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fan relay - around the world in eighty days (was i scammed)

Help! My problems are two:

1) the radiator cooling fan continuously comes on for 9 seconds, then stops for 18 seconds. This started (i think) after I had the work below done. I seen to recollect the radiator fan cycling for (much) longer periods of time. 2) before i had the work mentioned below, the temperature gauge never went above the "8:30pm" line. It now maxes (and stays) at the "10:00pm"

The car is a 1991 Toyota Corolla w/ a 4A-FE engine with 140K miles. While fixing some fuse issues re: taillights and license plate lights, my "mechanic" told me to look at the kick panel fuses in the pasenger compartment while he spent an inordinate time around the passenger side fuse box under the hood..

Shortly after i left, the temperature gauge went to the top. After checking for various shorts, he said the fan relay (which was about about 2 feet from the fuse box mentioned above) was bad and he replaced it.

No good: temperature gauge still went to the top. He then replace the thermostat with a 180 degree thermostat. No good: temperature gauge still went to the top. He then replaced the temperature gauge sensor and said thats all he could do. The gauge now maxes (and stays) at the "10:00pm". Is this a problem??

Somehow it seems backwards, especially replacing the temperature gauge sensor last. How couls all these parts go bad at once?

One last question, is the fan relay _adjustable_? He seemed to spend a lot of time with it, evev after replacing the other parts.

Thanks in advance for any help - as uou can tell, i'm a newbie.

Reply to
jwbower
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I recommend that you take the car to a competent technician who tests parts before replacing them.

It is unlikely that all of those parts were bad, and since the problem still exists, it is likely that none of those parts were bad.

The fan relay is not adjustable. If the mechanic used aftermarket parts or installed the thermostat incorrectly, you can have a cooling system that does not function properly.

What is the condition of the radiator? What is the coolant concentration?

Reply to
Ray O

Why should you have to pay to fix a problem that didn't exist until the mechanic touched the car? I'm not saying the mechanic definitely did the damage, although he did, but I think he accidentally broke a cable or connector and tried a 2-bit repair on it that didn't work out. . I hope you paid by credit card because that makes it a lot easier to get your money back if you did. If the garage is AAA approved, have AAA arbitrate the matter because their arbitration is binding on the garage not on the customer. And it wouldn't hurt to file a complaint at

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even if it's just to bug the garage.

If you can't get a factory repair manual, Mitchell is the next best bet, especially for electrical diagrams. Other manuals can be really bad.

What's the name of the garage? They need some publicity. ;)

Reply to
larry moe 'n curly

Thanks for your response - however, because i was trying to keep my post brief, I didn't describe the whole sequence of events: there _was_ a busted hose that happened after he inspected the car - _after_ the hose was fixed, heat gauge went high, led to the fan relay, etc. The mechanic is an employee where i do some consulting, so BBB, etc is not an option. I _do_ appreciate, however, you taking the time to respond.

I still do have the question though: is the repeated clcying of the fan itself normal, or is it not.?

Reply to
jwbower

The radiator is OK, the coolant tests within range.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Reply to
jwbower

I guess I missed the response to one of your original questions. It is not normal for the cooling fan to constantly cycle on and off for short periods. A bad relay is not the problem.

When you say that the radiator is OK, how do you know that it is OK?

When the thermostat was replaced, what brand thermostat was used?

Reply to
Ray O

I've never checked electric fans except at idle, but if the A/C compressor is running, at least one fan should be running at the same time (some cars have two radiator fans). If the A/C is turned off, I've seen fans cycle for as long as 5 minutes and then turn off for a couple of minutes.

I'd check the coolant for oil contamination and the engine oil for coolant contamination, just in case a head or manifold gasket went bad from the overheating and leaks. Oil may look milky, but I don't know what contaminated coolant looks like.

I don't know how old that busted hose was, but I change mine every 5 years or 50,000 miles because I've never seen one look bad on the outside, except in the case of one that had oil drip on it for a long time (water hoses hate oil, fuel and vacuum hoses tolerate it). Water hoses become crusty and start cracking from the inside.

So you know where he lives. Remind him. Better yet, surprise him.* ;)

  • I am not advocating threats of violence, only happy, happy wishes and tweeting birds and hopping bunnies.
Reply to
larry moe 'n curly

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