QuestionQUESTION: I have seen in chilton's manuals iformation for pontiac sunfire same as information for chevrolet cavalier and since there are not currently experts for chevrolet models, I post my problem here.
I have a 1994 chevrolet cavalier RS automatic, and about 2.3L engine. The electric radiator fan does not work when installed. I removed it and it worked with jumpers to the battery. I reinstalled again and it does not work.
The temperature gage gets to about 165 in about 10 minutes, and it stays there. So after running the engine for about twenty minutes I have to shut it off because it gets very hot.
The AC compressor always turns, but I do not know if it gets engaged for making the AC work, because I do not get cold air. (It was working last summer, but the car has been mostly parked for the last two months).
I do not know what I should do. If I have to replace the coolant temperature sensor, is it the one closer to whare the upper radiator hose connects to the engine? And how do I go about first removing it?, because it seems the sensor housing threads into the engine.
I surely appreciate any knowledge or advice about the problem.
Sincerely, Andres R.
ANSWER: Hi Andres:
if in dedd the a/c is still wroking after it has been on for a few minutes the cooling fan should run for that reguardless of the engine temp. There could be several reasons for this not to work. the most simple thing is the coolant temp sensor it has 2 wires on it yellow and black going to the sensor. the single wire one is fo the indicator and or gauge. The coolant sensor sends a signal to the engine compouter and once the engine computer see the correct criterial it will turn on the relay to run the fan. My online service info from Gm only goes back to 1998 and that car is completly different then your 94. So I can't really help you with the exact working of the system. but in a nit shell that is how it works. so you could have a bad relay for the fan, a bad engine computer or a blown fuse fuseable link. what you need is a true scan tool to actually look at the engine data and see #1 what the coolant temp is and wether the engine computer is trying to turn the ran relay on. with out that you kind of out of luck. Good luck :)
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QUESTION: Thank you very much for your good answer about my chevrolet cavalier.
I think it would be very nice to have a true scanner and knowing hown to use it, but I don't even have an idea of how much they cost.
About the coolant temperature sensor, It costs $17.95, but I would like to know if there is a way to check it before installing it, as we check the thermostats in boiling water, and if there is a way to check them before installation, how to do it and what to look for in the test.
As in my previous question, I would appreciate any knowledge or advice about my question.
Sincerely, Andres R.
Answerwell you can see what the resistance of the sensor is when the engine is "cold" let the car sit over night and check across the 2 terminals of the sensor with a digital ohm meter and see what the resistance of the sensor is knowing what the ait temp is and compait the reistance to a temp to resistance chart here : http://www.ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/repair-topics/computers-sensors/coolant
good luck :)
