97 overheating/where is coolant fan relay

[amandagood]

I need some help. My 97 overheated yesterday while on the highway. The car never got warm inside while running the heater, I never smelled anything or heard the radiator boiling. I got it home and my husband thinks it could just be a bad coolant fan relay. Where is this located? It apears the thermostat is working fine because the pressure goes away in the upper hose. Please help us out with either the location of the relay or what is wrong with the car if we are completely way off base.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[mechhound]

At what speed were you traveling when it overheated? When moving down the highway at say 50 mph or more you usually wouldn't need the cooling fan. The fact that your heater quit working makes it sound like the water pump isn't circulating the coolant. I will let others more familiar with generation 3 tauruses comment.

[amandagood]

I was on the highway going about 60-70 when I first noticed my car was overheating. So, I got off the highway and drove on back home. It didn't seem to matter what speed I was traveling. Sometimes just pushing on the gas made the temp go up, than when I got to about 40 it would cool down again for a minute than heat right back up.

[shorod]

Make sure the coolant level in the system is where it should be. If you have an air pocket in the system, that could explain some of the symptoms, but like mechhound mentioned, at highway speeds the engine should not be overheating and should not require the cooling fans.

If the water pump were not working, again as mechhound suggested, it could explain this, or if the thermostat were stuck closed, it could lead to an overtemp condition.

Did someone recently perform work on the cooling system? Were you using the air conditioning or defroster when the issue appeared?

The low speed cooling fan is located in the underhood relay box. The high speed cooling fan relay is located with many other relays in a box to the right of the battery (referenced to standing in front of the car facing the engine). The battery will be on the right, and to the right of the battery is the high speed relay, a couple of headlight relays (if your car has autolamps), wiper relays, washer relay, and the horn relay.

-Rod

[amandagood]

It was overheating with the defrost on or the heater on. I noticed it first though while the defroster was on. And no one has done any work to the cooling system. Thanks for the info on the relays. I will pass this on to my husband and see if he can't get my car running again.
Amanda

[shorod]

Originally Posted by amandagood

It was overheating with the defrost on or the heater on. I noticed it first though while the defroster was on. And no one has done any work to the cooling system. Thanks for the info on the relays. I will pass this on to my husband and see if he can't get my car running again.
Amanda

Since you noticed it initially with the defrost on, you may have a cooling fan issue. The defroster uses the A/C compressor, and when the compressor is running, the cooling fan should run also. This would not explain why the heater did not blow hot at the time though.

-Rod

[97taurusdude]

I have a 97 also, had to have water pump replaced because the circulating fins inside pump where completely gone , rusted off. But mine didnt get hot, just had poor heat from heater. If your engine heats up normally but keeps on going up steady , sounds like thermostat.