Hi,

I have a 2000 SE that overheats occasionally.

If it is > 90 degrees outside and if I idle for more than 3-4 minutes, then my temperature gauge goes to HOT and my air conditioner starts blowing hot air. The second I start moving, the gauge returns to normal and the AC works again instantly. Also, my fan seems to run on high all the time. Could this be a bad thermostat? Any other suggestions welcome.

TIA,
Compton

 

sounds like one of the radiator fans or fan switch/relay isnt working, since its only happening while u are idle, and when u drive cools down cause air blows thru the radiator.

 

Would Autozone be the best place to get this checked out? I think i would get raped at the dealer if I took it there.

 

Just open your hood and start your car and check to see if the fan is working or not, i had the same problem on my 97 its not big of a problem. What you need to make sure though is if you see the fan working and then temp still goes up then its something else but if you see the fan is not working and thats why the gauge is going up your problem is solved momentarily.

 

I'll check, but I am pretty sure the fan is working cause it is super loud at idle.

 

OK, so I pop the hood and look down and see 2 fans.. Are both of these supposed to be on all the time? The one on the left hand side(Passenger side) is working, but is on HIGH and loud. The one on the right is not working at all.

If the one on the right is supposed to be working, does this indicate a bad fan or a sensor/relay or some sort?

TIA

 

Both of them are supposed to be working. They have resitors on them as well that regulate the speed. If the resitor is shot, it would be spinning on high all the time, but it looks like the fan motor might be bad.

 

Either way....my fans don't come on all that often even on hot days...usually only after extened periods in stopandgo traffic and once I turn the car off when i get home.....

Three things to check:
1. both fans should come on
2. do you have enough anti-freeze/coolant in the system? And if so, have you changed it since you got the car?
3. Could be a stuck coolant valve or faulty coolant temp. sensor.

 

I am not sure but I think one fan only comes on when the AC is turned on....the second one.

 

1. Only the passenger side one comes on.. Is this considered the left or the right fan?
2. It is full, and was flushed within the past year.

 

Turn A/C on. Both fans should (must) come on.
If one comes on but not the other, the relay or motor is borked.

 

Only one comes on, so its borked
How do you troubleshoot whether its the motor or the relay? Just replace both?

 

With a/c on check for voltage at the fan motor connection -- unplug the wiring harness from the fan motor and probe the terminals, looking for voltage. If you see 12-14V, the relay is OK and the motor is shot.

If you don't see a voltage at the terminals of the harness, pull the cooling fan relay from the relay centre and check for voltage at the PDC (where the relay plugs in) -- if you have voltage at the PDC but not at the motor end of the harness then the relay is bad.

You can use a cheap automotive test light or a DVOM to check these.

Also, you can try swapping another relay into the cooling fan relay's slot, provided the relays hve the same numbers on them.