1994 Ford Aspire Need help!!

[gearheadmike]

ok so i just picked up this car 1994 ford aspire base 5spd 3dr.
So i started looking at it and seen the fan wasnt pluged in and the po ran jumper wires from a switch to it i took that out and pluged it back in were its suppose to go. started car let it heat up and it isnt coming on? i checked the fuse near the battery and its good. Idk were i should check next?
Also i found a oil leak on the timing side of block idk yet if its maybe the oil pan gasket or the crank seal? the car has 155k miles on it.How hard is it to replace the crank seal and timing belt? Also lol i noticed on start up and hard revs it puffes a little smoke idk if theres any think to look for other then wore rings? And does anyone know whats good psi per cylinder for these motors? im going to do a compression test on it monday.Any help would b good Thanks

[TominMO]

Welcome to the site!

First get a Haynes manual from Advance Auto, O'Reilly's or whatever McParts store you have around you; it will answer lots of questions, including some you just asked.

The PO ran the switch because the temp sensor for the fan is not working. Install a new sensor (Haynes manual) or go back to the switch, at least for now. If it starts to overheat, as a last resort you can turn on the heater to bleed heat away from the motor.

For the oil leak, first stick a bottle of seal restorer in the oil to try to re-moisten any dried-out seals. Also, since you just got the car, I'd also recommend a bottle of fuel system cleaner in a full tank of gas.

The PSI figures are on page 2B-1 of the Haynes manual.

If you do the timing belt and tensioner, you might as well do the water pump too. And the camshaft seal and disty seal, which are easy.

[gearheadmike]

ok and yea i gess a book would help lol ill check today if auto zone has a book or not and im trying to sell my other car if i do ill have abt $300 to spend on this.i just dont want to sped alot of money and have the motor smoke

[zoom zoom]

What color is the smoke? If you aren't in a big hurry check out ebay and amazon.com sometimes they will have used haynes manuals for .01+ s&h

[gearheadmike]

ok i got a book lol but im waiting to get the title back befor i go dumping time and money into this. on the asfire fourm they say there fans really dont ever turn on? and also i found today that the brace from the radiator to firewall under car that supports trans mount one of the bolts broke off and only one holding it in :/ but i also found out the rocks auto seems like a dirt cheap place to get parts for these cars.

[iceracerdude]

Unlike the festies, the fan comes on based on what the temp sensor tells the ecu, the ecu then tells the fan to come on. So yeah, you're back to your first piece of advice, determine if the "correct" sensor is working, the cooling fan relay is working, or both, and these two fuses are intact. The BTN 30a engine compartment fuse (hot at all times), and the 10a engine fuse in the dash fuse box. Remember, trouble shoot in a linier fashion, don't jump around.

[TominMO]

BTW Mike, where are you? Might be a member near you who could come over and help/commiserate/drink your beer.

You can go to User CP/Edit your Details, then scroll down to Additional Information/Location to add this.

[gearheadmike]

i checked the 30amp fuse good/i started car let wrm up a bit and pulled the temp sensor94&up single wire off gauge moved around so id imagine the temp sensor is working.
how do i test the relay?


And TominMO im in upstate ny i doubt any one around here lol

[iceracerdude]

+1 for checking the one fuse -1 for checking the wrong sensor, that temp sensor IS for the gauge, and the gauge only The other sensor is basicaly up under the throttle body, screwed downward into the intake manifold and is a two wire deal. The wires should be red/blu and yel/grn for your year car.

What you can do to speed things up here is this, follow the yellow wire from the cooling fan back to the cooling fan relay that triggers it. Once you find the relay, which should be behind the battery under the drivers side fender with a couple other relays, find the brown wire on it.
Once you find the brown wire simply run a separate wire from a ground (the battery "neg" is your best bet because it is so close) to this brown wire. With the car key in the "run" or "on" position, this should force the fan to turn on. That 30 amp fuse you gave the ok to runs power through the wht/blk wire into the relay and then back out of the relay through the yel wire to the fan. The 10a fuse (did you check this one too?) runs throught the blk/wht wire into the relay then back out through the brn wire to the ecu all the time, looking for a/that ground the ecu might supply based on info it recieves from that coolant temp sensor.
Remember blk/white means a primarly black wire with a white tracer, wht/blk means a primarly white wire with a black tracer. Examine these wires closely at their connectors for corrosion as you're handling them, a very common problem on our cars because of their ages, and possibly the ultimate cause of this problem.
If when you do this test, the fan switches on, then the coolant temp switch is the probable point of failure because it will indicate that both of the fuses are good as well as the relay! Keep in mind that there is still the possibility that a wire going either to/from the sensor or to/from the ecu is broken or "open", but usually a relay, sensor or fan will be what will fail first taking a fuse out as they go. Print this up and put it in your book to take with you to the car. Good luck, and welcome to basic aspire electrical trouble shooting 101

[zoe60]

I would try unplugging the wire that goes to the sensor that screws into the head next to the thermostat housing. See if the fan comes on all the time when you unplug it. If it does, replace that sensor.

[FB71]

I would try unplugging the wire that goes to the sensor that screws into the head next to the thermostat housing. See if the fan comes on all the time when you unplug it. If it does, replace that sensor.

that doesn't apply to the Aspire. Please read the posts above.

[iceracerdude]

+1 Zoe, it's an Aspire not a festy like you drive. That means he doesn't have the fan thermo switch sticking out of the thermostat neck, and the single wire sensor in the head is for the Gauge Only...yeah on your car too.

[gearheadmike]

yea i cant seem to find the one under the intake? battery was dead so i got to charge that up and try the brow wire deal lol, yea the 3 relays under the inside fender i moved last night up near the coolent container its better axcess and dont have crap building up on it. also does any1 sell bushing kit for the front end of these cars? when i drive it around in yard front rattels alot lol

[gearheadmike]

ok i did the wire thing like u said turned the key to start position and it came on now to find the sensor lol.

[zoe60]

Told you. My Aspire engine sitting in the garage has the exact same sensor that the Festy does on the head. It's out of a '94.