jasguer

Hi everyone. I have a 2006 HHR LT. Earlier today I noticed that the temp was climbing up while in stop and go traffic. It hit 208 degrees and I got a little worried, but thought it was just the combination of the traffic and the heat. The whole way home on the interstate the temp didn't get any higher than 192 and was usually at 190.

When I got home, I popped the hood and noticed that the fan wasn't running. I pulled the fuse and noticed that it was blown. I replaced the fuse and the fan still didn't work. I pulled the relay and being ignorant as I was pulled the Crank/Run relay and put it in the fan relay slot. Of course with the Crank/Run relay missing it wouldn't start, but I replaced the crank/run relay with the relay that was originally in the cooling fan slot and it started right up.

So, as far as I can tell both the relay and the fuse are good. I unplugged the fan and connected two wires directly to the fan. I grounded it to the body and hooked the other wire directly to the battery terminal and the fan spun right up. The only other thing that I can think of is that there is a short somewhere but none of the conduit appears to be damaged at all. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

843de

to the forum jasguer!

You might still have a fan motor that's failing, even thought it spun up fine when powered straight from the battery, it might be using enough current to blow the fuse because of increased resistance in the motor itself.

As an experiment, replace the fuse with a new one of the proper rating and see if it blows promptly. You might also have a loose connection in the harness that's also giving you a higher resistance and popping the fuse.

Did the fan spin freely by hand, any noise while it was running like a dried out bearing?

jasguer

Thanks for your response. Before I tried hooking it up directly I spun the fan and there was no noticeable resistance and I didn't hear any sound while turning it by hand. I replaced the fuse and let it run for a while until the temp reached 196. The fan didn't turn on and the fuse was still good.

Greybeard999

The fan probably won't run at that low a temp anyways.

843de

Try engaging the A/C and checking if the fan is running, the fan will/is supposed to run while the A/C is selected to keep adequate airflow through the condenser and radiator. 196 degrees is a bit too low for fan engagement just on a engine temperature basis.

jasguer

I drove home with the AC on and from what I was able to tell, the fan didn't kick on. If I stopped at a red light the temp would creep up, 208 was the highest that I saw. We're about to get a thunderstorm here otherwise I would go back out and check again. But I'm almost certain that the fan did not turn on at all. I've never actually paid much attention to the engine time. It's one of those things where I glance at occasionally to see if it's an oddly high number. I've never actually paid attention to what is "normal".

Snoopy

AS others have stated, the fan does not run unless the A/C is engaged OR you operate at temperatures higher than about 215. Is this your condition?

We responded simultaneously.....But, start the car and TURN ON THE A/C. Lift the hood and see if the fan is running.

843de

208 is not too high believe it or not, you can see them creep up to 210-220 at times in traffic on very hot days, but that's not to say you don't have something going on. 190-192 on the highway is pretty much were these things run, when you get a chance in the morning fire it up and punch the A/C, it the fan isn't engaging then you have some more investigating to do. Keep us posted as to what you find.

geg

I think:
1. If the fuse has blown up - so sharply risen voltage in the power supply of the fan. Surge voltage - a sure sign of a short circuit.
2. Fan in working order (engine of fan is running), the fuse box in working order - problem between them. Between them, only the wire.

Short circuit in the wires - it is very possible. There are situations where the wire has no external injuries, but the copper streak was broken inside the insulation. Replace the wires (it should not be expensive) and test the car.

As for the engine temperature.
Until recently I had a little antifreeze in my radiator. I noticed that my fan was included in 4 - 7 minutes after the start of the engine on the vehicle is stationary. Last week I brought the level of antifreeze to a normal state, I am convinced - there is no only 2 liters.
I think if you find a way to cast a 2 - 3 liters of coolant from the radiator, fan testing easier. Upon completion of the test, antifreeze can bring back into the radiator.

jasguer

Started my car today and turned the AC on. The fan did not start at all. Just to make sure, I drove to work, the temp didn't go over 192 until I pulled into the parking lot. As soon as I stopped the temp started to creep up. I turned the AC on again and popped the hood and still no fan. This makes me wish thing were as simple as the '68 Buick Skylark that I used to have where the fan was driven directly by the engine with no electrical components involved at all.