Thanks geg- I have thought that there very well could be a short in the wires somewhere. I'm going to investigate that possibility when I have more time, probably on Sunday this week.

 

Either the fan motor is shot (which has happened to others, so not that rare) or wiring.... That blown fuse you found originally is a tell-tail sign that there is a problem.

 

My 08 SS is doing the exact same thing. It runs fine with the AC on high while driving. When I stop, the air gets warm and the engine gets hot. I noticed yesterday that the fan is not turning on at all. I checked the fuse, but can't figure out which relay goes to it. None of my relays mention the fan

 

cooling fan relay is location 50 in under hood fues box. fuse is location 40 also in under hood fuse box. All in the book nobody reads, THE OWNER MANUAL

 

My 40 & 50 are empty

 

Based on a few HHR's with the same problem it's the wires to the fan. I replaced the fan and the new fan worked for a day and the temp started climbing again. I found burnt connectors and wires right under the engine. It looks like cheep junk connectors and poor attachment of the wires to the connectors. I cut the wires and hard wired the fan, it works well. If the fan runs with a direct connect, jump it for a day or so if it keeps working then its bad wires...

 

My understanding is the fan should run when the AC is on regardless of engine temp, at least mine does. Without the AC on, though, it will not kick in until 217 or so, so the 208 or 209 you are seeing is not going to be a problem for the engine. Of course if the fan will not ever kick in, you could exceed safe temps pretty easly. Time to get the car to a shop with the right test equipment, IMO. Seems the dealer should be able to help you out here.

 

Yes the fan runs when the a/c is on. It cools the evaporator.

 

I opened a new thread with all the details about how I have tried to fix my electric fan issue and it seems this is not an unusual problem. Does anyone have a copy of the wiring diagram for the fan? I am wondering if my ECM is beginning to fail. I assume the ECM is in control of regulating whether the conditions warrant the fans operation and have not seen a spike in amps when the temp begins to climb over 210 degrees. Before spending $60 on an ECM though, I would like to rule out any other culprits, thus a wiring diagram would be wunderbar!

 

Temp problems will generate an error code (Check Engine Light). If you have verified that the fan is working, the 30 Amp fuse (Port 40) and Relay (Port 50) in the under hood fuse box are good, but the fan still will not run, you will need to reset the error code before it will work again. Disconnect the Negative terminal from the battery and then depress the brake for approximately 15 or 20 seconds. Reconnect the Negative terminal to the battery and fire the engine. The Check Engine Light should now be off. Turn on the A/C and drive it around the block a few times. Leave it running after parking, open the hood, and check to verify that the fan is now running. The temp should stay below 200 (F) if it is running.