Cadillac Repair: Engine coolant fan light comes off and on, coolant temp, engine coolant

Question
Bill,
I drive an 89 Cadillac Deville 4.8 liter. On my way to work today I stopped by the bank and unfortunately sat in the drive through line for a little while. When I pulled out I noticed that the "Engine coolant fan" light came on for a little while. As I proceeded to drive it went out again but soon returned. I pulled over and checked the fluid level and it appears to be fine. I did notice the electric fan was running which was a second concern I had based on the idiot light message. I am not even sure what the light purpose is. I did see a previous similar question to this in where comments by yourself (I think) were made that stated the fan goes into action to prevent overheating and that there should be something in the codes that tells me why it would be doing that. I just want to make sure it is not something silly like a sticking thermostat. Also if there is any website to help determine error codes and what they mean and course of action to take out there I would appreciate it if you could send me a link or point me in the right direction so I can see whatever else the Engine is seeing that is of concern. The car is up for inspection next month so I want to make sure it is in as tip top shape as I can get t in. Thanks in advance!!  

Answer
Hi Anthony, That must be a special edition deville you have because they only made the 4.5 liter in '89...lol...But seriously the fact that your Engine coolant fan light turns on usually means that eithor the low speed or hi speed isn't working, the motor is still working but useing too many amps to run or the module is on the way out. At this point it would be good to see how many amps it takes to start and run the fans. Normal draw is 4-8 amps running. If you meter spikes up to 50-60 amps when the motor first turns on then it should be replaced. Generally if the thermostat were sticking closed the coolant temp. hot red light would turn on...As far as free websites for code descriptions you might try the autozone.com site or post this question on the 10w40.com web site and see if someone there can help you out. If you knew the code I could help with the discription but would be unable to send trouble trees to you. The good thing about your car is you can read codes by pressing off and warmer on the climate control panel for 5 seconds with the engine running in park and then the codes will start being shown on the fuel data panel. Look for the EE and FF codes, those are happening now. The E and F codes are history codes and happened previously. Turn the key off and then restart your car and the dash will return to normal.  Hope that helps. Bill