Here's the situation: 1999 3.2TL engine temp has been rising pretty high lately. It starts out cool and with AC on rises steadily. Last week, while driving in local traffic, the AC wasn't cooling the cabin and it got muggy in the car. After getting on the freeway, the cabin temp dropped again.

Today, once again while in stop and go traffic, engine temp rose to two lines from the top so turned off AC. This action resulted in engine temp indicator dropping down significantly and into the normal operating range...lower half of the guage face. When I switched the AC back on, the indicator began to rise once more.

Once I got home, I popped the hood and left engine running. I found the passenger side fan was running but not the driver side fan. Is this normal?

How should i proceed in trouble shooting this overheating problem?

Thanks,

 

with ac on it should run both fans,,thats a definite part of your problem
ac off, driver fan operates as needed based on temp sensor

spin the driver side fan- does it move ok? yes? proceed below,,No- remove and replace 50 bucks

fan spins,, its probably the fan sensor
on 99s its located on the thermostat housing at top of engine, next to the guage sendor
you can jumper wire power to the fan and test it

anything above a steady constant 1-2 lines below half is a problem!!
1-2 below maxed out--hope you havnt been driving with it like this very long or head gaskets will be in your future~

water pump been replaced? coolant looks good?

 

ck the radiator cap too,,been a lot of those recently

 

Thanks, I will follow your guidance and procedures tomorrow morning then report back with what I find.

 

01tl4TL,

With AC on, only pax fan ran; AC off, both fans off.

Driver fan spins and moves freely. With engine running, I jumped the fan with a wire across the two terminals in the sensor connector but the fan did NOT start running. Does this mean the fan is dead?

As for the water pump, it has not been replaced recently. Is there a way to check it? Coolant looks good and is clear/fresh. Radiator cap is new.

I will look for guidance on this site regarding removal of the driver fan. It it just the motor which gets replaced or does the whole assembly require replacement?

I am aware of the temp indicator positions and their meaning/warning regarding engine operating temps. I surely don't want to overheat and blow the motor at this stage.

 

water pump and timing belt are due at 7 years/105kmiles

you need to jumper power to the fan itself- may be able to use power to other fan if it will reach (most years)

the motor, or motor with new fan blade- are close to the same price if you shop aftermarket, parts stores etc
common easy to find part
just a few bolts and it comes out of the big shroud- motor and blade together

It may need a fan temp sensor too ,,or only
get a direct power to fan test to tell

 

Did you Run direct power to the FAN Itself not the Sensor??
I dunno about running power to the Sensor cuz it will need to reach the Temp to kick in, Just by-pass the Sensor and Send power to the Fan to test it.

 

Problem fixed...replaced fan motor.

01tl04tl...After jumping motor with battery hookup and getting no response, I went to Honda dealership for new fan motor. I know the parts guy and got a new motor for $150. Swapping out motor was straight forward...just two 10mm bolts at top.

Both fans run with engine running and AC on. All systems are go!

Thanks for help!

 

Im guessing you missed the part where I wrote about parts store and it cost 50 bucks there
based on 2 recent reports

but as long as its fixed!
change your oil - it may have taken a beating during the overheats

 

01tl04tl,

As for going with aftermarket fan motor, I didn't want to take that route and possibly fool around with having to make a motor fit. Since I didn't have to pay retail (got 50% off), it was good to get the exact replacement.

Will do regarding the oil taking a beating. Thanks again.

 

for others on a tight budget: based on recent ziner experiences--aftermarket is a direct bolt in part with no issues

this fan motor with this blade is the same unit in many vehicles on the road
you can buy it alone or with the blade installed

handyman- there are a lot of ziners on the Big Island and Oahu-ck Regions link at top of page