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2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems


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zmaro5
User

Dec 14, 2013, 3:33 PM

Post #1 of 19 (4443 views)
2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

2000 Saturn SL1 w/ 138k miles...(i just wired up a toggle switch that controls the fan for now-till i find a solution to whats really wrong with the fan)...


ok...1st off...i already checked the fan with 12volts and the fan WORKS perfect....2nd...i changed out the Cooling Temp Sensor and tested the electrical connection- and that all checks out great....3rd...i changed out the Cooling Fan Relay....heres where im STUMPED! doesnt that Temp Sensor kick in to tell the relay to start the fan?!?!? anyone know what im missing here?

i also checked to see if the fan would operate when the A/C was turned on...and it does not....seems i gotta also troubleshoot why the A/C isnt working now too! i checked all the fuses...so maybe a simple RELAY? i dont know....thats why im here...for someone to grace me with their knowledge and expertise!

any and all help/info is greatly appreciated!

ThankYOu


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Dec 14, 2013, 3:42 PM

Post #2 of 19 (4431 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

Double check the 15amp HVAC fuse at the inside fuse box first but these relays are controlled by the Body Control Module so you are not going to be able to do much here on your own. You will need a dealer equivalent scan tool to access that module.



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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



zmaro5
User

Dec 14, 2013, 4:07 PM

Post #3 of 19 (4424 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

you've got to be kidding! I dont do dealers! theres gotta be a way to fix this w/o going to a dealer...the car is 13 years old...i can see if it were only a few years old...


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Dec 14, 2013, 4:10 PM

Post #4 of 19 (4419 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

I didn't say you had to go to a dealer but you will need equipment equivalent to theirs. Many independent shops are equipped with these scan tools with software to get into the BCM.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



zmaro5
User

Dec 14, 2013, 4:19 PM

Post #5 of 19 (4416 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

so...if im going to to call around and look for a local repair shop that has the ABILITY/TOOLS to fix or diagnose the issue....what should i tell them i need checked? what scan tools should i ask if they have?


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Dec 14, 2013, 4:24 PM

Post #6 of 19 (4412 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

Just tell them you need your fan circuit diagnosed and you are aware the relay is controlled by the BCM, do they have the ability and knowledge to access and interact with the BCM to diagnose the problem correctly.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Hammer Time
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Dec 14, 2013, 4:26 PM

Post #7 of 19 (4410 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

Also if the BCM had to be replaced for any reason, they would have to program it.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Sidom
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Dec 14, 2013, 4:35 PM

Post #8 of 19 (4407 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

Did you check the relay terminals.....2 of them should have 12v with the key on.....If not then that is the path you need to go down....


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Dec 14, 2013, 4:42 PM

Post #9 of 19 (4402 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

You know what? Disregard everything i said earlier. I just realized I was looking at the wrong diagram.

With the engine running unplug the coolant temp sensor and the fan should default to on. If it doesn't, check the 30amp cooling fan fuse in the junction box.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



zmaro5
User

Dec 14, 2013, 4:48 PM

Post #10 of 19 (4401 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

oh...and im in luck this go around...theres a RV/Auto Electric shop down the road about a mile...i shall just stop by there on Monday and see how much its gonna cost to diagnose/fix!


zmaro5
User

Dec 14, 2013, 4:49 PM

Post #11 of 19 (4398 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

oh...just read your last post! already tried that one too! it DOES come on when ya disconnect the sensor!


zmaro5
User

Dec 14, 2013, 4:52 PM

Post #12 of 19 (4397 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

yep! i watched a video on how to make the "wire pigtails" to test the relay....everything there checks out....


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Dec 14, 2013, 4:57 PM

Post #13 of 19 (4393 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

If the fan comes on when you unplug the sensor, then there is nothing wrong with the circuit. You have just proven that the computer has control of the fan and has not decided to turn it on. There may be nothing at all wrong with this system. You may be expecting it to operate in a way it wasn't designed to. This fan isn't even programmed to come on until 222 degrees.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



zmaro5
User

Dec 14, 2013, 5:01 PM

Post #14 of 19 (4391 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

shouldnt the fan come on and stay on as long as the A/C is on?


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Dec 14, 2013, 5:04 PM

Post #15 of 19 (4390 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

Not necessarily. I can't find specs on this one but many of them have to hit a certain pressure to trigger the fan on.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



zmaro5
User

Dec 14, 2013, 5:25 PM

Post #16 of 19 (4386 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

well...im pretty sure the car is calling for the fan to come on...and its not for some reason....i was idling at the supermarket the other day while the wife ran in...after about 10 minutes of sitting there...the temp gauge spiked to damn near a hair away from the Red Zone....and the fan never came on...


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Dec 14, 2013, 5:36 PM

Post #17 of 19 (4381 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

Unless you use a scan tool to read the actual digital temp in the computer, you don't know that. I hear this all the time on GM fan systems. Unless it actually goes into the red, don't assume it's not working. 222 is pretty hot and on some cars the gauge gets very close to red.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Sidom
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Dec 14, 2013, 5:46 PM

Post #18 of 19 (4378 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

Like HT says.....I've seen temp sensors for the gauges get skewed so ones that use to go up to half before the fans come on, start going to 3/4s or higher......But I've had a few Saturns in the year period get bad sensors for the comp and they go the other way....start reading to cool.....These usual come in as hard restart problems after the car is warm in the summer.....The reading is too cool and the comp is adding too much fuel which causes a hard warm restart.....

Might be a good idea to get this checked out if you don't have a scan tool to look at the data stream....


Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Dec 14, 2013, 5:56 PM

Post #19 of 19 (4373 views)
Re: 2000 Saturn SL1- Cooling Fan Problems Sign In

I'm going to let you in on a little secret (not really a secret...lol). Some of those cheap pocket code readers have data stream capability. You can view OBD2 data, but you won't see command status for the cooling fan and other actuators that an enhanced tool can display. One of the parameter identifiers on the OBD2 side is engine ECT. This is the actual temperature the engine computer is getting from the ECT sensor.

If your going to do DIY computer diags on your car and need some limited information on what is going on inside the engine controller, wouldn't be a bad investment. I paid around $40 for an Autel MS310 (discontinued) as a pocket rocket. I've found it as a very handy tool before bringing out the big boy scanner.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.

(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Dec 14, 2013, 5:58 PM)






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