2000 grand caravan cooling fan/air conditioning issues

[grim509]

My wife wrecked our 2000 Grand Caravan (3.3L). After getting it back from the shop, the radiator fans do not come on at all, and nothing works in the air conditioning panel other than the blower. No rear defog, no air conditining, no temp control, no rear wiper, and we cannot control the vents either. Any ideas? I've already replaced the cooling fan relay to no avail.

the van was hit on the front left... please do not tell me this is a powertrain control module...

[inafogg]

hello, if repairs were recent take it back to repair shop..i'd check the fuses under hood.GOOD LUCK

[grim509]

I'm not going back to the shop. They're claiming everything worked fine, (even though they left out the fan relay!) I've already checked all the fuses, to no avail...

Would a scanner tell me if it's the PCM?

[RIP]

Autozone will read your codes for free. You may or may not see codes especially if the service engine light isn't on.

The PCM can kill the cooling fans but none of the rest. Check everything else in the system first. Have you inspected the climate control panel connector?

Can't fathum why you aren't jumping on the body shop managers desk - or did you already? Have you talked to your insurance company? It's their responsibility to make sure the car is fixed. Your State's Attorney General Division of Consumer Affairs would be interested. How about the Better Business Bureau. Check with your local paper or TV station. These shysters may be in their sights. There's always AngiesList and good old word of mouth.

[grim509]

I've already gotten on the shops case about this. Again, they still claim it was all good when it left. The insurance company is out of the loop, because I didn't have full coverage and paid out of pocket for the repairs. I've already made a report to the BBB and all.

That's all secondary for the time being. I just need to get the van working soon. It's not easy to haul 5 kids around in my other car, a chevy malibu lol.

Oh, and yes, the check engine light does come on after it runs for a while and warms up. But i'm pretty sure it's just going to be a "cooling fan circuit" fault. Because it comes on about the time the fans should have come on.

My Chilton's manual wiring diagram isn't a lot of help on this either. Does anyone know exactly where the AC panel gets its main power from so I can chase it back? I've checked all fuses and looked at all the wiring in the area that was damaged and nothing seems to be unusual.

[grim509]

ok... after some troubleshooting... i now think the PCM is bad. I am getting absolutely no signal to the cooling fan relay. I have good power and good ground, and a good run to the fans themselves.

I'm still at a loss on the climate control panel though. Which is secondary... it's still nice out so A/C isn't too big of a deal as of yet. Will a good scanner tell me wether or not it's the PCM? Autozone just gives generic codes on their scanners, and I don't want to waste money on a shop scanning the codes just to tell me its a "cooling fan circuit" code lol

[RIP]

As you well know the PCM means bigger bucks. Have you checked everything? Do the fans work when hot wired to the battery? Is the coolant temp sensor good? PCM uses it to determine when to turn on the fans and fan speed. A/C turns on the fans automatically. Check for power at the A/C switch input at the PCM. If power is there when you depress the switch, it may backup your PCM claim.

Not sure on the scanner pinpointing the PCM. Autozone is free. You might waste 20 minutes or you may get the clue you need.

I saw a good thread a while back on the subject. If I find it I'll get you the link. I'm thinking the output to the relay from the PCM is pulsed and can only be seen with a scope. Don't take that for gospel.

Edit - Not the thread I was thinking of but, some good info: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=898461

[grim509]

Yes, the fans work when i jumper it out. I'm not sure about the AC input thing. Didn't think to try it because I have no indications of anything working on the climate control panel, but i'll give it a shot.

I may just take it to the dealer to get a quote and see what they tell me.