Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

Hi all. I am newbie here so be gentle..lol. Also a newbie to the Honda Accord series. Use to own earlier Preludes, but it has been a while. Anyhow, I just bought a used 94 Honda Accord LX 4 door sedan with AC and 2.2. Here is what is NOT happening. None of the fans are coming on at all. Now, I know the guy I bought it from, and he had just replaced the radiator about a month and a half ago, which means he had to wire back up the fans. Naturally, I am thinkin he has now got the wiring messed up, but I am not sure. Anyhow, here is the tests I have performed and the results.

1) Check the fuses and relay under hood - GOOD

2) Now my thinking is maybe the thermostat switch is bad, so I pulled off the electrical cap that attaches to it, started my car and jumped/bypassed the switch by inserting a bent paperclip into the two sockets in the electrial connector. As soon as I do this, BOTH fans start spinning away...so now I am thinkin time to get a new thermostat switch, so I do.

3) Put in my new switch, and guess what. Still does not work. I started the car and let it warm up, and the passenger side fan does not come on at all. So then I decided to test the drivers side fan by turning on the AC...it also does not come on. So now I am puzzled...

This is where I need you guys to help step in and give me some guidance. I don't know what else to do. I know the fan motors work, and I have a brand new thermo. switch...so, how do I go about getting it right.

Also, could someone suggest a great online place to buy parts from, and not just exterior, but interior like ashtrays, consoles, molding, etc....

Thank alot

peace out,
daddy

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

ok so does your a/c work? if it doesnt work then the fans wont turn on. also, this time of year. (and i live in az) my fans wont turn on at all if i let it sit there and idle, i could let it idle all day. only when in letting it rip in traffic does the fan come on, and only the passenger side fan comes on when the a/c is off.



lightshow

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

and the very best cheapest place to get anything for your car is on ebay. just like the commercial. o and about your fans just make sure the motors are plugged in good . the plug on the pass side is on the bottom of the assembly and the driv side fan is right on the top


whatever IT is, you can get it on ebay.


lightshow

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

quick question have you made sure that the thermostat opens properly ???
it also sounds like you got 2 separate issues,, 1 with a/c ,, the other with fan operation when engine is hot,,,,,,,,

so if you jump the switch bith fans came on which tells me that motors are ok,, and the plugs into the fans are ok,, ,, i suspect you might have an issue with ,,, no ground... you are giving the relays ground and energizing them by jumping the 2 wires together at switch ,you are positive cooling fan relay is ok correct?? Another question for you ,,, you said you let car warm up and pass fan did not come on,, does that mean driver fan came on ??? you know that both fans should come on at the same time ,,, right ??...

try something for me.. start car put a/c on,, and jump the 2 wires together at a/c pressure switch it is located at recever drier ..if both fans come on you are low on freon,,, if they do not come on,, ground the wires 1 at a time and see if fans come on,, if they do you got another ground issue ,,, and the thing that the 2 share is the switch inside the car ....but before we jump to conclusions try what i have suggested and post the results here

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

Thank you deserthonda and lightshow for the replys. I just read your response desert and I will try what you asked within the next day or so.

Anyhow, I would like a few things cleared up if you could. The boyz and I at work today were out at lunchtime trying to figure out the problem, As always the case, we all had different opinions and methods of "testing" things...lol. I am not a very good mechanic, but I do know a little and learn fast. Well, a few things came up with that "more than one answer" thing going on so here is what they are. BTW, I have read THIS answer alot on the board as being one way but deserthonda and my mechanic friend both say the same thing.

1) THE FANS - Which fan is suppose to run when? According to alot on this board, the PASSENGER fan is for cooling and is effected by the thermostat switch as to when to come on. The DRIVER side fan is to come on when the AC button is pushed and the fan switch turned on to either 1,2,3 or 4. But my friend and deserthonda say that both fans should come on at the same time.

Other things for you mythbusters!

2) BLEEDING THE COOLING SYSTEM - Some say leave the radiator cap off, others say leave it on. Also some say run the heater full blast until a fan comes on before opening the bleed valve, and others say not to. Which is the correct way please?

3) IF THE LOWER HOSE IS COLD IS MUST BE THE THERMOSTAT - Is this true? Why could it not be the water pump?


