Just bought a '90 RT4WD civic wagon and noticed the fan is not kicking on at HOT temp (hot as in hit's the mark right below the H on temp gauge and still doesnt kick on) It's weird cause just the other day i drove it more than 60 miles and it didnt overheat or have any problems. I have checked the fan relay and its good as well as the cooling fan fuse. What other things should i look for??

-BOTH FANS DO KICK ON WHEN I TURN ON THE A/C!!

 

check for low coolant, and test the thermo fan switch on the back of the block. also, make sure the wiring is all good

 

I'll second the testing of the fan switch on the back of the block.. they fail all the time. You may just buy a new one and swap it out.. i don't think they are too expensive.

Both fans SHOULD kick on when you turn your AC on.. the AC system bypasses the temp switch for the normal fan. atleast at this point you know both the fans are working.

The car didn't overheat on the drive because the EF has a huge radiator compared with the engine size, so moving through the air at any reasonable speed will be enough to cool the car. I drove for a full summer without a working radiator fan in my younger, more foolish days, and only got pretty warm 1 time when i was in a drivethrough line for an extended period of time.

 

Alright. I will make sure to give it a check. It's just weird to me cause the coolant is clean and the level is right on the mark! So I'd just think it has to be that switch then..

lol. Thanks for the info man. Yes, I was quite glad to know both fans were still working at least. This makes a whole lot of sense cause the wago only starts to overheat whenever im at a stand still for a couple mins or letting warm up. Is the fan switch hard to get to? I have no idea where it is, but i figure it would be in the general location of the thermostat housing some place..

 

The fan switch is located on the back of the block near the oil filter.
its the sensor with two wires coming off of it.

 

jsut go to the back of the block and get the two cables that go into the block for the fan.

cut the ends off and connect them. and your fan will always be on..

thats what i did to mine.

idk if you would liek to do that to yours..

 

yea i dont recommend rigging your fan to run all the time. it will burn the motor out over time. fix the fan switch/wiring/relay, whatever the problem is, and get it working the way it was designed to again.

 

those fans are a dime a dozen.

 

Your method is super ghetto.

How hard is it to replace the sensor? really....C'mon

 

its not that its gettoh. but this about this.

if your really pushing you engine all the time. might as well have the fan on. i've had it like this for a year already and it works fine especially with the extra heat that a turbo makes^_^

 

I wont be "pushing" this motor at all. Just want it to run smooth and be reliable. Im just gonna stick with replacing the fan switch and go from there

 

then yeahts thats probably the way to go

 

If the car is heating up, jump the terminals by sticking a paper clip in between the two wires, if the fan kicks on the switch is bad

 

Ill keep this in mind when i get around to checking it!

 

so im guessing you solved your overheating problem.
can you help me was it the switch.?
i have all the same symptoms as you had?
help pls.
change the switch and were good to go?

 

Easier than his ghetto rig idea.

 

how do you replace the thermo switch on the back of the block?
its so hard,i tried and failed.
cant get the rubber tubing out with the two wires on it?help pls

 

anyone,please help
need her running healthy as can be.
how do you replace the thermoswitch?
can someone tell me step by step on how to jump the fan motor?
paperclip and wires?

 

it's a large socket and the whole thing unscrews.
whatever you do, don't rig the fan to come on all the time...and don't use a toggle switch unless it's connected to the relay!!

 

no but the rubber thing around it with the two wires connected to it is like warped to the engine block,i pull and pull and pull and its still stuck..

 

eat some spinach and pull harder...it will come off eventually

 

aha turns out it was the fan motor.replacin it tmr,hopefully all goes well.
goin to play some ball later men