I apologize as i know this has been in many posts before, and i have tried everything mentioned in all of them. My 98 civic cooling fan is not kicking on. Tested the relay, jumpered the fan motor directly, tested the thermostat, checked fuses and replaced the coolant temp switch. Fan kicks on when i do the paperclip trick on the coolant temp switch connector. I went through 3 thermostats until i finally got one at opened correctly. Fan still will not turn on unless i bypass the switch. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

If you can activate the cooling fan by jumping the fan switch on the thermostat housing (using your paperclip trick), then EVERYTHING in the system works electrically. Your problem is one of TWO things: Bad thermostat or bad fan switch. If you haven't replaced them with GENUINE OE parts, then do so. The OE thermostat has a very specific weep hole size that helps to fill the area around the fan switch base. Remember that the fan will not likely come on until the coolant temperature reaches 201 to 205' F. From a cold start, this can take up to 45 minutes or more depending on the outside temperature when idling.

 

when you say overheating, does the gauge go all the way up? The fan wont kick on untill the gauge is over 3/4 up . Depending on the weather, that could take a while. Last week the temps here didnt go over 10degrees F. The temp gauge on the dash never went above 1/2 and I never heard the fan turn on