OK so my radiator fan always comes on even if car driven for a short time and stays on for awhile. I have never noticed this happening before so its abnormal. My car is not over heating. I checked the the hose in the reserve it is connected. Been reading around and read the problem might be radiator temp sensor. Is this an easy fix, part #?

Just yesterday i smelt/saw smoke coming from the steering column then car turned off while i was at a red light. But it did restart. Are these 2 problems related? Does this sound like a ignition switch issue? We did replace the ignition switch around 5 years ago.

 

Smoke from the steering column is usually the switch and will cause the car to stall at the same time. Jiggle the key around and see if it stalls.

 

I will check that out. anyone know how to fix the fan problem only the driver side fan stays on.

 

just answered your other thread, but this one has the critical detail
= Driver fan stays on several minutes after shutdown

thats the Fan Temp Sensor,,if you are an 03 its located pass side rear of rad at the bottem
(99s only- on top with thermostat and temp guage sensor)

has 1 wire going to it- unscrews counterclockwise as viewed from the rear
or lefty loosie/righty tighty as you look at it - if thats easier
be gentle~~
ck fluid levels after, only lose a few drips if you are ready with the new part to install

 

smoke from steering is never good !!!!
take apart and find pinched wire from tilt wheel use
or its the switch again--buy aftermarket for better part $50

are there several keys or weight on your keyring- thats tough on the switch too

 

Ok so I never had the smoke problem again just the one time. Now when im driving some of the dash board lights flicker on a bumpy road. The flickering lights are: parking brake light,battery light, tcp light. They flash when i go over a bumpy road....

 

ck all the ground cables,,battery cables and the small ones from engine to frame,
probably some from dash to body metal too

 

Could it possibly be the ignition switch causing this problem?

 

anything is possible- especially since you replaced it before~
you can dismantle the switch itself to clean crud and look for arcing/burn marks

whats up with both fans running--get that sorted out yet?

 

stop by a name brand parts store for those free test

bad ground cable caused a ziner probs recently
they picked up a kit from acura with neg batt cable and several small ground wires,
which turned out to be in bad condition as well. $20

 

I can take my car to a store which does free electrical testing? And they will find the cause? I have already ordered a ignition switch just incase and see if that fixes the issue.

I checked my fan only the driver side comes on, but it always comes once i park it. Its cold here and still comes in. It never did that before..

 

for how long- more than 1-2 minutes? = fan temp sendor unit we talked about before

yes!! major name and even small private parts stores will happily test the charging system for output, starter amp draw (tells if failing) battery static and charging voltage under load, abilty to recover from load, alternator output, even cable condition!!..all for FREE..technology makes it simple to attch a reader and let it work

they want to sell you parts, but the right parts,, so you dont come back and complain to the manager about a battery that was ok--it really needed an alternator

note! failure of one of those can lead to failure of the other as its overworked trying to compensate for the lost electricity and still run the car.. to get home for you

Note: Except in Ca,(stupid smog laws) parts stores will do code scan/reading for free too, if you get a CEL thats what we need is the fault codes

 

thanks for the info. Iam getting more symptoms now, the dash lights dont always flash on a bumpy road, this morning my battery was dead I had to jump start it, and I dont know if this is related but my the stock subwoofer goes on and off, I can hear the difference in bass when it turns on/off.

I have yet to go to a auto shop for the electrical testing. I also banged on the dash and steering wheel area to see if my dash lights flicker since they do so on a bumpy road. I got no flickering when i banged on the dash.

 

Just an update.

Went to auto parts store they checked the battery with a tester. Machine said battery is charging with higher than normal voltage( i think 16v). Could a faulty alternator be the cause?

 

alternator/voltage regulator...get a 2nd parts store opinion- should be able to tell you if its bad
I Dont know if the reg is inside the alt

if its letting the battery die overnight,,it wasnt charging on the way home

With the recent experiences reported here, ck the battery cables- inside may be crudded out if you get growth on the terminals (mine)
there is an Acura kit with several smaller ground wires that go around the engine
compartment,,those go bad
something has to be loose for your dash prob, and banging on the dash with no results points to underhood

 

Wouldn't the cause of the flickering lights most likely be the ign. switch ('99)? Don't alternators sometimes develop a shorted diode that will drain the batt. overnight? Chk. the static current draw on the batt. w/ a meter- (in series), car OFF, all lights, etc. OFF, doors shut so no dome lights on.

 

I believe it is the alternator, car does make a whining noise. I will probably remove the alternator tomorrow and get it benched tested. I was told $60 to replace the voltage regulator.

 

update: It was the alternator, it was charging to high. That fixed the flashing lights. But I still have one problem. My DRL's do not work.My drls yellow light stays on and when I drive over a bumpy road DRL light flickers. I put in new bulbs but they dont work and the yellow DRL light stays on. Maybe something got fried by the overcharging?

 

very possible--over volts is bad for small electronics
and ck all your wires and sockets for clean and tight, grounds especially

tested correct values now?
tried swapping relays? same color are interchangable

 

At first the DRL were not working, then they started to work fine. Now they dont work again but i tried the high beams only the passenger drl comes on.

I dont know how to do swap of relays etc

 

open hood, remove cover of relay box,,there are a few fuse and relay boxes under hood
all are well marked to function
observe the few different colors of the squares- grey, yellow black,, those are relays
same color = same part, grey = grey
pull straight up and exchange

ck your grounds
what was the prob in steering column? ever find the smoke- it could be a wire prob in there causing drl op now..thinking back to what volt probs can do to wires

 

are the DRL supposed to operate WITH High beams?
usa cars with fog/extra lights are only allowed to work with low beams
and we didnt get the drl as factory equipment,,some diy mod needed

 

i did not find out the problem to the smoke from steering column, just suspected the over charge did that.

When the hid head lights are on and you flash the high beams the drls come on, so hids + drls =hi beam

 

smart move would be to remove the covers on steering and ck for melted wires
thats why you get smoke from there

 

this^^^ my driver fan would run for a few minutes after shutoff when my passenger fan relay was bad. $5 fix.

 

part #?

 

look at color for match on relay