Cal3thousand Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 I've been reading for the past two weeks, reluctant to post, but I'm stuck on this right now and don't want to 'spin my tires' anymore. Issue is that the COOLING FAN will not come on. I've been running with a jumper between the power feed and the low speed connection to get me to work and home. Got a relay last night and put it on this morning to test. Fan does not come on still! Even after turning on the A/C, nothing. Just bubblin coolant until I manually jump the fan again. I have replaced radiator (genuine from Justin; Valeo?) and thermostat from DW (Wahler 87C; correct orientation). The CTS / ETC is fairly new as well. I replaced that when I did my head job in September although the old one gave me no issues. The connector for the yellow wiring going into the fan relay (signal) looks kind of tattered, but they look like they have a connection. How would I test this out to eliminate it? Which pin on the ECU connector do I test for continuity on? I am on this suspicion as the relay is new, Thermo and ETC are fairly new, fan works when jumpered and presumably the fan was working before I did this radiator job. If it does come down to a bad connector, can I order a new one from the dealer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Look for codes out of A2 to rule that out. Also, there is a way to use the diagnostic port to test the fan through the ECU. Maybe someone else can chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal3thousand Posted May 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Look for codes out of A2 to rule that out. Also, there is a way to use the diagnostic port to test the fan through the ECU. Maybe someone else can chime in. Check codes last week and didn't find any fan codes. ( I read your posts in an older thread). Interested in the diagnostic port to test the ECU signaling. Would the service manual have this information in it? I have the '96 PDF floating somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 In case you don't have the wiring diagram.engine cooling fan.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal3thousand Posted May 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 In case you don't have the wiring diagram. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Disconnecting the ECT sensor will cause the cooling fan to run. It will also cause the CEL to come on but you can reset that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal3thousand Posted May 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Disconnecting the ECT sensor will cause the cooling fan to run. It will also cause the CEL to come on but you can reset that. Can i do that with a cold engine? Or would I need to have it warm up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Can i do that with a cold engine? Or would I need to have it warm up? Anytime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scootdiggity Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 Anytime. I had a problem with two new ect, thought I would replace it because it was high mileage. First was purchased from a well known aftermarket vendor on here, lasted a day, the second was a replacement one from same company lasted a week. I pop the orignal in and no problems since. My friend had exact same problem. He went to a local yard to get a used one after he heard my horror story, and hasnt had a problem since. this part I would purchase directly from dealer or from yard if on a budget, dont use aftermarket vendors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal3thousand Posted May 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 I had a problem with two new ect, thought I would replace it because it was high mileage. First was purchased from a well known aftermarket vendor on here, lasted a day, the second was a replacement one from same company lasted a week. I pop the orignal in and no problems since. My friend had exact same problem. He went to a local yard to get a used one after he heard my horror story, and hasnt had a problem since. this part I would purchase directly from dealer or from yard if on a budget, dont use aftermarket vendors. I still have my old one... maybe I should try that one? Not a big deal as I'm gonna be putting on a new expansion tank. *going to look up where I bought this new one* Edit: bought it at EEuroparts in October… guess i should find my old one and pop it back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 I still have my old one... maybe I should try that one? Not a big deal as I'm gonna be putting on a new expansion tank. *going to look up where I bought this new one* Edit: bought it at EEuroparts in October… guess i should find my old one and pop it back in. Easy test would be to test the resistance by just unplugging it. I posted yesterday with the same issue and found after just a simple test with a multimeter I had found the culprit. It was at 2000 Ohms with the engine cold and then after I heated it up it did not drop much. The resistance should drop down to around 200-500 I do believe once the engine is warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinL Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 Here's how to test the ECT sensor before you pop it back in. ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR RESISTANCE TABLE 32 Deg F (0 Deg C) - 7300 Ohms 68 Deg F (20 Deg C) - 2800 Ohms 176 Deg F (80 Deg C) - 300 Ohms 212 Deg F (100 Deg C) - 150 Ohms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 Here's how to test the ECT sensor before you pop it back in. ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR RESISTANCE TABLE 32 Deg F (0 Deg C) - 7300 Ohms 68 Deg F (20 Deg C) - 2800 Ohms 176 Deg F (80 Deg C) - 300 Ohms 212 Deg F (100 Deg C) - 150 Ohms Alvin thanks for replies on these threads it helped me track down my issue in a matter of minutes (between ur input and the chiltons resistance table it made it easy to diagnosis). I measured 5 volts going into the ECT from the harness to make sure it was getting juice. I was curious if there is suppose to be any voltage reading at the relay in which someone could deduce that they are getting power up to that point without the engine being really hot? Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal3thousand Posted May 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Alvin thanks for replies on these threads it helped me track down my issue in a matter of minutes (between ur input and the chiltons resistance table it made it easy to diagnosis). I measured 5 volts going into the ECT from the harness to make sure it was getting juice. I was curious if there is suppose to be any voltage reading at the relay in which someone could deduce that they are getting power up to that point without the engine being really hot? Thanks again Ok, so I'm back with results. First, to thank all who replied... only good info found in this thread (the way we like it). I took AlvinL's advice and unplugged the CTS and turned the key on w/o starting and the fan immediately kicked on. Even after I took out the key! After replugging it and turning the key again, the fan turned off. I decided to take my CTS out and look at it. Good thing I did, as this thing literally fell apart. The inner rubber/plastic part slid right out of the brass housing after a VERY light tug. Basically, this aftermarket (FAE? i think) CTS disintegrated due to poor construction. I'm going to call EEuroparts to see if they will refund me. My original CTS went back in, along with a new expansion tank. Started the car after filling fluid back up. It heated up pretty quick and the fan still did not kick on. Then I remembered that Chuck said the fan doesn't turn on until really needed. It was getting late, so I was satisfied with the fact that it was not blowing coolant all over the garage. I drove to work this morning and the needle stayed basically at 3:00. Then while sitting at a light, I heard the sweet music of my fan kicking on! EDIT: I should add that I also tested continuity from the ECU socket pins to the fan using the .pdf that Alvin put up to make sure that wasn’t the problem (YEL to A22 and YEL/WHT to A7) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty Moo Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Here's how to test the ECT sensor before you pop it back in. ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR RESISTANCE TABLE 32 Deg F (0 Deg C) - 7300 Ohms 68 Deg F (20 Deg C) - 2800 Ohms 176 Deg F (80 Deg C) - 300 Ohms 212 Deg F (100 Deg C) - 150 Ohms Here's the clincher. I have 2 bum ect's that measured proper resistance at measured temps. (Using crushed ice in water, and boiling water), yet still didn't work. One was installed, and one was a spare. I too had gone through all the motions of swapping fan relays, checking grounds, measuring resistance through the fan motor, measuring resistance through two ECT's, (one OEM and one aftermarket) checking continuity through my wiring, checking for corrosion, etc. I'm well versed on basic electrical theory, and this was really kicking my azz. Luckily, this all unfolded before warm weather showed up. I installed a brand new one and my fan worked. Odd. I'm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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