Ok...onto other things I did today. I started the car and let it idle for 30 straight minutes and here are the results of what I noticed,

1) No fans came on (mind you i replaced the thermostat switch already, but NOT the thermostat)

2) The engine actually ran very cool up until the last few minutes (about the 25 minute mark at an outside temp. of about 55 degrees today). It then started to boil, but the temp gauge in the car read NORMAL (a little below the half way line) Oh, and another thing I noticed was the temp gauge acts kinda funny at times. It will appear like it is working then all of a sudden it will drop down into the cold zone...then pop back up...really fast, not slowly????

3) Checked to see if fan came on when AC was turned on and the fan switch. It did not. Checked to see if compressor came on...it did not. Ran a freon pressure check and it showed hardly any pressure. That might be my problem there????

4) Lower radiator hose stayed cold the whole time...never got hot at all in the 30 minute period. Upper hose very hot.

5) Took off radiator cap to see if anything was moving around...hard to tell if it was moving or getting ready to boil.

6) The radiator is new and there is NO CLOGS.

That was it for today. For the most part, in this weather, I can drive the car around with no problems, since most of my trips are short ones anyhow. The car runs great. No black smoke coming from exhaust...a little white smoke in the morning, but thats about it. Drained the radiator last weekend and the fluid looked just fine...no oil mixed in. (BTW, the drain plug was a pain to turn in that little space!!!...lol)

Couple more questions for deserthonda. You wrote:

"so if you jump the switch bith fans came on which tells me that motors are ok,, and the plugs into the fans are ok"

Wouldn't that be an indicator that the fans ARE wired correctly, or could they be wired wrong and still work or have a ground problem?

ALSO you wrote:

"try something for me.. start car put a/c on,, and jump the 2 wires together at a/c pressure switch it is located at recever drier .."

Could you please tell me where is the "recever drier?" I have no idea where you are talking about...sorry.

I am staring to get that "IT"S THE WATER PUMP" feeling, which I hope it is not!!!

Ok, that is it for now. I really am thankful to those who have responded and are trying to help. That is so cool to have a board like this to help people learn. BTW, just as a refresher, my car is a 1994 Honda Accord LX 4 Dr Sedan w/AC.

Thanks,
peace out,
daddy

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

New update already. On the way to work this morning, that "squeaky belt" sound started happening. At first I thought it might be my alternator belt cause that is how it usually sounds...but with the alt belt the sound usually goes away upon acceleration...my noise just got worse leading me to think maybe my water pump is bad...now what guys...is it big bucks time?

peace out,
daddy

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

Ok Daddy. Here is the scoop..

# 1 ,,, when engine is warm,, ( normal operating temp ) ,,and thermostat has opened BOTH FANS are suppose to come on,, YES ,, BOTH FANS ,, the paasanger side ( main cooling fan ) and the driver side ( condensor fan )..Do not bother to what anyone else says inless they agree cause if they don't agree they are WRONG...

# 2 when you put the a/c on,, BOTH FANS are supposed to come on,,YES BOTH FANS ..Ok let's put that to rest.....

# 3 ,,when engine is warmed up.. the LOWER radiator hose should feel hot,ot as hot as the top hose , but hot ,, if it feels cold, cool, then the Thermostat might be stuck closed ,, that is the first thing i would replace ..use a Honda factory t-stat... if after replacing t-stat, engine warm and lower hose still feels cool , the fins on the water pump might be corroded but i have only seen it 2 times,,
possible yes,, but very seldom..

# 4 ..on bleeding the system,, engine OFF, put a 50-50 mix of coolant and water , loosen up the 12mm nipple looking nut at top of thermostat housing , fill radiator till only coolant comes out ( no air bubbles) when only coolant comes out, tighten the 12mm nipple nut, put radiator cap on, start the car...

# 5 .the receiver drier on a 94 accord is located below the battery, remove the coolant overflow bottle and it is right there, disconnect the plug . start the car and jump those 2 wires together,, if a/c system works most likely you are low on freon...,, if so..,, compressor and BOTH fans should come on when you jump the wires together at receiver drier pressure switch ..

# 6, for the fans to work when you jump the switch, means that the motors are ok, and the plugs are connected properly,what you are doing when you are jumping the switch is giving ground to the relays and energizing them,,thr switch at thermostat housing closes when coolant reaches the specified temperature ,,when it opens it grounds the relays ,, so by jumping the 2 wires together you are bypassing the switch,,,Now if t-stat does not open , coolant temp won;t get hot on the other side of t-stat , thus the switch will not close because coolant will not reach its specifies temp to close ..thus fans will not come on.......

from what i am reading sounds like you got a stuck t-stat, replace it, bleed system as i described , start car and see ,,do that and let me know...

