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Cooling Fan Not Running Again

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Old May 20, 2023 | 04:51 PM
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RetroHHR2020's Avatar
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Cooling Fan Not Running Again

i am having cooling fan issues again. First time it turned out it needed a new fan and also seemed to have a short somewhere in the pigtail connector. Around this time AC had also crapped out.

Got a new fan, thought wiring was fixed and later got ac recharged - about a year or 2 ago or so.

Then a couple months ago the ac stopped cooling and also realized fan wasn't running...ever... in the past occassionally lifting/playing a little with the wiring seemed to get it to come back on but then go off if you went over a bump or something - thus the short in the wire theory.

I removed the strange extension someone had put on at some point - think it was the ac guy - and rechecked that the original connector didn't have a short - or if it does - it's way up in the harness bundle somewhere that will be impossible to get at - and also seems very unlikely place for a wire to break.

When mine was working properly it would be running at a much lower temperature - in the 180s for sure. So when it is working normally, my engine temp [once warmed up] would stay between 178 and 190. now that it's summer in florida again, in traffic, the car regularly creeps up to 200-220 range depending on how much stop n go there is. Once rolling - the faster the better, it air-cools back down to the 180s-190s. Also without AC again too so both of us are getting a bit overheated.
donbrew mentioned the cooling fan and 219 degrees in another recent post? Oh, and yes, the analog gauge is worthless, only rely on the digital info display.


The coolant level is fine. I Originally thought mine had a short in the connector that goes to the fan. seems that's not the case. Fuse and relay in box are good. However, when car is on, ac turned on (or off for that matter) I don't get a continuity confirmation with the ohm meter when i put the leads on the two prongs of the fusebox with the 30A pink fuse removed - whereas if i randomly pick another fuse to check (removing fuse) i do get a positive reading. Same with the larger relay - when you put the leads on the rigtht two holes, you get a positive read.

Would it be possible that there is a burn out/short in the fuse box on the 30A cooling fan fuse? I hate electrical stuff since I'm not schooled in it.

I have considered installing a on/off toggle switch and attaching directly between the fan and the battery + post and the - shock tower but that seems like a dumb workaround for the time being. Also, would prefer to bring the switch inside the car somewhere, but where?
Old May 20, 2023 | 05:39 PM
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There is a AC diode #9 . AC clutch relay #15 AC fuse #22. Check the fan relay #50, fuse #40. HVAC fuse #16 on the BCM
You might try tightening the 3 bolts in the fuse box, or remove them and pull it apart; looking for burned contacts. The bolts need to be tightened past "I am afraid they will strip out".
I suspect that previous wiring was some cowboy doing the toggle switch thing.
The fan should run if the compressor is running or when the temp reaches 219F then it shuts off when it cools to 180F. "Normal" temp is 189F.
The fan fuse should be hot at all times. The AC won't run if the circulating fan is not on, there is a signal from the speed selector switch to the BCM
Old May 20, 2023 | 06:24 PM
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Bolts werent as tight aa they could be.
the ac diode doesnt have ohm
continuity when i pull it and test it[should it?] but the box does.
#36 is not hot - no voltage reading and no continuity

if i pull the whole box should i disconnect the battery first? Also any tips on getting it apart- i thought i read it doesnt separate easily
Old May 20, 2023 | 06:56 PM
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Originally Posted by RetroHHR2020
Bolts werent as tight aa they could be.
the ac diode doesnt have ohm
continuity when i pull it and test it[should it?] but the box does.
#36 is not hot - no voltage reading and no continuity

if i pull the whole box should i disconnect the battery first? Also any tips on getting it apart- i thought i read it doesnt separate easily
Diode will read open in one direction and have low resistance in the other.
Old May 20, 2023 | 07:34 PM
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2006 owner manual shows #36 as empty, so sounds correct.

Here's some notes when I removed my fuse block, should answer some questions about disassembly. https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/prob...e5/#post888129

If you decide to disassemble the fuse block, you'll probably want to remove all 4 inner bolts, so all the wire bundles are disconnected from the top of the fuse block.
Old May 20, 2023 | 08:03 PM
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Originally Posted by RJ_RS_SS_350
2006 owner manual shows #36 as empty, so sounds correct.

Here's some notes when I removed my fuse block, should answer some questions about disassembly. https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/prob...e5/#post888129

If you decide to disassemble the fuse block, you'll probably want to remove all 4 inner bolts, so all the wire bundles are disconnected from the top of the fuse block.
I'm sorry, I meant #40 where the pink 30A cooling fan fuse goes, not #36.

thanks for the link - i recall reading that over a long ways back thinking i hope i don't ever have to bother doing that
Old May 23, 2023 | 01:29 PM
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so just to clarify, fuse #40 should always be hot showing 12v?
also, if the box is bad on fuse 40 there is it a fix or replace situation?
Old May 23, 2023 | 01:40 PM
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Yes, #40 is "hot at all times ". You probed both sides of the fuse?

You said the fuse has no continuity, so that would be a bad fuse.
Old May 23, 2023 | 02:17 PM
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Originally Posted by RJ_RS_SS_350
Yes, #40 is "hot at all times ". You probed both sides of the fuse?

You said the fuse has no continuity, so that would be a bad fuse.
sorry for confusion, no, the fuse itself is fine - also had a spare. but after pulling the fuse and checking the connections on the fuse box - that is where there is no voltage showing, that's why i want to know before i try taking the top of the fuse box off to look see, if this sort of problem is a pull and replace or fixable.
It's getting so damn hot out now, i'm not looking forward to another summer without AC
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