Radiator fans keeps running

[escortwagon97]

I have a '97 Escort Wagon

-174,000 miles on the engine
-recently replaced spark plugs, pcv valve, fuel filter, tie rod end(snapped on me while driving lol)
-service engine light had been on for the evap control, cleaned throttle body and intake and it went away after resetting ecu

As of late the radiator fan decides to keep running after the car has been turned of. It ran for over an hour the 1st time I noticed this, I haven't noticed the car's been running hot, the highest the temp guage gets is about 3/4 of the way to the midpoint.

As a result of this I've been pulling the fans fuse whenever it's parked, I'm hoping and praying it's a broken relay switch or something and not something big and expensive.

What do y'all think?

[tripletdaddy]

It could be either the relays or the temperature switches that are hanging up. My first guess would be one of the switches as they control the relays and you said eventually the fans would turn off. I'm assuming you both have a low fan speed temp switch and relay and a high speed temp switch and relay, as this is typical. I'd guess one of the temperature switches no longer acurately measures the coolant temperature or is hanging up. The relays on earlier models are next to the air filter and fender, and in the fuse and relay box. I don't know about yours. The temp switches are near the thermostat housing/upper radiator hose or in the cylinder head near the tstat housing. I'm pretty sure they have two wire connectors. Assuming you have two fan speed temp switches, you could pull each of the relays to see which turns off the fans. This would clue you in to which temp switch is bad. But, you should be able to tell which speed remains on just by listening to what it sounds like when the fan first comes on, which should be the low speed and compare it to the high speed you should get when the ac is on. It will go to high speed also when the engine goes above 230 deg F. The low speed comes on when it only reaches 220 deg F. These are the temps for the earlier 1.9, I assume the 2.0 is similiar. Be sure to buy a brass temp switch is you replace one. The plastic ones are junk.

[dwbailey]

I have a similar problem on my 95 Escort hatchback. I just got it and have been wondering why the fans run when I turn on the ignition and beore I start it. That's when it hasn't been started since the day before. Engine cold. Any ideas?

[mightymoose_22]

As to the original problem... you will need to do a little trouble shooting and determine if switches are staying open or if there is some short feeding power to the fan somehow.

As for dwbaily.... if you just recently got the car and don't know it's history, my guess is that someone before you has hardwired the fan due to an overheating problem. You might have something more significant going on that you don't know about. You will need to inspect your wiring and find if it is directly routed through the ignition switch or of there is a toggle somewhere.

[dwbailey]

Any idea where I need to look for the hardwiring go around? The waterpump and timing belt were recently changed by the dealer that had it before the one I bought it from. The primary owner that had it had it for like 11+ years per CARFAX. I can see where they must have wired in a stereo amp or something in because there is a type of speaker wire that it typical, you know that thin wire that comes with speakers when you buy them, that is spliced into a wire under the hood. Kinda fishy though because I wouldn't think you would use such small guage wire for an amp. It runs along the length of the car and then is laying in the hatchback area disconnected from whatever the previous owner had it hooked to. Hmmm......

[Selectron]

These are the diagrams for the '97 - the low speed and high speed fan relays are both soldered to a printed circuit board within the Constant Control Relay Module (CCRM), which is controlled by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM).

'97 Cooling fan, diagram 1
'97 Cooling fan, diagram 2


On the '95 there is no CCRM - it uses discrete relays instead, and the circuit differs somewhat between the 1.8L and 1.9L, and differs again between manual and automatic on the 1.8L, and differs between the A/C and non-A/C models on the 1.9L, so look out for those details when reading the diagrams.

'95 1.8L Cooling fan diagram

'95 1.9L Cooling fan, diagram 1
'95 1.9L Cooling fan, diagram 2

[tripletdaddy]

If the ac or defrost is switched on when you put the key to RUN, the fans will come on before actually engaging the starter. Then, once started, the fans will continue on until the key is turned off. Once off, the fans should ONLY come on when the engine coolant temp excedes 220 deg F. The high speed fan will come on ONLY when the temp excedes 230 deg F, while off. ONLY while the engine is on and the AC or defrost are on, will the high speed fan come on when the engine temp is lower than 230 or 220 deg F. Anything else would indicate a problem with the temp switch for the fan speed that is staying on or the corresponding fan speed relay. All bets are off if rewired. Back trace from the fans, temp switches and relays to see if that has ocurred.

[AzTumbleweed]

I think the only way power can go to the fan with key off is if a relay is stuck. If the relays are off then the temp switch makes no difference. I have a wire running to one of my relays too. It turns on my CB when I turn the key on.

[Davescort97]

Change out the temperature sensor. There are two. One goes to the temperature gauge on the dash and the other one goes to the Power Control Module which turns on the fan through the relay called the Constant Control Relay Module (CCRM). As mentioned, the relay could be stuck on, but replace the temp sensor first. It is the one with 3 wires on the connector. When the temp sensor wiring connector going to the PCM is undone it is supposed to turn on the fans by default. Try changing out that sensor that has 3 wires running to it as opposed to the gauge sending unit that has only 2 wires. They are side by side on the thermostat housing.

[tripletdaddy]

My bad. Thanks for setting the record straight, Dave. After better examination, the wiring diagrams don't support my notion that all electric cooling fans now run whenever the temp switch detects too hot coolant, even when the engine is off, only when the key is in run or start. Nothing I could find backed that notion up for this vehicle. Thanks for getting the number of wires to it, three, straightened out, too.