Have been puzzled by this one for awhile....
My '91 SL2 (113k), overheats when idling. The problem is the electric
fan is not kicking in when it's supposed to. I can, however turn it on by
activating the A/C, so the fan does work. I've replaced a temp sensor in the engine block to no avail. All fuses OK as well. What am I missing? Is there more than 1 relay to the fan?
Thanks!

Hm, I had the same problem, but I didn't bother fixing it because turning on the AC is common here in CA. I finally had it fixed when I took the car in for the 60k service, but it was just a faulty temp sensor. Wish I could help.

I have a 95 sl2,and the engine over heats before the fan turns on.Just want to know if this is what your car is doing.Im not sure if it's something that happens to saturns after a few thousand miles or if it's an isolated case.Any info would be helpful.Thanks :bigthumb:

On some of the earlier SL2's, (which happens to include 1995) there are two temperature sensors. One goes to the temp gauge and the other goes to the computer. I know because I have replaced both of mine. They are pretty much identical and run about 10 bucks each at the dealer. You could try swapping the fan relay with one of the other ones in the fuse box under the hood. Your fan obviously works when the A/C is on so you know it is good. If the sensors and relay check good, the only other thing I can think of is that your computer is just not telling the fan to come on. Could be a loose connection somewhere or a computer problem. Good Luck!

when i had my 92SL2 i just hard wired it up so the fan would come on when ever i turned the car on, its a quick fix if you cant waite

AkinaSpeedStar, how did you do the hardwire? Did you make a crossover for the fan relay sockets? If so, what holes did you use? I'm thinking of hardwiring it tomorrow and any tips woudl be helpful.

For example, if you were standing on the driver's side of the car loooking at the fuse box there are 4 holes for the relay switch.

[ ] [ ]

[ ] [ ]

Which of the above holes did you place the crossover wire in to connect 12V and GROUND?

If anyone else knows feel free to answer.

my saturn and penty others i hear fan's only kick in when the temp is VERY high. mine doesn't kick in till just after the red line. i guess its just the way the computer was programed

well i sold my saturn in january and thats when i did the wireing i really dont remember how i did it, it was a real quick crappy way though so would not reconmend doing it like i did, but since i dont remember its all good


sierrap615
im pretty sure yours is broken, they come on a little beofre the red so you should get yours fixed

ahhhhhh yes... the infamous saturn cooling system problems. this very same problem has plagued me for the past few years. my '91 saturn always seemed to run hot, sometimes easily going into the red. the only thing i ever did was turn the a/c and hope it would stay cool. since i have rebuilt my matter, i hoped the problem might be solved. but the rpoblem still remains. one day after a drive, we let teh car idle until it started "over-heating" according the saturn temperature gauge. the we broke out the pyrometer and checked the temperatures under the hood. in our situation, temperatures were fine. the hottest point in the cooling system was around 224 degrees. if i have been told correctly, the saturn fan is not supposed to turn on until around 220-225 degrees. so the only thing i can think of is that either it is a bad sending unit or just a fualty gage. about the only other thing i know of that can help is there is a low temp thermostat (185), it won't solve the problem but it will help. well, that is my story. i hope i was of some assistance.

2001 saturn sl1---Also have the same problem with the cooling fan i ended up replacing the relay, the thermostat, the coolent temp sensor, and harness. So ya the other day ago i got fed up with trying to fix the problem and called Saturn. They told me that the fan actually shouldnt kick on untill 3/4 of the way on the guage i thought it was 1/4 my car use to not ever run this hot but sure enough it kicked on at 3/4 andcooled it down. Still kinda sketched out that my head might crack like before and still use the old turn on the A/C method. But just something for everyone to think about.

:sly: mhirsher , I was told the same thing about a second sensor as roadkill. I changed one next to egr valve but finally had to take a 93 SL 2 in to be relieved of my cash. Then they told me there was another sensor---
See my post about my most recent adventure with a low mileage 92 SL 2. (Nov 17, below)

CTS SENSOR coolant temp sensor needs replaced
It not only controlls the coolling fan it also controlls
fuel mixture and idle should not be over looked