binary_10essee

When I bought my '00 TL in March, the air conditioner worked wonderfully. After not running it for a while, it started getting really hot here (close to 100º) a few days ago, so I ran the A/C. It blows cold as usual when I'm moving. However, when I come to a stop, even for a few seconds, it blows cool/warm, and when I start moving again it takes several seconds to become cold again.

First of all, my condenser fan is operating normally. It runs when the compressor is engaged, and it stops when the compressor is disengaged.

I did some research and I'm a bit confused. Is the cooling fan (driver's side) under the hood supposed to run with the A/C, regardless of temperature? I've read things that basically say it should run any time the A/C is on. Otherwise, it'll run when the temp reaches a specified level.

I checked all fuses, and I checked all relays. But the COOLING FAN still does NOT run. Condenser fan is fine. I don't have a multimeter so I haven't had a chance to test voltage yet. I'm trying to confirm whether or not BOTH fans should run with the A/C on regardless of temp.

My girlfriend's brother has a '99 Honda Accord and it does the same thing. Condenser fan runs with A/C -- cooling fan does not. And his air isn't very cold either.

Skirmich

When my car kicks the A/C in both fans come on, regardless of temperature...
Heck even with the CAR Shut OFF! Key on Position II and A/C On both fans come on.

binary_10essee

Thanks Skirmich. I thought so. I found this:

http://m.honda-tech.com/showthread.p...650&styleid=18

I'm going to try the wire loop trick to see if the fan comes on at that point. If so, possibly a bad switch. If not, I suppose it could be the cooling fan/motor itself.

Gil'sUA5

have you replaced your cabin a/c filter? also maybe your a/c system just needs to be recharged

binary_10essee

Until recently I wasn't aware that there was a cabin filter. LoL. But I've been looking to replace it in the near future. As far as the charge goes, it has a good charge. I've checked it on numerous occasions. A friend of mine is going to help me figure out the fan issue this evening when I get off work.

chris03tl

How many miles on the car?

Is it idling at the correct RPM, or perhaps too low because EGR, IACV, throttle body, etc. need to be cleaned?

binary_10essee

The car is creeping up on 190K miles. It's definitely possible that EGR, IACV, throttle body, etc., need to be cleaned. I haven't cleaned them, and I'm not sure if/when they were last cleaned. I cleaned those components when I owned my '04 Chevy Impala, but do you have links for how to do it with a '00 TL? I'm not entirely familiar with those yet.

By the way, I believe I got my fans mixed up. It seems that the radiator cooling fan is work appropriately, while the condenser fan is not. I'm going to swap a known good relay into its spot when I step away from my desk and see if that's the issue. If so, I'll pick up a new relay on my way home.

01tl4tl

no pass fan op means low flow of heat reducing air thru its ~radiator~
if it spins by hand that's a good sign but with age and hours of use, they do wear out

driver side fan is the primary cooling fan

Do we have a diy for egr cleaning and cabin air filter,,of course!!
look at main page in this section of gen2, 4th item down list OFFICIAL 2nd Gen DIY blahblh It contains 2 threads- each of those contain subsections by type- electrical, brakes, filters etc, egr cleaning is in thread title thermoblock install and egr cleaning. plus vids of procedure are online
cabin filter very easy to do, requires some bending/twisting while working on knees for 20 minutes, use of screwdriver/socket-ratchet and possibly scissors if filter never changed before .
Shop Vac handy for all the things you find inside

01tl4tl

relays of same color can be swapped for testing purposes

binary_10essee

Are you sure the driver side fan is the primary cooling fan? Because when I remove the "cooling fan relay" from under the hood, the fan on the passenger side does not work. When I plug it in, that fan works when idling and the temp goes up, as well as on/off with the A/C compressor.

EDIT:

Sorry, don't mean to insult your knowledge. I don't disbelieve you, I just find it odd that you say that, yet the cooling fan fuse/relay affect what you're saying should be the condenser fan.

