2001 Pontiac Grand Am My fans won't turn on?

Tiny
MISSIANN22
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 167,000 MILES
My fans won't turn on and my car is over heating. Also blowing out a lot of smoke. Just has an oil change and put antifreeze in it. Would the engine coolant temp. Sensor being bad cause the fan not to run? Is there a way to test it before buying a new one? What else could it be? What can I do my self and what should I take to a garage?
Saturday, January 24th, 2009 AT 2:52 PM

9 Replies

Tiny
BLUELIGHTNIN6
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,542 POSTS
Hello
Thanks for the donation.

Check your fan relays located in the underhood fuse block. Relays are simple to check and remove so I am sure you can do this step. For information on how to check a relay, follow the link below:

https://www.2carpros.com/how_to/how_do_i_check_a_relay.htm

Is the smoke white or light grey ? If so, this may indicate that you have run the vehicle's engine too hot and cracked a head gasket or other gasket, allowing coolant to be leaked into the combustion chamber and burnt through the exhaust. This will need to be checked out at a repair shop, so they can perform proper procedures with their equipment to see what exactly was damaged.

Post your results of relay tests and I will follow up.

Thanks for using 2CarPros.com!
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Saturday, January 24th, 2009 AT 5:50 PM
Tiny
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All relays clicked when tested. And are you sure that the only thing that could cause the smoke is a gasget. The smoke is white. However, I just changed my oil and my oil was dirty but I read online that it would have a milky color to it and bubbles on the dip stick. My oil had neither of these. Thank you for you response and I hope you can help me out a little more with this new information. Thank you again!
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Saturday, January 24th, 2009 AT 9:54 PM
Tiny
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Is smoke coming from exhaust or engine compartment? If is from exhaust then yes, I am certain about the smoke.. White smoke from exhaust indicates coolant being burnt (unless it is just condensation, not actual smoke). Dark grey or black smoke means too much fuel to system or oil being burnt.. In this case it is coolant (or condensation, so check your coolant level).

Next thing to test will be the temperature sensor. Sometimes when they fail it wil never turn on the fan. Also test the fan to make sure it actually works. You can usally test the fan motor to see if it works by turning the A/C on, which wil automatically turn the fans on by default. The coolant temperature sensor is located on top left rear of engine, pictured below.


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/261618_Noname_181.jpg



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Saturday, January 24th, 2009 AT 10:07 PM
Tiny
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I would greatly apersheate if you could/would answer one more question for me. The car has 167K miles on it. Would see any point in spending the money to get the gasget fixed? Also if I sold it do you know how much I'd sell it for? Thank you so much! I apersheate all of your help
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Saturday, January 24th, 2009 AT 10:30 PM
Tiny
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I can't really tell you that for sure without knowing what exactly is needing replaced. If it is indeed the head gasket itself then repairs would be around $700. Did you drive the vehicle or run the engine long after overheating? If so then there might be internal damage which means you would be better off replacing the engine or selling the vehicle. You would just have to have the engine inspected by a repair shop to pinpoint what is broken. If it is just a head gasket then I would replace it. If it is something internal I would probably just sell it if it were me. I am not sure what accessories your vehicle is equipped with, or if your vehicle is the GT or other trim? For a 2 door GT it books for around $3,000 in fair condition. Fair condition means it needs some mechanical and or body work done. This doesn't mean that you would get this much for it though. Usually if a vehicle needs repairs such as this they will sale much lower.

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Saturday, January 24th, 2009 AT 10:40 PM
Tiny
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I had the car sitting at a car to sell, when I dropped it off there, there was nothing wrong with it. I picked it up and it started smoking on my way home. I had my intake gasget blow last year so I knew that if I turned my heat all the way up it would help cool off my car so on my way home it did not get into the red area. It was really low on anitfreeze so I put some in it yesterday and drove it about a 1/2 mile down the road. I over heated a little bit but not very bad. And my car is only a Grand Am SE 4 door V6 3.4. Quotes I got here for the head gasget were around 1500. Thats why I wasn't sure if I should spend 1500 more for a car that won't even sell for half of that.
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Sunday, January 25th, 2009 AT 9:13 AM
Tiny
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Okay. The car books for around $2,000 in the condition it is currently in. $1,500 is way too much for a head gasket repair. You would be able to get both head gaskets replaced at the dealer for around $1,000 so you should be able to find a repair shop that would replace it for less than that.
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Sunday, January 25th, 2009 AT 12:49 PM
Tiny
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Do you have shops that do this type of repair? I live in Bradenton FL!
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Sunday, January 25th, 2009 AT 3:06 PM
Tiny
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Sorry, I do not fully understand the question? I am a subcontractor for 2CarPros. I live in Kentucky, USA. 2CarPros main studio is located in California, USA. You should be able to find a repair shop in your area by looking in the local phone book or using an online phone number service such as the yellowbook webpage.

Thanks for using 2CarPros. Com!
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Sunday, January 25th, 2009 AT 3:10 PM

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