If t-stat opens. lower hose is hot and fans still do not come on ,,we got to do some electrical troubleshooting ...

**** i hope i did not misspelled too much :)

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

You're a good man desert!!! Thanks for taking time to respond. Tomorrow we are going to do just that...take out the thermostat and test it. Back to the basics. A little good news though. After inspectiong under the hood a little more thorough, I found an alternator bolt had worked itself out completly and my belts loosened. That is why my car had that squealing belt sound this morning...so I tightned up the other bolt to where it was better and was able to drive the car...the noise went away. Time for a new bolt tomorrow. I will keep ya posted brother. A HUGE thanks again for your time. :)

peace out,
daddy

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

on # 6 (when it opens it grounds the relays ) it should read.........When it closes it grounds the relay

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

Quick update and question. Pulled out the thermostat, boiled some water on the stove with the stat in it and it opened! So now I am kinda bummed. It did not look like a Honda one though from what I have seen in the pictures here on the forum. Now what do I do?

Also, on a unrelated topic, I have a 69 Cadillac that took a dump on me today. It has been acting up a little lately as to when I go to start it, it clicks sometimes (sound like it is coming from just under the hood NEAR the dash area) and won't start. Then I will turn the key again OR move my shift arm back and forth and then it WILL start. This has been happeneing for about three months, but not at everyday rate...let's say maybe once every two weeks or so. Anyhow, went shopping today, came out from the store, turned the key and it turned over and died (does that if I don't give it a quick "pump" of gas), then I turned the key again, and now nothing but, click...click...click. No starty!!! Any ideas what to go for right away. I wanted to sell it this weekend at a Classic Car show, so I need to fix it pronto....Oh, and yes, Mr. No Cellphone had to hoof it today, so feel a little pitty for me, ok??? LOL

peace out,
daddy

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

Ok...replaced the thermostat with a geniune Honda one. Today the lower hose got hot which is good news I guess. The car stays cool even after 20+ minutes of driving. No boil over...BUT, the fans still do not work. Also put freon in the car today until is showed in the BLUE zone. Put it in while car was running, turned on fans switch and pushed AC button. Didn't do anything. Compreesser did not come on, no cold air and no FAN at the radiator on.

Where do we go from here Desert? Can we rule out the water pump now?

Also, I don't understand your method of bleeding...how can you get the air out of the system when the bleeder valve is past the thermostat, and naturally with car COLD, the thermo would be closed??? Please explain to me so I DO understand. Thanks.

peace out,
daddy

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

I don't want to hijack this thread, but i'm having similiar problems!

Here's my deal. I just got my 94 lx about a month ago. It's got some issues, but it's a good car.

Yesterday my radiator fans stopped working alltogether. Today I jumped the switch on the thermostat sensor and the DRIVER's side fan only works. If I jump the switch on the front sensor (the one on the upper hose, NOT at the thermostat) the PASSENGER side fan works only.

I replaced both switches and now the driver's side fan works when the temp gets hot, and the passenger side fan works when the car is turned off and the temp is hot (it didn't do that before replacing the switch). The problem is that without both fans working the car gets too hot --- almost 2/3rds up the gauge before I turn it off.

Another peice of the puzzle... my AC does not work at all. When I turn on the AC button the light comes on, but the compressor does not engage and the fans do not come on.

Also, the thermostat seems good. Both hoses get hot and the temperature comes down when moving (indicating a good water pump, radiator, and thermostat). My issue seems to be primarily a fan problem.

So... anyone got a clue on what to try next?

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

you can rule out the water pump,, fans are still inop eh ?? when you jump the switch at t-stat fans come on right ?? have you checked the fan relay in the underhood fuse box ??
As for bleeding it, air will rise, when you fill the tubes with coolant any air in the system will go to the top and get out of the bleeder screw, when only coolant comes out , all the air in system is gone..
As for the a/c compressor not coming on,, chk to see if you getting power at a/c compressor wire ( red ) . if not,, put battery voltage to the wire and see if compressor kicks on, ...also,, ground a wire at rec drier see if fans come on with a/c on..

