Ok, so Saturday I decided I was going to take this car apart and determine its issue, seeings it didn't want to cooperate with my mechanic. So I started at the wiring harness that runs across the front and controls the headlights. I read in a post on here to try there. I went to Auto Zone and printed off all the wiring diagrams for my car. I pulled that harness up so it was accessible and opened the sheathing only to not find the wire I was looking for to test. Needless to say the wire I was looking for was running from the PCM to the fuse box and it was not accessible by me. So I tested the contacts in the fuse box and was getting normal readings.
Side note - my mechanic had (in the meantime) rigged my car so that I could turn the cooling fan on when I needed to use it.
So at this point I call my mechanic to ask if he bypassed things or if he tapped into things and he says he tapped into things and that I should be able to put the relay and fuse back in and if it is working properly the fan should run on its own. So I put the fuse and relay in and start the car. The first thing I notice is the Trac Off light is Off. This light has been on continuous for the past 2 months with the check engine light. The check engine light is the only light on.
So I unplug the plug on the temperature sensor, because I know that if you unplug that the fan should turn on, and it does, on its own, turn on. But with the fan turning on so did the Trac Off light, weird. What does the traction control have to do with the cooling fan? So I repeat this a few times all with the same results.
I get in the car and drive it to Auto Zone and have them hook up the computer. The code says "cooling fan circuit." So I explain everything that has happened to the guy at Auto Zone and ask him if he thinks I should change the temperature sensor. It's a $12.00 part and is about 2 inches long by about 1/4 - 1/2 inch diameter. He says it would be a good idea and it's a cheap check. So I buy one.
I get home take the old sensor out and put the new sensor in. I couldn't have counted to 30 and the check engine light went off on its own. I ran the heater, the air conditioner, everything I could have and the fan turned on like it was supposed to every time.
I am so happy to have my car back to running normal. Now to get the ignition fixed. That's another day and I think it just has to be replaced. But I am going to search for the anti-theft reset code just in case.
Jessica