cooling fan doesn't turn on in 1990 jeep cherokee laredo?

M

mykee

New member
i've been having some overheating problems with my jeep. we replaced everything that could be the problem, and the problem has mostly diminished.

however, it still runs a little hot, and we think its because one of the fans (facing towards the car, the one on the right) doesn't turn on.

oddly enough, when we were trying to re-park the car and it was pretty sideways (not enough to tip, but getting there), the fan kicked in. we repositioned the car at a more even level, and the fan turned off.

does the fan come on randomly when the car gets too hot, to cool things down, or is something loose/ajar that is causing the fan to only turn on under strange circumstances?
 
Check the bolts that hold the fan in place. Something is loose. Get it checked again. Open the hood and with the vehicle shut down, shake the fan and anything near it, if you feel something loose or the fan shakes, your missing a bolt or you need to tight a loose bolt.
 
The fan goes on and off as it's needed. It's controlled by a thermo switch and a relay. Either of those can go bad and keep the fan from doing what it's supposed to. Do not let the engine overheat- it can be seriously damaged and repair will cost you dearly- got a spare thousand you don't need? It's easiest to replace a fan relay. Thermoswitches are a litle more expensive and come off with a wrench. These things you can fix for less than $100 yourself. Be sure you have enough coolant in the radiator. Look carefully at the water pump to make sure it doesn't leak - usually old ones start leaking under the shaft, through a weephole when their seal wears out.
 
Does this have the inline 6, if so then it likely has a viscious clutch that has some sort of fluid that thickens with the higher temp and thins out when it is cool, this will likely be the problem.
 
It should turn on and off with the temperature of the engine. Usually the Jeep engines have a fan that is driven off the engine and have an internal clutch that activates with temperature changes. Try replacing the clutch in the fan.
 
There is a sensor that tells the fan to come on to cool the fluid in the radiator. This prevents the fan from running when it's extremely cold out and when you are at high speeds. Get a hayne's manual or chilton's and it will tell you where the sensor is. Another option is to get a switch and relay and connect the fan to the relay, so you control the fan, not the sensor. Not that difficult to install if you have a common knowledge of electrical.
 
There is a sensor that tells the fan to come on to cool the fluid in the radiator. This prevents the fan from running when it's extremely cold out and when you are at high speeds. Get a hayne's manual or chilton's and it will tell you where the sensor is. Another option is to get a switch and relay and connect the fan to the relay, so you control the fan, not the sensor. Not that difficult to install if you have a common knowledge of electrical.
 
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