Cooling fan switch

[Dave G]

My cooling fan is on all the time. According to the Haynes manual there should be no continuity between the thermoswitch center pole and ground when it's cold, and continuity when it's hot. Do they have that backwards? I read in another post here that to make the fan run all the time you simply unplug the wire to the switch (which makes sense), plus I can turn my fan off by grounding the wire. Should the cold thermoswitch be closed? (Mine is open when cold)

[mechanicaldj]

yes your switch is bad, ignore the Haynes this time

[Dave G]

yes your switch is bad, ignore the Haynes this time

Thanks for the confirmation. It needs a new thermostat too and I'd rather not drain the thing twice. So a new switch it is. BTW, any cheaper source on those things? NAPA wants $30-something for it (which seems kinda high).

[mattswabb]

They are pricey. $30 is a fair price.

[getnhi1]

I'm pretty sure they set it up like that for fail safe operation, if the sensor fails or the wire is broken it overcools, better than overheat.

[Safety Guy]

Check out Rockauto's page on coolant temp sensors. Just be sure to look at the pics for each one to make sure you're getting the right part.

Prices appear to range from $12.80 to $41.79, with several in the low to mid twenties. Order you some other little cheap parts to make your order more worthwhile. I got my Bosch tune up stuff from here.

Karl

[Dave G]

Check out Rockauto's page on coolant temp sensors. Just be sure to look at the pics for each one to make sure you're getting the right part.

I couldn't control myself - went to NAPA and spent $36.79 on it. All better now, though :-)