does anyone know anything about cars?

Question

i have a 92 mercury sable, and it over heats when im stopped, idling, or slowed down.

when i start going fast, like on the highway, it cools down. but when im stopped, the temp gauge keeps going up. theres water in the radiator coolant overflow tank, and sometimes when the car is really overheating, that liquid will bubble all the way to the top of the over flow tank.

ive had power ran directly to the radiator cooling fan and it doesnt come on. im wondering what causes the radiator fan to come on? i know theres a motor, but theres something that turns that motor on when the car is too hot.

im taking it to the shop tomorrow, but i dont want to pay the estimate fee.. so i was wondering if anyone can pinpoint what they think the problem is?

thanks a lot!! :)

Answer 1

Sound like the fan relay is bad. Should be on the drivers side, under the hood. It will be a black box about 1 1/2 inches square. There are several of them there so you might want to go to an auto zone and ask them which one it is. They may even trouble shoot it for you for free.

Answer 2

The cooling fan on that vehicles is run off the computer sending a ground signal to a box called the CCRM or relay module in the front of the vehicle under the black sticker cover or if not there, basically on top of the radiator. that box closes an internal relay and sends power to the fan. The fan will also run when the a/c is turned on.. that can weed out the cooling issues if it doesn't come on.

If you direct wired a power and ground to the motor and nothing, it's probably a motor and the CCRM for good measure as the fan has a habit of burning them out.

BUT, I would bite the bullet and pay for the Diagnosis to find the actual problem and fix it (as it may be a bad wire) instead of trying to diagnose it online. Mechanics will change the parts you tell them to, but when it doesn't fix it, you are stuck paying that bill you made cause you beleived people online and the new bill to fix it right.. Mechanincs are just like doctors.. no free lunch

Answer 3

There are 3 things that may cause this.
#1.You temperature sensor is bad,it should be on the side of the engine
#2. You have a burnt fuse for your electric fan
#3.You fan motor is no good

Other possibilities for this issue may be but not likely
thermostat is stuck open
You have a blown head gasket..




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Answer 4

If it has (sure it does) an electric fan, that is most likely the problem. The air moving through the radiator while moving cools it, but when stopped, the fan must move the air. When it sits and is getting hot ( not too hot ), open the hood to see if the fan is turning (fast). You may be able to hear it. If it is not, there you go. Dog the name.

Answer 5

Sounds as though the temp sensor has gone bad. This sensor is usually located on the side of the block and tells the fan when the engine needs to be cooled. A second possible is that the themostat is stuck in the closed partial position. this would keep water blocked up and unable to keep the engine at it ideal temp. Hope that this helps.

Answer 6

check the thermostat it actuates by temperature as the engine heats up the thermostat should tell the water pump to turn up and spin more cool water through the engine to cool it down. believe it or not thermostats are cheap generally i got one for my 85 ford for 4 bucks and one for my 97 dually for less than 10. its usually located where the water hose feeds the block close to the top of the block. a 10 min fix.

Answer 7

I consider between the others who published. there is not any funds to be made engaged on autos except you would be fortunate sufficient to artwork for as a specialist interior the racing industry. you would be wiser to make a occupation out of something else and learn mechanics as a pastime. you could %. up many books on how engines artwork and have a pro mechanic artwork with you until you learn what you go with for to. With at present's digital controls, it is not an identical because of the fact the previous muscle autos.

Answer 8

If you ran power directly to the fan, and it still didn't come on, it needs to be replaced. You can go to the auto parts store and find out the cost for one for your car there. Labor, well, it shouldn't be more than an hour's worth of labor I would guess.

Answer 9

Priority Action Part Type Cause
1 Inspect ANTIFREEZE NEEDED Coolant level low or flow is restricted.

2 Inspect BELT Incorrectly routed, adjusted, tensioned, missing, or worn water pump belt(s).

4 Inspect RADIATOR CAP Worn or damaged radiator cap

5 Inspect THERMOSTAT Thermostat stuck closed

6 Inspect FAN BLADE Broken, missing, or defective fan blade(s).

8 Inspect WATER PUMP Damaged, worn or leaking water pump.

10 Inspect COOLING FAN CONTROL Faulty cooling fan control or circuit.

11 Inspect COOLING FAN SWITCH - RADIATOR Faulty radiator cooling fan switch or circuit.

12 Inspect ENGINE TEMPERATURE SENSOR Faulty engine temperature sensor or circuit.

13 Inspect TEMPERATURE SWITCH Damaged or faulty temperature switch or temperature switch circuit.

14 Inspect FAN CLUTCH Worn, loose or faulty fan clutch.

15 Inspect PORTED VACUUM SWITCH Damaged, leaking, or faulty ported vacuum switch.

16 Inspect RADIATOR Obstructed radiator core or radiator cooling fins.

Answer 10

FI THE FAN NOT TURNING, YOU NEED TO REPLACE IT,OR REPLACE THE WHOLE MOTOR IAM A TECH FOR OVER 16 YEARS,