My 98 SL has been overheating in traffic. It's fine on the open road. So I open the hood while the engine is hot and sure enough, the fan is not turning. There is power at the fuse and at the relay. I swapped the fan relay with the A/C relay and the A/C still works fine so it's not the relay. I used a diode checker and an ohmmeter on the relay box and it's hard to tell, but I think that the PCM is sending the signal to engage the relay and turn the fan on. I hooked a voltmeter up to the fan pin of the relay box and I spun the fan and it produced a small DC voltage.


Still, unless the problem is a bad ground, it looks like I'm in for a new fan motor.


I have the manual for this car. The Chilton or Haynes, I don't recall which. I do not have the factory manuals. Anyhow the manual instructions for removing the fan are not correct for my car. It talks about (and shows) bolts on the driver's and passenger's side of the radiator holding the fan assembly in. But my car has some other arrangement on the passenger side.


Can somebody provide me with the correct instructions for removing this fan? AutoZone has the same bad info as my book.


Does the fan assembly slide out of the right side? Snap out? What?


Also, I hate that I have to break open the cooling system and the intake just to get the fan out where I can do the final troubleshooting. I've bought a replacement fan as a hedge because once I have it apart, I won't be able to drive to the store for parts.


Oh, does anybody know where the grounding point is for the fan circuit?


David

 

Try powering the fan directly from the battery before concluding that the fan is faulty otherwise look into replacing the engine coolant temperatue sensor (ECTS). The original one is resin tipped and prone to cracking leading to just the symptom you're describing. Its the lower of two engine temperature sensors, below the EGR valve while the one next to the EGR valve is for the temperature gauge display in the dash. The coolant sensor is a two-wire one, replace it with the brass one. If the two-wire connector is corroded replace it also either from a junkyard air temp sensor or the dealer $30(?) part. You may have to replace the overflow cap too.

 

I will try the direct-power test prior to replacement, but I still have the same question about how to remove the fan because I do not have enough access withit in-place to get my hand in there and unplug the connector. (Dang secondary latch)


Besides, the cooling fan should energize when the A/C is on regardless of engine temperature.


David

 

You can go to saturnfans.com for more help especially directions for removal and replacement. Post your questions in the S-series forums.

 

How long do those guys normally take to send the sign-up email? I'm still waiting.

 

It should be immediate if I recall but I'm not sure. Send the Administrator an e-mail or pm to nudge him. The site was down over the weekend undergoing growing pains but rest assured the site has a wealth of information to be tapped while you're waiting for sign-up instructions and well worth the wait.

 

The activation code email from the other form never arrived.


I replaced the fan motor. Problem solved for fourty bucks and one slightly smashed thumb.


David