97 1.5 rad fan@@

1997 protege, a/t, 64000 miles, radiator fan not operating properly. start the car and the temp gage goes about 45% and stays there. i stuck a candy thermometer in the radiator. the temp went to past 200 degrees and the rad fan did not start up. but early on i turned on the a/c for a minute and both fans started immediately. i just bought this car. previous owner said a fan replaced recently. is there a sensor that operates the temp gage and then does the temp gage operate the fans?? can i just override and let the fan run all the time??? thanks for all advice. jim

Arghhh! I found this thread using the search option, but no solid answer. I've got the same problem!!!

How did you determine the fan doesn't operate properly? You say the gauge goes to 45% and stays there. Have you tried letting the car idle and heat up to see if the fan will come on? My car is a 2002 Protege 5 and the fan almost never comes on, it will come if I get the heat gauge above the mid point. If your gauge never gets above the mid point there is no need for the fan to turn on. Most newer car thermostats aren't fully open until around 205-215 degrees. Before doing anything throw a blanket over the grill and warm the engine up so the gauge is above mid point and see if thee fan comes on. If it does and your engine isn't boiling the coolant you don't have a problem. The temperature gauge does not operate the fans, a sensor does that. I don't know where it is but it should be in the head near the front of the engine. When you turn on the ac the fans work indicating the fans are good. Consider this, With a 15 psi radiator cap, I think your cap may be 16-17psi, and a 50/50 antifreeze mix the boiling point will be 265 degrees. I'm not sure what will happen to your ac if you try bypassing the fans. Modern car gauges are divided into segments and will not change until the next higher segment is reached, that is why your gauge never moves. Having your fans on all the time isn't necessary, they aren't needed at highway speeds. If I were doing that I would tie a toggle switch into the fan relay coil ground and turn it on as needed. But if you forget to turn it on when needed you can have a meltdown. Remember, if your 96-97 car is overheating the radiator may be going bad, especially if the coolant hasn't been changed every 2 years Hope this information helps.

Clifton

1997 protege, a/t, 64000 miles, radiator fan not operating properly. start the car and the temp gage goes about 45% and stays there. i stuck a candy thermometer in the radiator. the temp went to past 200 degrees and the rad fan did not start up. but early on i turned on the a/c for a minute and both fans started immediately. i just bought this car. previous owner said a fan replaced recently. is there a sensor that operates the temp gage and then does the temp gage operate the fans?? can i just override and let the fan run all the time??? thanks for all advice. jim