1996 Old Cutlass Supreme Cooling Fan question

[VegasStarQuest]

Thank you for the post.

After one of the worst experiences of removing the throttle body and then getting the Thermostat housing back on, I hooked up a scanner and found out that my temp gauge is at the same reading as the one that you have pictured with the same temp. that the computer is seeing. After the last line and before the red is 225 degrees and the fan came on.

The weird thing is that this car has the 3 wire Engine temp. sensor that was supposed to fix the problem from the earlier models with the single wire temp. sensor.

It's the actual gauge in the cluster that goes out of calibration.

-Adam

[RickHolbert]

I have similar problem. Neither of the fans come on at all, I replaced the relays and the temperature sending unit and still do not come on with the air on or off I tried to get the car as hot as I could and I got it to about 3/4 of the way on temp gauge I also live in vegas and made my son stop driving car. I put jump wires from battery to fan motor and they both work. I pulled the cover of relays and pushed down on top of relays and the fans come on that's why I replaced the sending unit. Can it be the gauge itself. Please help Thank You in advance


Rick

[Tech II]

First, you are jumping onto a 2 year old thread.....do you have the same year and model vehicle? Which engine?

What is your coolant level? Check the radiator level and the reservoir level, first thing in the morning when the car is cold, before starting it.......

These fans usually come on in sequence....I'm guessing numbers here....low speed comes on around 220F, and if the temp still rises, then high speed comes on around 230F....

It should come on when you turn your A/C on....does the A/C clutch engage when you turn the A/C on? If it doesn't, that's why the fan isn't coming on for A/C....could be low on freon.....

If you drive down the highway at 60 mph, does the temp needle stay at slightly below the midpoint on the gage?

Does the temp only rise when you idle the car? It should rise if there is no air across the radiator....living in Arizona, the temps should be getting up there at this time of year......you say it gets to 3/4 and the fans don't come on.....if it get's to 3/4, and you push down on the relay contacts, does the temp gage drop below the mid point if you leave the fans on long enough?......

I don't trust gages myself......go to a place like Autozone and have them hook up their scanner to read actual temp going to the PCM......let it idle.....when the temp reaches at least 240F(I think it will come on at 220F), a fan should have come on by then.....watch and see how low the temp drops when the fan turns off by itself....should drop to at least 210F....this is considered normal.....

Important to check the cold coolant level in the rad and reservoir first! If low, you could have a leak which creates an air pocket that may cause wild swings on your gage....