Cooling Fan Problem in 97, 4-cylinder Camry

Normally the temp guage needle doesn't get above the mid point, but lately it has risen above it and I have had to turn on the heater to bring it back down. I didn't find a blown fuse under to hood or near the steering wheel. I reseated most of the relays. But nothing changed. If I disconnect the cable to the temp switch near the bottom of the radiator, the fans come on with just the ignition turned on. If I disconnect the same cable near the battery, the fans comes on. And I verified with a meter that this section of the cable does not have a short, so it seems the circuit in the temp switch is closed and remains closed even when it gets too hot. Is there anything else I can check and should replacing that temp switch at the bottom of the radiator fix the problem? TIA.

Reply to
jay
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Does the fan actually run when engine temp is high enough? (watch it for a while, see if it ever starts) The temp sensor is far the most likely cause of fan not running.

Reply to
jg

If I let the car idle for a while on a hot day (+90F), needle on the temp guage reaches hot but the fans don't come on. When you say "temp sensor", are you referring to the sensor at the bottom of the radiator or the one that drive the temp guage?

Reply to
jay

I don't know where it is on these cars, but the one which closes the circuit for the fan to run. That's usually the culprit with electric fans, the only complication is the aircon which makes all the fans run. Might be worth checking if that happens... if there is aircon.

Reply to
jg

Till you figure out what to replace can you turn on the Ac, both fans are supposed to run when the Ac is on, at least for now you wont do damage to the motor from overheating

Reply to
m Ransley

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