2001 Montana Fan relay

[joeshannallie]

It overheated some today and it seems the fans are not working. Is there a relay somewhere I can check? The fans turn freely by hand. Please reply soon. I had the A/C running and ran into the store for about 5 minutes and came back out to steam coming from under the hood. Not alot but it was 3/4 ways up on the heat gauge. The stuff in the coolant tank was bubbling and it was nasty looking. Only had the van about 2 weeks so dont really know much about it. Please reply soon.

[DeltaP]

In the underhood rely/ fuse box there are 2 fuses and 3 relays that control the cooling fans. The underside of the box lid shows which ones they are. HTH

[Tech II]

Not a good sign that the reservoir was bubbling......when you have a steam or overheating condition, you need to shut the vehicle down immediately.......

The vehicle should then be allowed to cool down, so that when just turning the key to on, to read the temp gage, wait until the temp gets below 180F(if possible, leave it off for a few hours).....

Then carefully, with a rag, remove the rad cap...if fluid is low in the radiator, you have an air pocket, and even just adding coolant to fill the radiator won't solve your problem because the air pocket is in the engine too.......this will cause the vehicle to overheat again.....the vehicle has to be "burped" to remove the air pocket.....

When the A/C is turned on, the coolant fan(s) should come on right away, or they should at least cycle if the clutch engages.....if your fans don't come on with the A/C compressor running, give the motor housing a slight tap with a hammer....if that doesn't work, then you have to check for power at the motor harness(es)......

You've only had the vehicle for two weeks.....it's possible this vehicle had a small coolant leak.......which created an airpocket that caused an overheating condition......running a vehicle with low coolant, will cause an overheating condition, EVEN IF THE COOLANT FANS WERE OK......

[joeshannallie]

Thank you for the reply. It may be a head gasket. My father n law thinks there is oil in the water in the reservoir. There is no sign of water in the oil. I dont understand how it just up and happened. If I drain the radiator and oil is getting into the water then I should see a decrease of oil on the dipstick, Right? I will check the fans tomorrow. It is bedtime now. Is there any sure way of knowing which head gasket is blown if it is?

Originally Posted by Tech II

Not a good sign that the reservoir was bubbling......when you have a steam or overheating condition, you need to shut the vehicle down immediately.......

The vehicle should then be allowed to cool down, so that when just turning the key to on, to read the temp gage, wait until the temp gets below 180F(if possible, leave it off for a few hours).....

Then carefully, with a rag, remove the rad cap...if fluid is low in the radiator, you have an air pocket, and even just adding coolant to fill the radiator won't solve your problem because the air pocket is in the engine too.......this will cause the vehicle to overheat again.....the vehicle has to be "burped" to remove the air pocket.....

When the A/C is turned on, the coolant fan(s) should come on right away, or they should at least cycle if the clutch engages.....if your fans don't come on with the A/C compressor running, give the motor housing a slight tap with a hammer....if that doesn't work, then you have to check for power at the motor harness(es)......

You've only had the vehicle for two weeks.....it's possible this vehicle had a small coolant leak.......which created an airpocket that caused an overheating condition......running a vehicle with low coolant, will cause an overheating condition, EVEN IF THE COOLANT FANS WERE OK......

[Tech II]

Unfortunately, when a head gasket does go, it's usually cyl #1(rear head gasket)......

To know for sure which cylinder? Get the engine warm, not hot, and then install a coolant pressure tester overnight.....remove plugs, disable fuel and spark, then have someone crank over the engine......if you have a head gasket leak, it will come out of one of the holes.....

Hate to say this but, just had the van two weeks and then have a poetential head gasket problem? Most dealers have a limited used car warranty.....some 30 days, some 90 days......

Not necessarily a head gaskket, could be the lower intake gaskets......needs to be diagnosed....

[joeshannallie]

I bought the van thru a private individual and not from a lot. How would I go about seeing if it is a intake gasket?

Originally Posted by Tech II

Unfortunately, when a head gasket does go, it's usually cyl #1(rear head gasket)......

To know for sure which cylinder? Get the engine warm, not hot, and then install a coolant pressure tester overnight.....remove plugs, disable fuel and spark, then have someone crank over the engine......if you have a head gasket leak, it will come out of one of the holes.....

Hate to say this but, just had the van two weeks and then have a poetential head gasket problem? Most dealers have a limited used car warranty.....some 30 days, some 90 days......

Not necessarily a head gaskket, could be the lower intake gaskets......needs to be diagnosed....