SigEpCutlass Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 I think I have a problem again with my '94 Cutty (3100) running hot. I replaced both of my fans recently and my car was running cooler again (~200 *F). Now it's running hot again when I am not driving with the A/C on. What controls the fan responsible for cooling the engine in combination with the Thermostat & where can I find it under my hood (1994 Cutlass w/ 3100)? IIRC, the passenger side fan is the primary cooling fan, and the driver side fan is hooked to the A/C...is that correct? What temperature should my fan(s) be turning on, and where on the gauge is it? I've attached an image to show where the fan turns on, if it does at all. It seems that if I'm driving with the A/C on or Bi-Lev, the car runs cooler and the temp hovers a little above the 200*F line. I've attached an image (sorry for bad quality) to show with a red line where the cooling fan turns on if at all. [attachment deleted by admin] Removed to free up storage space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SigEpCutlass Posted August 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 btw when I replaced the fans about 2 weeks ago, the thermostat seemed to be working correctly from the test I did that was listed in the haynes manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990lumina Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 fans should turn on around 200*F IIRC....and the driver's side in primary...passenger is with A/C on....that least that's how my Lumina works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SigEpCutlass Posted August 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 fans should turn on around 200*F IIRC....and the driver's side in primary...passenger is with A/C on....that least that's how my Lumina works What controller/sensor tells the fans to turn on at that temperature & where can I find it under the hood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 I am having the same probelm on my 95 CS. I think the coolant system is clogged on mine. SO I haven;t driven it in a year. the sensor that controls the ecm's temp info is located right above and in front of the thermostat, beneath the throttle butterfly controls. the relay for the fan is locate in the 'fuse box' on the right front of the engine compartment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SigEpCutlass Posted August 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Ken - Thank-you...now I have something to go on! I wish the Haynes manual was better, as it tells me that the temp sensor is somewhere where it is not! The last time anything was done to my coolant system I think was a little over 2 years ago in the spring. I had the system flushed and refilled before I went on spring break. What do you mean by clogged? I assume mine isn't clogged because my thermostat appeared to be working properly about 2 weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cueman Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 The CTS coolant temp sensor, is right in front of thermostat, at the front of the car, it has a 2-wire plug on it. If you pull the plug off of the CTS the secondary fan will kick on(unless the relay is bad) if I can remember the CTS was less than $10 to replace...and easy to do also! Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 Ken - Thank-you...now I have something to go on! I wish the Haynes manual was better, as it tells me that the temp sensor is somewhere where it is not! The last time anything was done to my coolant system I think was a little over 2 years ago in the spring. I had the system flushed and refilled before I went on spring break. What do you mean by clogged? I assume mine isn't clogged because my thermostat appeared to be working properly about 2 weeks ago. I used radiator stop leak in my car becasue of a bad heater core. I have now replaced the heater core, but it has since started overheating, and the coolant hasn't been changed yet. I plan to replace the harness end that connects to the sensor(seems to be corroded), and then change the coolant which has turned to sludge and needs a desporate flush. The main problem I see is the fans never turn on. also bad coolant is inefficient for cooling a car anyhow. It needs a acid flush, such as CLR or vinegar due to sludging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34Phoenix Posted August 20, 2006 Report Share Posted August 20, 2006 yes deff flush that old coolent out. esp if you had that fix a leak stuff. make sure the engine is good and clean. a few websites sell plug and play kits to retime/adjust temp for turn on times for you fans. my DHP lets me go into the PCM and change turn on temps. since then, my car now is normally aourn 188* unless on the highway then its a little hotter. Im also running a 180* tstat. If cooling still is a big prob, i would say to run a 180* stat. mine was mod'd by ZZP and has 2 small holes in it to let a small amount of fluid continually flow. other things to check are: if you radiator cap is letting the car build enough pressure and if there is air anywhere in the engine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SigEpCutlass Posted August 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2006 yes deff flush that old coolent out. esp if you had that fix a leak stuff. make sure the engine is good and clean. a few websites sell plug and play kits to retime/adjust temp for turn on times for you fans. my DHP lets me go into the PCM and change turn on temps. since then, my car now is normally aourn 188* unless on the highway then its a little hotter. Im also running a 180* tstat. If cooling still is a big prob, i would say to run a 180* stat. mine was mod'd by ZZP and has 2 small holes in it to let a small amount of fluid continually flow. other things to check are: if you radiator cap is letting the car build enough pressure and if there is air anywhere in the engine I wish I had OBD2 instead of this goddamn bastardized OBD1.5! I wouldn't mind having a manual cooling fan switch, but I don't have a clue how to go about doing that. I'm waiting on a new CTS to come in to my parts store. Hopefully it'll be in this week, and then I'll see if that fixes it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94CutlassXtreme Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 Yea mine was doing similar things. I put a three row aluminum radiator in it with a 180 stat, now for the most part, it runs just a tad below the 200 mark. Sometimes it'll creep up, but it jumps back down, the fan for me usually turns on at around 220. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SigEpCutlass Posted August 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Yea mine was doing similar things. I put a three row aluminum radiator in it with a 180 stat, now for the most part, it runs just a tad below the 200 mark. Sometimes it'll creep up, but it jumps back down, the fan for me usually turns on at around 220. I have a Hypertech 180* T-stat in a box, and maybe I'll do it at the same time I replace the cts. Hopefully that'll do the trick when I get a chance next weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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