rad fan issues

[bobbyspider]

-i know this is a repost but im not getting any responses in the repair section can anyone help me figure this puzzeling problem out -thanks

first off i have a 90 ford festiva the motor is swaped with a single cam b6. ok so heres the story it was hot the other day and i went for a 30 min drive on the highway (no traffic) every thing was fine. but when i got off the highway and hit some heavy traffic after about 20 min my engine temp guage was getting way above normal. so i pulled off the road and noticed the fan was not kicking on, but for some reason when i put the car on accesory on the ignition switch it kicked on. then i tried turning it to the start position and the fan kicked off back and forth "accessory on" "start off" . so do i have the temp switch mixed up im almost positive we switched and used the sensor from the b3 (maybe thats the problem?) but yea this is verry weird and its getting into summer and its getting hotter and this is my dd so if anyone could help or have had similar troubles please let me know

-thanks, Bobby D.

[TominMO]

Can't answer the fan question, but I am wondering why is it getting hot? Possibly your radiator is getting clogged, or thermostat is sticking partially closed.

Put in a 180 degree thermostat for the summer; that should help. Flush the cooling system too. The fan should never have to come on while you are moving, except maybe if you are using A/C on a very hot day.

[bobbyspider]

its getting hot because the rad fan is not kicking on when its supposed to

[lessersivad]

Not trying to come off as a complete jerk but have you tried any of the suggestions from the other post? Such as unplugging the sender to see if the fan kicks on that way?

[bobbyspider]

yes and it does but only in accesory on the ignition switch

[lessersivad]

Do other things such as the wipers only work on accessory?

[bomdoutscort]

The switch for the fan is on the thermostat housing.

[bobbyspider]

Do other things such as the wipers only work on accessory?

no everything else works on both acc and the run position except the fan

[bobbyspider]

The switch for the fan is on the thermostat housing.

yep thats the one thats acting wacky. almost like the polarity is in reverse. is that possible?

[lessersivad]

no everything else works on both acc and the run position except the fan

Well then I would suggest, (going by the info in the 1st posting), that you make sure you swapped the fan switch from the B3. I don't know if the switches are the same from a B3 and B6.

If you find that in fact it was switched to the B6 then I would say there's a good chance the switch is bad.

For the time being you could do one of the following ideas:

1. Unplug the switch, but the fan will run all the time the engine is running.

2. Rig up a manual over ride toggle so you can turn on the fan when needed. (You could simply run a wire to the stock wire that goes to the temp. switch and then to ground. By breaking the ground circuit with the manual over ride switch the fan would come on.)

Both of these ideas would at least make it possible for the car to be driven until you find the true problem. (Which I suspect is a bad temp. switch but that's only my opinion.)

My '90 was doing something close to what you have described, but other accessories were not operating either unless I "fiddled" with the ignition switch. I changed out the ignition switch and now everything works. Wipers, radio etc.

Hope this helps.

[iceracerdude]

its getting hot because the rad fan is not kicking on when its supposed to

Believe me, if it's overheating within 20 minutes of running, you've got other issues in addition to the fan not cycling properly. Those engines (b3/b6) run very cool if the thermostat is a fresh/known good one. Air in the system is another quick to overheat cause, and the oft overlooked tired/old radiator cap will let coolant escape prematurely. There's the old leaking head gasket situation, where it causes over pressurization of the coolant system, forces coolant out, and then you overheat. Ask me how I know.

[bobbyspider]

^ all my fluids are still topped off. the car doesnt over heat easy i still drive it daily it only does it on very hot days and only after i drive it hard and for long distances (or for long periods of time 45 min to and hour) and then get caught in grid lock traffic. i tried a test: i drove the crap out of it for 45 min then stopped and let it idle for like 25 min then it started getting hot (i never let it get into the red either time) but no fan, so i turned it off and put the ignition to acc and the fan came on then i put it to run and it went off. the fan works and the switch works its just not kicking on in the run position on the ignition only when its in acc ????? its as if something is backwards a wire or the polarity of a wire i dont know

[GenevaDirt]

this belongs in the repair help section. Seems to have just as many responses.