Fan not working??

[aglatfe1]

My festiva's temperature gage has been kind of high lately. The fan won't turn on. I checked the fuse panel and everything seems to be fine. I'm not really sure what else to do...any suggestions??

[Pu241]

In the morning with the key out of the ignition.
See if the fan will turn freely by hand.
If it does, see if you can apply 12 volts from the car battery to it and see if it will run.
You will have to make power leads and unhook the fan from the wiring harness to gain access to the fan power terminals/connectors.
Had same problem some years ago.
Fan had seized.
Ran fine at highway speeds but got hot in stop/go driving.

[ejp2fast]

1st off, how high is "a little high lately"? if your temperature gauge is smack dab in the center between C and H, then you're OK... if you get up to 70-80% toward the H, then the fan should kick on....

turn the ignition on but don't start the car, then pop the hood and look where the thermostat housing is (connected to the top of the rad hose).. there is a single wire that connects to the fan switch in the thermostat housing... pull that wire out to disconnect, and your fan SHOULD come on... if it does come on, that thermostat switch may be bad.. If the fan Doesn't come on when you disconnect the thermostat switch wire, then the fan may be bad...

[TominMO]

My festiva's temperature gage has been kind of high lately. The fan won't turn on. I checked the fuse panel and everything seems to be fine. I'm not really sure what else to do...any suggestions??

You can check the fan by running wires to the electrical connector on the fan, and then putting them directly on the pos and neg terminals of the battery, to see if the fan moves. If it doesn't, you need a new fan. Could also be a temp sensor that has gone bad.

The car should not be overheating as long as it is moving; even 10 MPH will create enough airflow through the radiator to keep temps correct. So then the things to check would be the thermostat (perhaps sticking partially open) or the radiator. Or even very old coolant.

Radiator: WITH THE ENGINE COOL, take off the radiator cap, start the motor and look to see if the coolant is flowing. Put the cap back on before it starts warming up and overflowing. Next, put your hand on the radiator fins themselves, at various points, to see if there are hot spots and cool spots. A classic sign of a blocked radiator. If the rad fluid seems old-looking to you, i.e. not nice and green, drain it and replace it. It's simplest to buy 50/50 water/fluid premix. The easiest way to access the radiator is to remove the grill, if your car does not have A/C. If it does, remove the fan to be able to put your hand on the fins. Flushing the radiator might work to relieve blockage, but often doesn't or only helps a little. I'm inclined to just stick in a new one if it sems at all iffy.

Thermostat: if the radiator checks out OK, install a new FACTORY thermostat. The ones from the parts stores aren't adequate.

While you're looking at all this, check the hoses and belts too; the usual culprits that can leave you stuck on the side of the road. If it is carbureted, put on a new fuel filter, an keep a spare in the glove box. Buy a little notebook to record when you did what to the car.