If the fan motor is bad, should it be able to rotate by hand? Because I can rotate it by hand all day. Haha.

MrMoAcuraPar

If it blows cold while moving but not while sitting still I'd suspect that the fan blower dealie that pushes air into/through the cockpit is inoperable or stuck or jammed with junk. When I changed my cabin air filter I spent a solid 15 mins vacuuming the debris from inside the box, and now the ac hits harder than ever when engaged. Just a thought..

3.2TLc

Yeah, fan motors can go bad and still rotate. With their age and use, these fans have ran alot....and eventually can and will fail. Remove the fan motor's wiring connector.....then jumper 12v to bypass all the switches, relays and other stuff. If it runs, then ya may have an issue upstream. Fan motors can also become slow and lazy, but still appear to work.

RC99TL

I'm creeping up to 240k and have replaced one condenser and 2 radiator fans.
All spun fine. Take them apart and the armature and brushes are just black dust.
Rarely the relay.
Now on an old VW it was definitely the relay!

Skirmich

I'm past 210K still got the OEM Fans working fine... Those suckers are reliable like man.. RELIABLE!..

binary_10essee

How do you go about doing the jumper test with the fans? I've been wanting to do it, but I don't know where to being. I've never been interested in doing my own troubleshooting or work until I got the TL. So while a lot of this is all new to me, I'm learning like hell! Haha.

EDIT:

Nevermind, I've found what I need.

binary_10essee

SOLVED: The primary cooling fan motor is bad. I'll be picking one up in the next couple of weeks and install it.

01tl4tl

aftermarket is ok for part just get it installed asap- more times with temp doing anything buy steady just below half means trouble in the works--down the road issues due to heat now
that same fan probably fits most of the Honda fleet- ask an auto dismantler and recycling (formerly junkyard)

so we agree now- driver side primary cooling fan

binary_10essee

Haha, yeah. So I'm guessing when the primary cooling fan goes out, the condenser fan helps pick up the slack to prevent overheating? Because I was under the impression that the condenser fan ONLY runs with the A/C, not to keep the car cool. I could be wrong again though.

01tl4tl

iirc the pass side fan will try to help the primary in high temp situations - sans ac operation~

01tl4tl

I recently saw a car the owner had worked on custom fan install and sealed up front end- a hyper-mileing vehicle
it was running hot hot, with heater on full blast on the freeway

a small hot blast of air was felt coming OUT of the inlet hole when fan came on,,blowing,,,
not sucking fresh air into the radiator ooops! a quick swap of the power wires and it runs the correct direction now
You have to look for the strangest things!

binary_10essee

RESOLVED COMPLETELY:

We replaced the cooling fan motor and the problem is resolved. Both fans work as they are designed to. Idling or moving, A/C will freeze you out at 60º.

I still plan on changing my cabin air filter in the near future. I'll change that and vacuum out any debris in the area in the process. I also will be taking a look at the air filter under the hood, as I have no idea when it was last replaced.

3.2TLc

Sounds like it was an easy enough fix !!!
Things do tend to normally wear out with age and use.

binary_10essee

Yeah, definitely! It took us all of about 20 minutes. There are only 2 bolts on the top of the fan shroud. We didn't have to disconnect amy wires or hoses, except the power connector for the fan. From that point, we just walked the fan out, replaced the motor, walked it back and it was good to go!

IdahoDave

Hey, I just have to thank you folks. Had the same issue--cooling fan wouldn't turn on. This thread was on the first page. Didn't even have to search!


The responses convinced me I could replace the cooling fan without taking to the $tealership. Success in about 30 minutes and $140.

bk85

Did you ever get an answer on this. I see the link to HondaTec.com you posted shows the primary fan on the passerger side

binary_10essee

The driver's side fan is the primary cooling fan on my '00 TL.

01tl4tl

on everyones gen2 TL~