermostat was tested and they were bad. You might have the same problem.

This seems a problem with the battery or its connections.

If the problem only occurs after sitting over night and is ok after initial start, the most likely fault is the battery. It is not holding charge and would not provide enough power for inituial starting.

After the vehicle is started, the alternator replenishes the battery power and it would be ok till it has to sit over a few hours of inactivity. Get the battery tested.