cooling fan

[wayne kobe]

my 93 sc1 coolong fan will turn on if you turn on the ac but it wont turn on under normal operations what should i check. i had a almost overheating condition.

thanks wayne

[wayne kobe]

ok the temp gauge seems to read fine but fan dont turn on but it will turn on if i short the 2 wires in the plug out



wayne

[sierrap615]

possible bad ECTS

year?

[amazinghl]

It is not suppose to turn on under "normal operation"

What do you mean by "overheating condition"? Does it mean your needle almost in red zone?

[wayne kobe]

needle well above 1/2 way fan wont come on but comes on like it should if you turn on ac or jumper the ect plug

wayne

[wayne kobe]

needle well above 1/2 way fan wont come on but comes on like it should if you turn on ac or jumper the ect plug

wayne

[amazinghl]

Change the ECTS.

[ExNihilo]

Yeah, bad thermostat. The fan is set to always be on when the A/C is on, so it doesn't depend on the thermostat for that. Is "ECTS" the full designation for thermostat? I guess probably.

[Applefool]

Definitely should install the updated ECTS in it. If you already have the newer brass version, then that is probably not the issue. I'ts also possible that this is normal. Older Saturns have always gotten real hot on the gauge before the fan kicks on. I think they later updated the gauges so people wouldn't worry as much. Try just letting it idle on a hot day and see if the fan kicks on by itself and cools it down with the temp gauge gets to the red. If not definitely something going on.

[jeep4523]

Also....fans don't kick in untill 3/4 temps.

[amazinghl]

Originally posted by ExNihilo
Is "ECTS" the full designation for thermostat? I guess probably.

No, ECTS is stands for Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor.

Thermostat does not communicate to anything.

[sierrap615]

thermostat is the spring loaded thing by the water pump that when the right temp is reached, opens and flows fluid to the raditor

the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor(ECTS), in the head, is a small sensor that tells the PCM the coolent temp. the PCM decides many factiors based on the ECTS, mainly the Air/Fuel mixture, but also when to kick on the cooling fan.

for many years, saturn used a nylon cased ECTS. after a few years the nylon would crack, this lead to false reading, normally that the engine is to cool. the false reading will cause overheating, running rich(along with poor gas mileage and in rare cases clogged cats), ect. the nylon has since been replaced with brass. i have not heard of one problem with the brass ECTS, its a simple, $15 piece, and 100% reverse compatible with the old design.

[provoboy10]

it could be that your fan motor is going out. mine went out on my 98 SL2 and it wouldnt kick on at all but when i turned the ac on. i ended up over heating reall bad one day and blowing a whole in my side tank with out the fan turning on but when i would turn the ac on the fan would take off going so i took it down and it ended up being that the fan motor had just gone out.

[wolfman]

Originally posted by wayne kobe
my 93 sc1 coolong fan will turn on if you turn on the ac but it wont turn on under normal operations what should i check. i had a almost overheating condition.

thanks wayne

The 93' has the "Scare the crap out of all the owner's" calibrated temperature gauge. Under NORMAL operation the fan will autoactivate BETWEEN the 3/4 and RED HOT mark and go back off just above or at the 1/2 way point. IF it comes on with the A/C but does NOT activate as described above, the ECTS is likely to blame. It is the TWO WIRE sensor located just below and to the right of where the upper radiator hose attaches to the ENGINE. See the "How To" section for DIRECTIONS and PICTURES on how to locate and change it if need be.