I was going to lunch today, drove to subway with the windows down "its like 80 outside today" I get back and decide to sit in the car and eat. So I turn on the AC and its just blowing air, I'm think It needs to be recharged? so I run over to Napa to see how much a recharge kit cost. I get back and shut my car off, As soon as I get out the car starts to over heat. its flowing out of the over flow tank. Any ideas? I made sure there wasnt any leaks on the intake?
over heating problem
- Thread starter hskrs10
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RedDaemon
10 Year Member
RedDaemon
10 Year Member
i dont mean Air as in a/c. i dont know a whole lot about the cooling system however i would not try anything with the coolant system until the car cools off.
perhaps Handz can chime in. he is having difficulties with his coolant system at the moment. maybe he can give you some advice.
i will not speculate any further that what i have as i dont know much about it and dont want to give false information
The relay is in a module called a CCRM. It is a box located in the right (passenger) fender well. The relays are generally not replaceable so you would need to replace the whole module. Sometimes it goes bad but rarely. Test the fan first to see if it is running.
There is a series of tests you can do to narrow down the problem.
There is a series of tests you can do to narrow down the problem.
topless98gt
Adhesive Feces
My most recent overheating problem was my fan wires/connector. Does your fan come on 100% of the time? If not, ground the fan to the battery to see if the fan is any good.
My other overheating problems and how I fixed them were:
* Fan relays in PCM/CCRM went bad. I replaced the module and it was good to go. (~$200)
* Heater core was leaking. I used Bar's Stop Leak and the problem went away, and has been gone for about 2 years now. (~$10, 15 minutes)
* Thermostat went bad. I replaced the thermostat. I recommend a 180° thermostat if you live in a hot area (~$8, 2 minutes)
* Coolant Temperature Sensor broke. I replaced the sensor and all was good. (~$35)
Other problems could be:
* Radiator cap is bad. Replace the radiator cap.
* Radiator gets really dirty and crappy, inside and out, causing circulation and heat exchange to be poor. Replace the radiator.
* Fan cycles are not kicking in when they are supposed to. Check the fan, and then all sensors and relays that trigger it.
* Coolant mix is incorrect. Adjust accordingly by adding either water or coolant.
* Air in the lines. Burp the system. Easiest way to fill the system with coolant is by jacking up the nose of the car and adding coolant until it takes no more.
* Head gasket is bad and is leaking exhaust fumes and gases into the coolant, thus raising temperatures. Replace the head gasket.
* Water pump is bad. The fins can get dirty and reduce water circulation. Replace the water pump.
My other overheating problems and how I fixed them were:
* Fan relays in PCM/CCRM went bad. I replaced the module and it was good to go. (~$200)
* Heater core was leaking. I used Bar's Stop Leak and the problem went away, and has been gone for about 2 years now. (~$10, 15 minutes)
* Thermostat went bad. I replaced the thermostat. I recommend a 180° thermostat if you live in a hot area (~$8, 2 minutes)
* Coolant Temperature Sensor broke. I replaced the sensor and all was good. (~$35)
Other problems could be:
* Radiator cap is bad. Replace the radiator cap.
* Radiator gets really dirty and crappy, inside and out, causing circulation and heat exchange to be poor. Replace the radiator.
* Fan cycles are not kicking in when they are supposed to. Check the fan, and then all sensors and relays that trigger it.
* Coolant mix is incorrect. Adjust accordingly by adding either water or coolant.
* Air in the lines. Burp the system. Easiest way to fill the system with coolant is by jacking up the nose of the car and adding coolant until it takes no more.
* Head gasket is bad and is leaking exhaust fumes and gases into the coolant, thus raising temperatures. Replace the head gasket.
* Water pump is bad. The fins can get dirty and reduce water circulation. Replace the water pump.
topless98gt
Adhesive Feces
Before replacing the CCRM, check to make sure that the coolant temp sensor hasn't gone bad. I believe it's located on the thermostat housing.
If you get desperate, you could always wire the fan to be always-on. I highly do not recommend this, but it can fix the overheating problem temporarily until you get it fixed/figured out.
If you get desperate, you could always wire the fan to be always-on. I highly do not recommend this, but it can fix the overheating problem temporarily until you get it fixed/figured out.
