i have a 97 honda civic dx d16y7 automatic my car keeps overheating i changed the fan motor,fan relay switch,the thermostat, even the sensor that is in the front of the motor by the distibuter and the fan sometimes comes on, i dont know what else to do[:@]

 

have you tried checking you radiator? it might be clogged. when you check your radiator overflow reservoir, the water/coolant mix should be clear and have a greenish hue to it. (my coolant is colored green, i don't know if there are others with a different color) nonetheless, it should have the shade of your coolant's color in it. if it happens to look like mud or chocolate, chances are your radiator is clogged therefore resulting in your overheats. happened to me before, and cleaning the radiator solved it.

also, check your hoses, there might be a tiny hole in one of them causing your coolant to ooze out while driving. check for splatters on the underside of your hood or drips on the floor where there shouldn't be one and that can be a good sign too.

 

Don't trust the bottle, check coolant level in the radiator (engine MUST be cold when opening the radiator).

The fan is controlled by a switch on the thermostat housing. Unplug the switch and jumper the pins in the plug. Fan will now run all the time the key is on (if not, there is a problem). Drive like that and see if it still overheats.

Also check the radiator for corrosion on the outside, if the little brass fins are falling off it will not cool properly and you'll need a new radiator.

 

Are you saying that the radiator fan only works intermittently when the engine is hot?

Is your cooling system filled with coolant or straight water?

Are you loosing coolant from the system?

Besides a clogged radiator as mentioned above, a bad water pump and blown head gasket could also cause overheating.

 

it only leaks coolant when it gets too hot and it over flows out the radiator overflow reservoir its like its not telling the fan to come on[:@]

 

and it cant be the water pump or a blown head gasket its flowing through my engine but the fan as a mind of its own sometimes it comes on and sometimes it wont and when i put the new fan motor in it,it work for awhile and stop then i put in a new plug sensor in the front of the engine under the disturbuter i guess it lets coolant go through the engine and the fan started working again and now it sometimes works and dont

 

Yeah, the first order of business would be to get the radiator fan working properly. Given that you have already replaced all the main components of the radiator fan system (fan, relay, and sensor), then the problem may be with the electrical wiring or connectors or even the under-hood fuse box. Inspect entire circuit carefully for damage and corrosion.

You should also consider bleeding the cooling system of possible trapped air.

 

Neither of the 2 sensors screwed into the head under the distributor controls the fan. The one with one wire, toward the back of the engine, drives the temperature gauge on the dashboard (This is called the "coolant temperature SENDER"). The one toward the front of the engine with two wires ("coolant temperature SENSOR") tells the ECU the engine temperature so it will know to run in either warm up or normal mode. The sensor on the thermostat housing is an on-off switch ("coolant temperature SWITCH") that turns on the fan when the water returning from the radiator gets too hot.

 

I missed this important tidbit of information. As usual, mk is correct. The sensor of interest (switch for the radiator fan) is located in the thermostat housing not below and forward of the distributor.

 

thanks i bought a new fan switch sensor and now my fan works thanks mk378