2001 overheat - opinions (but good ones please)

Have a 2001 VR6. Today it overheated, A/C was on, stopped immediately. When cool, put water in the radiator bowl thingy.. it was dry. Started the car, did not overheat.. but had A/C off and heater on. Drove about 15 miles - very carefully - max speed maybe 45 - all worked fine. When I was close to home, I kicked on the A/C, and the temp started climbing.. I think this is a fan issue - thermo-fan and I will start testing tomorrow. I thought it would be the thermostat, but now do not.. still may be, only opening a little, not all the way..

any other suggestions?

Thanks

Scott

Reply to
Scott C
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Friends of mine had the exact same thing happen on a leased Volvo V70, exact solution to the problem too, shut off right away, let cool, turn on heater, drive home. They got to the dealer, but they couldn't use the A/C.... I don't know what was wrong, but it was a lot of money to fix, I believe they needed a new A/C system. There car is also a 2001 model year, go figure, different brand tho (but who knows, could be same brand of compressor).

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Do both fans run with ac turned on? They should come on the lower speed and run continuously.

Reply to
Woodchuck

Yes, I will check this soon. I think it's related to this.. thanks

sc

Reply to
Scott C

General troubleshooting here:

It's either a thermo/fan not coming on or the A/C compressor has a problem, like a bind or something of that nature which is causing excessive load on the engine.

Does the engine slow down A LOT and stay that way or sound like it is struggling when you first switch the A/C on? Any strange rattling noises or similar? If so, the compressor is loading the engine down.

More than likely it's a thermo or the fan motor is bad. I saw one on a Dodge Caravan where the blade itself was loose on the shaft and at idle it appeared that the fan was spinning fine with the A/C on. However when driving the blade would slip on the shaft and the car would overheat. That was a cute one :)

Good luck

Reply to
psycho_pastrami

I have done some checking..

- When cold, and the AC is turned on, no fans come on.

- When warm and the AC is turned on, the fans come on, but on and off, not on 'low' as I thought they would.

- I made sure the radiator fluid was filled - it was empty when the car overheated - when I saw it - not know if it was empty at 1st which may have caused the overheat??

- I drove the car after the above checks and all worked fine! AC on the complete time, drove about 30 miles, no issues.

Not sure what to think at this point.

************ I'd like to know from someone with a VR6 ... when your car is cold, in the AM, and you turn the AC on, do the fans come on? (radiator water / fluid would be still cold).. ******************

Thanks

Scott

Reply to
Scott C

Reply to
Woodchuck

Here's the next 2 tests you must do which I think will give you what's wrong.

1- pop open the cover on the battery top and check the green 30amp fuse. They had a habit of melting down at the fuse terminals. Pull the fuse out and look. If it's ok and has voltage see next step.

2-Check for voltage on both fan motors red/white wire! The fans have an internal resistor and the fans should run on the low speed with the AC on. If you have voltage on the wires then the fans are faulty, if you have no voltage then the problem may be the fan control module.

Reply to
Woodchuck

Ok I see :)

Thanks for the information!

The concept is the same though which is why I said general troubleshooting.

Something has to tell the fans to turn on when the A/C comes on, that was my point. Either a thermo, body control module or an A/C predict line to the computer or like you said the fan control module (sounds expensive!!).

Either they are not being told to come on, don't come on when told to or there is something mechanical loading the engine down so the fans can't cool it quick enough.

Reading his latest message though, the loss of coolant would worry me.

Did it boil over?

He said he pulled right over when it started to overheat so I wonder if the system was low before the overheat or as a result of it.

I'd keep a close eye on the coolant level, along with the temp gauge for a few weeks if it were me.

Do the fans cycle with the A/C on or do they stay on at the same speed all the time when the A/C is selected? psycho

Reply to
psycho_pastrami

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I have checked the fuses, 1st thing I thought of given the symptoms, they are all fine, used an ohm meter to check.

Where is the harness where I find the red/white wires? For sure my fans do not run on low unless the water temp is past some point, then the fans kick in. DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE the fans should run even if the water temp is cold? This answer will help me - if you know for sure. A book I have indicated they should with the AC on, but does not indicate if it's also related to the water temp.

Thanks

sc

Reply to
Scott C

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

According to VESIS, the cooling fans should start everytime the Air Conditioner is activated by the dashboard switch or the Climatronic control module. Failure to do so generally points to a fault with the fan control module. The fans should run regardless of engine, coolant or air temperature.

- Peter

Reply to
Peter Cressman

The connector which has the wires in it is located on the left side of the radiator. Just below the battery. I'm doing the same repair today on a customers car.

Reply to
Woodchuck

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