i have a 96 dx hatch and the radiator fan doesn't start up. i know it's that fan because i never hear it turn on and my car will only start to overheat if the car isn't moving

i couldn't find any threads on the radiator fan so i'm wondering if anybody has any tips for me to check the fan without pulling the whole system out.
what wires should i consider checking or maybe some relays? or how could i check if it's just the fan motor that's dead?

 

It's actually really easy. Find your Thermostat on the back/passenger side of the motor. There will be one sensor hooked directly to it. Unplug that sensor. Put the key in the ingnition, and turn it to the last click before actually starting the car. (ON, ACC, whatever it is..)

Take a paper clip, piece of wire or something like that and connect the two sides of the sensor plug. The fan should kick on when the connectors are bridged.

If the fan does NOT kick on, you;ll need a new one

 

thankz

do you have a picture so that i know where exactlythe sensor is and what it looks like? is it on the engine, on the tranny,the head, the block, etc etc???

 

i think that i found the sensor you are talking about. it's kinda above the starter, it is connected close to the engine off by where the lower radiator hose connects to the engine. is this the right sensor?

well, i took it off and put a paperclip through it when the key was at the on positions or whatever, but the fan did not kick in. so does this mean that i have to buy a whole new fan, or what would i need to buy? how much am i looking at for a new fan?

 

Like I said, it's the only sensor attached to the thermostat, which is a little dome looking think with the lower rad hose and a few other coolant hoses attached to it. Sounds like you found the right one.

You should be able to just buy a new fan. Check the junkyard, ebay, etc..

 

You might also check your wiring harnesses into the fan. I made a post recently on how I somehow accidentaly loosened the harness into my AC fan, and even though it looked like it was connected, it wasn't. I pressed it firmly into place and the AC fan came on.

I am sure you have probably checked this already, but if not sometimes the most obvious things escape ya.

 

Disconnect the fan connector. Check the resistance between the terminal. If the resistance is really high, the coil has burned out.

 

I have a similar problem,I don't know if anybody can help me, my radiator fan doesn't start up and for that reason my engine is overheating when i am at a stop light,I replacethe relay but it wasn't that, thenI check the fan, connecting wires directly to the battery and its working, but now i don't know what else can it be, maybe is the termostat??? or is the sensor, how canI find whats the problem... please help me out with this.
Thank you

 

Another thing you could try is to disconnect the fan itself and run a wire directly to the battery. If the fan works, then you know the problem is something else!

 

can you be a little more simplistic agentofdarkness. i'm sorry, but i really don't understand all those terms