2000 Venture Heating/Cooling Issue

[Jewelz96]

Hello,

I have a 2000 Venture in which the fans by the radiator are not turning. My husband has replaced the relays, but it still doesn't work. When we "jumped" the relays, the fans work. So we can't figure out what is wrong. Can some one please help us?

[GregA]

Originally Posted by Jewelz96

Hello,

I have a 2000 Venture in which the fans by the radiator are not turning. My husband has replaced the relays, but it still doesn't work. When we "jumped" the relays, the fans work. So we can't figure out what is wrong. Can some one please help us?

Welcome to the forum!

Here is a link to how the cooling system works, include a wiring diagram:

Engine Cooling System

I hope it helps.

Take Care,

[Jewelz96]

Greg,

Thank you so much! This helped a great deal. In case you wanted to know it was fuse #1.

Thank you again.

[GregA]

Originally Posted by Jewelz96

Greg,

Thank you so much! This helped a great deal. In case you wanted to know it was fuse #1.

Thank you again.

That fuse would definitely do it

I'm glad I could help, and thanks for reporting back on the fix!

Take Care,

[Jewelz96]

Greg,

Anytime. Thank you for welcoming me to the Forums. I apologize for not saying so before.
Thank you again for your assistance. The answers you gave was able to help me get the car in working condition so that I could drive it over 800 miles to see my grandfather due to ailing health.

[gdcastro]

Hi All,

My problem with the cooling system is a bit wierd. About 2 months ago, during the early part of a 1500km trip, i noticed that the temperature guage is around half which is not normal. This was when i was stuck in a trafficjam, then it slowly went up to 2 lines above the 1/2 marker, so I pulled it over to check if the 2 fans where working. As it turns out, it wasnt, so because I did not want to cancel the trip, i bypassed the fan by taking our the ECT (Electronic cooling temp) sensor on the thermostat switch so that the fan will just move continously. Then upon reaching a service station, I had it checked, the computer reader sees the core temp higher than what the sensor is giving.

Since we are in a tropical country, the chief mechanic recommends that we take out the thermostat since this is what they do for all venture vans in the philippines. It helped a bit but they suggested to take it in for checking once i get back to the city so i did. The day after they took out the thermostat, the radiator sensor lit up, so I added some more water (not coolant), to put it to the correct level, but the the radiator light comes out from time to time, until after some level experiments, i finally got the correct level of water to stop the sensor from lighting up.

So I went back to the shop to have my cooling problem checked. They replaced the ECT sensor (Thermostat sensor) and the 3 square relays. My van now has a low speed operation and an intermitent high speed operation.

My question is, if anyone can tell me why the high speed rotation of the 2 fans happen at various temp levels? Sometimes it kicks in at 1/2, sometimes 1/4, sometimes when the Aircon is turned on, sometimes it doesnt.

Most cars in the philippines' auxillary fans turn on together when the aircon is turned on, is it the same for the venture? Because prior to the trip i had, i remember that whenever i switch on the aircon, the high speed fan kicks in, now its wierd because sometimes it does not kick in.

Could this be a problem with the psi of the cooling system? Since they took out all the water in the system when they took out the thermostat, then bled it to take out the air, although i dont know if all the air was out. Or is it a relay problem or a problem with the ECT (thermostat switch) that they installed?

The low speed fan works though, but its not enough to keep the temp level normal....by the way, for the venture, what should be the normal operating temp? 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 of the temp gauge? Depending on when the high speed kicks in, my temp plays slowly between 1/4 to 1/2, sometimes 1-2 line above 1/2. Sometimes the high speed kicks-in when rev the engine to 3000 to 4000 RPM, dunno, its wierd, i cant think of anything else since in my past experiences with other cars, aux fan problems usually is caused by a faulty ECT or a bad relay.

Thanks in advance!

[GregA]

gdcastro,

Welcome to the forum!

To find out about the cooling system of your van, go Go Here and the check out the first few links in the table that is on that page.

Take Care,

[gdcastro]

Hi GregA,

Thank you for sending the link. I have already checked out those pages but i'm still at a loss on how to solve my problem since the settings and levels of my van falls within the benchmarks in the link but often times my van does not follow those standard settings. There are times when the high speed rotation kicks-in when the a/c is turned on but lately this is not the case. My ECT is also new, as well as the 3 relays, but the high speed rotation is still intermitent...... so im basically at a dead-end at this point.

Should I instead add coolant instead of just water? Im sure since my van was flushed when the thermostat was taken out, there is no coolant remaining in the system.

Apologies for my ignorance on the issue and for raising this concern again when it seemed to have been addressed previously under a slightly different circumstance.

[cjstew4]

You need a 50% water, 50% coolant mixture in there, not all water. Prior to refilling when engine is cold, open the bleeder screw as you are adding this mixture to the radiator. This will allow air in your system to escape until only coolant is leaking out of the bleeder screw. Then close it. I would also use a new radiator cap since old ones that you think are still good can contribute to cooling system problems. Please let us know which changes solved your problem so that we can all learn.

[gls02]

You need to put the thermostat back in to cool the engine. Without the thermostat in place the coolant will travel too fast through the radiator and not enough heat will be removed from the coolant. I know it sounds crazy, but that's the case. You also need a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water. This mixture removes more heat from the engine than plain water alone (raises the boiling point of water), also your water pump will fail earlier because the antifreeze contains a lubricant for the bearings in the pump.

[gdcastro]

guys,

Thank you very much for your replies. I will bring in my van tomorrow for an oil change and transmission fluid change. I will ask the serviceman to flush out the water and add the 50/50 mixture. I think my thermostat is still in storage so I will see if they can put it back for me for free since they were the ones who recommended to take it out considering that our average daytime temp in the philippines is about 31-34C. Perhaps I can test the thermostat myself first if it opens at 95C before reusing it. My radiator cap cannot be easily taken off since there is a lock at the neck of the radiator to prevent the cap from being taken off easily, so i bearly touch it. I usually check the level via the reserve water tank. But just the same, i will change it as well. The tank was empty yesterday when I checked (first time i saw it empty since they opened and took out the themostat). Maybe its just not properly leveled.

BTW, is antifreeze the same as coolant? coz i doubt we have antifreeze here.... climate is hot already

I will let you know how everything turns out. Thanks again to all.

Best regards to all.

[gls02]

To remove your radiator cap, first let the engine cool off, push down while turning the cap counter clockwise. Antifreeze is refereded to as a coolant even though you won't have to worry about your radiator freezing where you live.

Remove the oil filler cap and check the underside of the cap for any milky looking stuff which might indicate that coolant is mixing with your oil. Keep us informed.

I don't know how old the thermostate is, but I would just buy a new one and have it installed rather than take a chance on the old one.

[gdcastro]

Well, I just been to the shop. They chief mechanic strongly recommended NOT to install a new thermostat under his argument that the circulation is better without it. According to him, their various venture overheating problems were addressed by taking out the thermostat, among other reasons such as fan problems, ect switch problems, relays/fuses etc.....

The Oil cap is clean, no milkly substance, thank god.

I forgot to buy a new radiator cap, but we found that the coolant sensor is broken, so we replaced it. We also added new coolant and bled the system. We used a dex-cool coolant with antifreeze, as it turns out this is what they also use even though we have tropical weather.

I will keep observing the performace and let you guys know. You've all been a great help.

Best Regards to all.