This is for a 96 Honda Accord EX 4cylinder. The radiator fan isn't working. I'd asked about this once a while ago. People on here thought it was the motor as did I. Anyway, we never got around to checking it until last night. It seems that if you connect a wire from the battery to the plug that it works. So it seems like it's some kind of switch or something that's bad. Any idea's on what is bad on this thing? If it was the motor it wouldn't work when connected directly to the battery either correct?

 

could be a bad sensor.. why do you think its not working?

 

its the switch, ive heard this as an answer many times.

 

I know it's not working because the car will get hot and overheat and the fan never comes on. It does okay although sometimes gets a little warm in normal traffic. However, we have a place in the mountains where you go several miles up steep hills on a gravel road where you have to go slow. When you do this it starts getting hot as normal and when normally the fan would kick on to pull air in the fan never comes on.

 

How hard is this to change? Do you have any idea what the part # of what I need is? Or is it just the switch for the radiator fan?

 

Turn on the AC to full blast cool; if you check the wiring diagram, that generally shorts a relay that forces both fans on. If the fan spins you know the wiring and fan are good.

If one fan moves and the other doesn't, check fuses, wiring, relay and ECM. You've got a problem.

The ECM manages the fans based on input from the temperature sensor; if it isn't setting a code the temperature sensor is probably fine although there are instances when the sensor is bad and sending signals such that the ECM can't assume its bad and won't pop a code.

Spin the fans with your hand; if they feel hard to spin they're toast. If they spin free, they're good.

Otherwise, The relay (switch) is bad. As far as where its location and part#, hit an autozone and grab a Haynes manual.

 

With A/C on only the A/C fan spins. If you jump the radiator fan to the battery it spins fine. So this tells me the motor and fan are fine. So it seems like it would be one of the other things. Only been a few weeks since we ran the codes and I didn't see one for the fan. The check engine light stays on for EGR flow insufficent even though I replaced the EGR valve. I've just never done anything about it and left that light on. I need to scan it again though I guess. When it was last scanned was when we were looking for this problem. So it's not throwing a code that I know of. Is the relay going to be in the fuse box with the rest of them? Or is it hidden somewhere? I need to get a manual but don't have time to do it today.

 

Also where is the sensor that tells the ECM what the temperature is? Is it the same one under the distributor that tells the temerature gauge what to read? Or is it different from that?

 

if your gonna get a manual get a clinton i got one and its the best repair manual out there

 

I'm having the same problem, its with a 2001 civic ex tho, but today my car started to smoke so I pulled it over to check it out. I believe the smoke was the radiator reserve tank hose, I think it was glued on or something. I reattached that with a hose clamp. After putting water in the radiator and letting it cool I noticed that none of the fans were working. I replaced one of the switches and the A/C fan worked fine. I jumped the radiator fan and it works fine now, but its slow. I bought the motor but I wanted to check here first before doing anything, and I see that you guys are saying its not the motor so . Also there's currently water in it but I have coolant on hand.

I guess I have two question, should I just return the motor and whats the problem?

This is how my car tells me happy birthday

And sorry for bumming off your thread.

 

GREEN= ECT(engine coolant temperature sensor) tells the ECU whats the temperature of the car for things like vtec or IACV sensors.........
YELLOW= gauge temp sensor....send the cluster a ground signal so the needle goes up or down......this sensor doesnt tell the ECU NOTHING!!
BLACK= radiator fan switch.....this is the one that triggers the relay so the RADIATOR(not the A/C FAN) will cut on

check these sensor....they are easy to locate and easy to replace...and all hondas have them so get them from a newer F22

 

I replaced the black one. Just turned it on and the needle stayed at cool, so I guess I have to replace that now, unless the engine is just that damn cold :l

 

I just re-wired it and it works fine now. I hope you get yours fixed home.

 

Thanks I hope so too. I just haven't had time to mess with it anymore. I'm super busy and probably will be for a few more weeks at least with work and class. Hard to get anything else done when I'm working on school stuff all the time.

 

Is that one circled in black there the one on the t-stat housing or on the water outlet? It's listing one for both places on both Napa and Advances site. Are there two switches?

 

I took that switch off and jumped it and it still wont come on. Is there another switch somewhere? I also can't get the A/C fan to work anymore. It does however start clicking and the motor bogging way down trying to get one of them spinning but I don't know if that's the A/C fan or the radiator one. If I jump the one on the drivers side to the battery it fires right up. However, I can't get it to fire up any other way. Is there another switch other than that one circled above?

Also which side is the A/C fan and which is the radiator? Is the radiator one on the drivers side?

 

Check the #21(20A), #34(15A) fuse and Radiator Fan Relay. All the three are in Under-hood Fuse/relay box.

A/C fan is on the driver's side.

 

I forgot to mention I also took the switch circled in black off. Well unplugged it and took a jumper wire to jump the wiring together to bypass the switch and that didn't seem to do any good.

I'm just at a loss here. The look fine but I will check them again.

So it's the A/C fan that works if hooked to the battery then and the radiator one they got working before when they messed with it without me. However, I can't get it to work. They said that it worked but spun slow. They sprayed WD40 on it and said it then worked fine.

Is there a way to make these things come on without waiting for it to get hot so I can do some testing?

 

Are you sure the one on the drivers side is the A/C fan? Anyway, the one on the drivers side works great if you hook it up directly to the battery but I can't get it to come on anyway else. The one on the passenger side doesn't work at all even if connected straight to the battery. What's the easiest way to remove the fan motor? Do I need to remove the fan? If so what's the best way to get to the lower bolts?

 

The a/c fan is on the driver's side. When you turn the a/c on and a/c system has right pressure, both fans should run and the compressor clutch should engage.
The easiest way to reach the lower bolts is to reach it from the bottom after removing the splash shield

 

Well, got the radiator fan out. The motor seems to be dead on it. Sucks that the bolts for the motor well screws are stripped and I can't get them out. I'm going to try to go find a motor tonight somewhere like Advance and throw it on since I don't know when I will get time to work on it again.

I don't know why the A/C fan wont come on since the fan works. Any ideas as to why it wont come on? I hope this radiator one will work after I get a motor for it.

 

Well I got a motor from Advance but it won't fit in the shroud. The listed 2 options buut neither will work. the one on the assenger side is 100% for sure the radiator fan right?

 

Yes, I am 100% sure the radiator fan is on passenger side. You need to work on the fans one by one.

Lets start from the radiator fan. Make sure the fan can fun by jumping to battery. Then, check the #21(20A), #34(15A) fuse and Radiator Fan Relay. All the three are in Under-hood Fuse/relay box. Check the ECT A

 

Ok thanks. The fan on the passenger side has a bad motor. I know this because I hooked it straight to the battery and can't get it to work at all. I also checked the plug with my meter and it's sending power out right to the fan. So I know its giving the fan power. It just seems like it came on when I turned the A/C on even if it was on low. That's why I wondered if it really was the radiator fan. I've tried to get a motor at Autozone and Advance Auto but neither of the ones they list fit. I may try Napa and Fishers tomorrow and if they don't have one I may have to get it from the dealer.

I checked the relays and fuses for the cooling fan but like I said that plug is getting power right where you plug it into the fan motor.
The fan on the drivers side I'm not really worrying about right now but I know it has a good motor as when I hooked it up to the battery directly it spins right up. It's not getting power at the plug so a switch or something is bad somewhere for that. Which A/C switches are common to go bad?