Fan
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Fan
Just moved from Seattle to Las Vegas. I never paid attention to temperature gauge or fan action in Seattle. But now back in high heat and realized my fan never comes on and my gauge is not working. 1996 Ford Contour. Does anybody know why neither of these would work. And more importantly how to fix them?
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 41
Keep in mind the cooling fans may not engage when the a/c is off and the cooling system is below a set point. I think mine is 185 degrees. On my car this means the fans come to life when the gauge is almost at the "a" in the "Normal" range on the temperature gauge. I think my old Contour was roughly the same. I can't remember exactly. Pre-'98 Saturns would also allow the coolant temperature to climb above the middle before the fans would turn on. It strikes me as an odd engineering design and one that makes me nervous (I had a Civic that blew its head gasket twice and each time the temperature gauge shot up).
The fans should engage when the a/c is turned on. I think the cooling fans will shut down to conserve energy when there is adequate airflow available just from driving at about 45 MPH or more.
So what to do.... If any codes are set, find out what these are. The parts store will usually do this check for free (so you can buy lots and lots of shiny new parts from them). Check the fuses and connectors for the fans. Inspect the wiring. Is your coolant fresh and at the proper level? If not have the system serviced. Next check the thermostat along with the temperature sensors. If you have the coolant changed, have them replace the thermostat as preventative maintenance. The sensors aren't that expensive, but they may be fine. Thermostats are cheap and easy. My 2.0L '98 Contour has two sensors. Have the computer checked. It may not be working correctly. You may also want to check the a/c system to make sure the switches that engage/disengage the cooling fans are working properly. Of course, it could be the fans in the assembly itself, but these are usually durable.
I hope this helps. I'm obviously not a mechanic, but if you own a Contour, you learn things along the way about what makes these cars tick.
The fans should engage when the a/c is turned on. I think the cooling fans will shut down to conserve energy when there is adequate airflow available just from driving at about 45 MPH or more.
So what to do.... If any codes are set, find out what these are. The parts store will usually do this check for free (so you can buy lots and lots of shiny new parts from them). Check the fuses and connectors for the fans. Inspect the wiring. Is your coolant fresh and at the proper level? If not have the system serviced. Next check the thermostat along with the temperature sensors. If you have the coolant changed, have them replace the thermostat as preventative maintenance. The sensors aren't that expensive, but they may be fine. Thermostats are cheap and easy. My 2.0L '98 Contour has two sensors. Have the computer checked. It may not be working correctly. You may also want to check the a/c system to make sure the switches that engage/disengage the cooling fans are working properly. Of course, it could be the fans in the assembly itself, but these are usually durable.
I hope this helps. I'm obviously not a mechanic, but if you own a Contour, you learn things along the way about what makes these cars tick.
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