last summer/fall i suspected a possible problem with my cooling fan in my 97 2.2. it would never come on even if it was idling in traffic for a few mins on a hot day. today was our first nice day and it was 23C..or like 72F and i was on the freeway for about 10 mins so it got to normal operating temperature. then when i got where i was going i let it sit and idle for 5 more mins to see if the fan would kick in but it didnt. the weird thing is that it never overheats, it just gets up to a little ways under half but never any higher at all no matter how i drive. does anyone have any ideas on how to troubleshoot this? or do i even have a problem because it never overheats? oh yeah my a/c fan comes on if i turn that on but not the cooling fan. any help is greatly appreciated

ps i searched but could not find a cooling fan problem thread where the car never overheats

 

Either A, it's the fan switch or B, it never reached a high enough temperature for it to even kick in.

 

usually only one fan comes on if any

 

Well its probably not option B because all last summer it def got hot enough sitting in traffic for it to supposto turn on but the temp gauge wouldnt budge. so i thought nothing of it. i will look into the fan switch. thanks for the quick reply cocoa you are a legend around here.

anyone else have any ideas?
do you guys think i even have to worry about it if the temp gauge never reads high?

 

I think about everyones temp gauge stays below the 1/2 line so i think your cars fine.

 

here's some ideas

1. Blown no.21 fuse ( located in hood fuse box ). Easy to check.
2. Fan condenser relay
3. Fan motor
4. Engine coolant temp switch A

 

thanks for the replies guys. this forum responds so quickly. i will look into those things saiko and cocoa suggested this weekend i am too damn tired after 12 hour shifts during the week to mess around with the CL. i will let you know what i find.

 

If fan does not come on when AC is on, then fan is faulty or wiring to fan is faulty. Both fans should always run w/ AC compressor engaged.

Your description is confusing. Do both fans not run, or one fan runs and other does not? This makes a difference in your problem's likely fault.

I have found that many 2.2 engines will cool fine as long as car moves and in moderate temps will not heat to point where fans come on. This may be due to thermostat open point being on the low side and keeping coolant temperature down.

good luck

 

When i turn on the a/c the a/c fan turns on but the normal cooling fan does not.

I thought that when the car isnt moving fast enough the cooling fan is supposto come on if the engine is hot enough, and the a/c fan is supposto come on when you turn on the a/c regardless of wether the cooling fan is already on or the temperature.

 

The radiator fan (pax side) and condensor fan (driver's side) should both come on when AC is engaged (compressor running). This suggests your radiator fan motor is faulty (brushes wear out and are not replaceable). You could have a wiring fault but that is less likely. You can rig a temporary jumper and ground to the fan motor connector and verify it will not work w/ power supplied, or simply check for voltage to the connector when AC is on. If voltage is present, the fan is dead.

Both fans should come on when AC is off, and coolant temperature reaches 199F (93C) (Thermoswitch A closes at this temp). If you are driving, the fans may never come on and some cars will run a long time in moderate ambient temps w/o the cooling fans engaging. Usually, fans will come on w/o AC after a long drive and you go to idle for a period. In your case, again the radiator fan should not run since it is likely faulty.

good luck

 

thanks for all the help its really appreciated but guess what, i just wasnt getting it hot enough for them to turn on so there is no problem. i feel like an idiot haha oh well no harm done.

thanks again

 

Hey Texas Honda God

Wassup. So funny i find you on here. I Did what you asked i could not get to Iacv because on the 2.2 its in back of the engine i need a special wrench to get back there. So i only cleaned out the Throttle body and Carb. Made a lil diff

But looking at the Fans on my car when the A/C turns on. Only the pass side fan turns on and not the driver side. This is only observed for the first 10 minutes.

Im going to be more observant the next to make sure. But i think that could be cause the car to shake when idle.

 

Your temp gage should sit at 1/3 of the whole gage. Just below the half the line could be 7/16 of the gage and that is too hot your fans will have turned on by then if there is not a problem with the coolant temperature sensor (that sensor prices from $15 to $60 at a parts store).

 

Cleaning the IACV is tricky. I released the IACV but kept the cooling hoses attached by also releasing the item next to the IACV (FITV?). This provided enough access to service the inlet screen.

Both fans should come on. Most likely reason is a bad fan motor.

good luck

 

can that make the car shake

 

I have been having the same problem as Premium (passenger side fan not working, driver side fan working). The only difference is my coolant has overboiled twice (both on hot days, a/c on, driving up hill). Both times my temp gage did not reed any higher than just below the middle point.

I used a test light and had electricity at the passenger side fan connector when the a/c was switched on. I was going to replace the fan motor when I thought I would try to plug it in at the driver side connector. The fan motor worked when I did this. Does this mean my coolant temp sensor is bad and needs to be replaced? Or is the thermostat taking up the extra heat (the upper radiator hose heats up)?

Thanks.

 

Pax side fan motor is probably bad. When a fan starts to fail, they will sometimes restart when moved or vibrated, but then will fail to restart again later. The carbon brushes are worn low and spring tension pushing them is too little for good electrical contact, and intermittent fan is result. Your test w/ power to the connector and no fan action is pretty definitive unless you suspect a damaged harness connector.

The boil-over while coolant temp is OK is a bad sign. It could mean the cylinder head gasket is leaking exhaust into the coolant system and pushing coolant out of the radiator into reservoir.

I would replace fan, replace thermostat, and fill carefully w/ coolant. If boil-over continues, have coolant checked for exhaust gas (chemical test).

good luck

 

Thanks TexasHonda!

I was just told my problem might be at the fan switch (the sender towards the back of the block where the lower radiator meets the engine). What do you think about that being a possible problem? I was told if that part is bad it can interrupt the signal that should turn on the psx side fan. When hardwired to the battery, the psx fan works consistently.

Thanks for your help and advice for my cl.