QuestionQUESTION: My car overheats eventually while idiling, and quickly while driving in stop-and-go traffic. Is fine when traveling 50MHP w/o interruption. Im thinking of checking the following: Radiator Fan (need to know wiring/polarity of 3 wires), Thermostat (need to know location), Water Pump, Flushing Radiator. Any suggestions on this?
ANSWER: Hi Itetzner,
You have identified the components that impact cooling. Does the fan come on when when the temp gauge reads H? Which engine do you have in the car, and is it a convertible or a sedan would be useful to know. Please write back with that info and I'll fill in the details.
Roland
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QUESTION: I have not seen the fan come on. The car is a Sebring convertible with a V6 engine.
AnswerHi Itetzner,
Check carefully to see if fuse 9 (10 amp) and fuse 17 (40 amp) in the power box in the engine compartment are good (test electrically or look carefully for an internal crack in the wire). If those are good then it would be appropriate to get a fault code readout for any explanations the engine computer may have noticed. Try turning the ignition key:" on-off-on-off-on and leave on" doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch for a change in the odometer to read a 4-digit number instead of the mileage. Or go to an Autozone parts store for a free readout, or to an independent garage for around $40.
The coolant temp sensor is what informs the computer to turn on the fans. It may be 'off-value'. It is located at the base of the coolant filler pipe, just below the air intake tube. If you have an ohmmeter, remove its plug (carefully lift lock tab to release) then check that its resistance measured as across the two terminals drops from 10-14K when cold down to around 1K ohms when the engine is warmed up. If not, then the sensor is bad.
Let me know if you get any fault codes. But those are the major factors in fan operation which if not coming on when the gauge moves to the H area is the first issue to correct.
Roland