Wear and tear on the fan if it is running all the time will wind up costing you.
Do you have a voltage tester?
Do you have a voltage tester?
topless98gt
Adhesive Feces
Using a multimeter, you can test the relays inside of the CCRM. Rick, you know a little more about the CCRM than I do, so can you shed some light on which pins to jump to get the fan relay to trigger?
Hskrs10, the CCRM is located in the passenger fender well. It's easiest to get to if you remove the front passenger wheel and fender shroud. I believe it's a black box with a connector on one side.
Hskrs10, the CCRM is located in the passenger fender well. It's easiest to get to if you remove the front passenger wheel and fender shroud. I believe it's a black box with a connector on one side.
hskers...work through it like this.
If you have jumped the fan and it works fine then try these steps.
Some tech on the fan and CCRM:
The fan is a two speed and it is controlled by the PCM and the CCRM. There is a low speed relay and a high speed relay in the CCRM along with the AC relay. When the temp reaches 221+ degrees it will switch the fan on. The high speed comes on when the engines is hot and the AC is on.
Now to the testing:
Start the car and let it get to operating temp...about 5 minutes or when the temp needle gets to the high side of normal. The fan should come on...if not check the cooling fan fuse in the junction panel...the one under the hood.
If the fuse is OK then disconnect the electrical connector from the fan motor (use gloves...it is hot in there). There are 3 wires...a black ground wire, a red/orange wire (low speed) and an orange/light blue wire (high speed). Ground the volt meter to a chassis ground (I just put my black lead to the battery ground) and take the positive lead to the red/orange wire. If the engine is hot and the temp is above normal there should be battery voltage. With the engine still running turn on the AC and probe the orange/light blue wire. There should be voltage at that wire too.
Check the ground by switching to the ohms scale and probe the black wire of the connector to the chassis ground. There should be no more than 5 ohms. If it is higher trace the ground from the CCRM to the chassis ground to make sure it is good.
Reconnect the fan and see if it comes on...wiggle the connector to make sure it isn't shorting out or loose.
If you don't have voltage in either one of the steps above let me know and we can test the CCRM voltage...or you can do like me and get a Haynes manual and get the info I posted above from there.
I bought another CCRM thinking that was my problem but it turned out I had a loose electrical connector on the fan itself. Also the new fans are of a better design (pre 98) and they cool much better. If it turns out you need a CCRM let me know I we can work out a cheap deal on the extra I have.
I merged the two threads since they are related.
If you have jumped the fan and it works fine then try these steps.
Some tech on the fan and CCRM:
The fan is a two speed and it is controlled by the PCM and the CCRM. There is a low speed relay and a high speed relay in the CCRM along with the AC relay. When the temp reaches 221+ degrees it will switch the fan on. The high speed comes on when the engines is hot and the AC is on.
Now to the testing:
Start the car and let it get to operating temp...about 5 minutes or when the temp needle gets to the high side of normal. The fan should come on...if not check the cooling fan fuse in the junction panel...the one under the hood.
If the fuse is OK then disconnect the electrical connector from the fan motor (use gloves...it is hot in there). There are 3 wires...a black ground wire, a red/orange wire (low speed) and an orange/light blue wire (high speed). Ground the volt meter to a chassis ground (I just put my black lead to the battery ground) and take the positive lead to the red/orange wire. If the engine is hot and the temp is above normal there should be battery voltage. With the engine still running turn on the AC and probe the orange/light blue wire. There should be voltage at that wire too.
Check the ground by switching to the ohms scale and probe the black wire of the connector to the chassis ground. There should be no more than 5 ohms. If it is higher trace the ground from the CCRM to the chassis ground to make sure it is good.
Reconnect the fan and see if it comes on...wiggle the connector to make sure it isn't shorting out or loose.
If you don't have voltage in either one of the steps above let me know and we can test the CCRM voltage...or you can do like me and get a Haynes manual and get the info I posted above from there.
I bought another CCRM thinking that was my problem but it turned out I had a loose electrical connector on the fan itself. Also the new fans are of a better design (pre 98) and they cool much better. If it turns out you need a CCRM let me know I we can work out a cheap deal on the extra I have.
I merged the two threads since they are related.
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