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

you can rule out the water pump,, fans are still inop eh ?? when you jump the switch at t-stat fans come on right ?? have you checked the fan relay in the underhood fuse box ??
As for bleeding it, air will rise, when you fill the tubes with coolant any air in the system will go to the top and get out of the bleeder screw, when only coolant comes out , all the air in system is gone..
As for the a/c compressor not coming on,, chk to see if you getting power at a/c compressor wire ( red ) . if not,, put battery voltage to the wire and see if compressor kicks on, ...also,, ground a wire at rec drier see if fans come on with a/c on..

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

Ok...jumped the wires at Rec drier with the car on and the fans came on and so did the AC compressor. So, I added some more freon and then the AC worked on it's own??? How does that work? Then I heard the big "hissssssssssssssssss"....a leak coming from one of the aluminum lines...my freon is leaking out. By the time I left work, my AC was not working again. Well, what is this going to cost me to replace that line (or have it welded) and can I assume that will END my fan problem (I still did not get to find out if the fans come on when the car gets hot)

Ok desert...Next plan of attack?

peace out,
daddy

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

ok daddy now we know why your A/C does not work ..you got a leak, which means , system will not hold freon , without freon a/c will not work.......you need to replace the leaky line ,put freon and freon dye , turn a/c on and hope for no more leaks............As for the cost ,, there is more than one a/c line , you have to call the dealer and ask for price ..

As for the fans coming on regularly,, start the car up and let engine warm up, make sure t-stat opens. which you said it did because lower radiator hose now is hot,, so, let engine run and see if fans will kick on..... if they do you are all set........if they do not, jump the wires at the plug at t-stat housing ,

let me know what happens..

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

I'll post some more info I found today. I did some digging and came up with a possible dirty/dying relay. The picture below will help.

When I pulled the ones marked 23 and jumped the thermostat switch, only the driver's side fan worked.

When I plug in the front one (closest to bumper) no change from above.

If I swapped the two relays then BOTH fans worked. So I went to the store to get a new one, had some trouble finding it because it is not actually the fan relay. Advance Auto Parts found it and gave me the part # 18970865. They didn't have any on hand but they ordered one for me.

So I went back home, and tested again. This time I got these results:
Both relays out of car: driver's side fan only.
Front relay installed: no change, driver's side only.
EITHER relay in the rear slot: BOTH fans worked.

Odd... makes me think the contact was dirty, which is possible due to my fuse box cover not sealing well. So I took the car out, let it get warmed up and then waited to see if the fans came on. And they did, well before half-way on the temp gauge. So all is working now, right?

WRONG! I waited to see if they would cycle again and they didnt. The temp gauge went up to over half-way and no fans came on. I turned the car off and the passenger side fan came on, as normal.

So now I think I have a bad thermostat that's failing. I checked the lower hose and it was signifigantly cooler than the top hose. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, or maybe it's stuck. I'll try to replace it tomorrow and report any updates.

So Daddy, check your relays!




[IMG]local://upfiles/2828/DDE14C69993B493ABF7A38D8AF4158DC.gif[/IMG]

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

Hey Chakra!!! Thanks for the info, but here is what I did. First I jumped the thermostat switch with a paperclip (you won't get shocked because it is all negative) and car on. BOTH fans came on. This tells me that my fan motors are fine and my relays at the fan are fine AND that it is hooked up correctly. I then jumped the reciever drier with a paperclip again, turned car AND AC on and both fans came on and my AC clutch engaged. That made for great news. Then I tested the main relays in the fuse box under the hood. I just swapped out the fan one with the window relay (they are the same) and tested my windows. They went up and down, so I know that BOTH my relays are good (fans and windows). So, like I said in my last post, I heard a leak in the AC line, so I KNOW I have that problem to fix which I don't mind. Whether my fans will come on now or not (when my car heats up) I still have not tested, but after all this I am going to assume that once I have the AC line repaired, that all my fans are going to work...I hope. I will keep ya posted

BTW...Deserthonda...thank you so much for your time bro. It means alot when someone takes the time that you do to help all the people that you help everyday in here...and Lightshow too. You guys rock. Just so you know, it is appreciated by all.

peace out,
daddy

RE: Radiator fan & AC Fan On 94'
 

Well, I replaced my thermostat last night and now my cooling problems are solved. Both fans work, temp stays at that Honda sweet spot, and everything looks good. Thanks to all for the info posted, it was a big help.

... now just need to solve my own AC problems....