[DallasToyo]

Attention all experts:

On my 96 LE v6 the fan on right(passenger) side of the engine comes on as I turn the key to start the engine(even when the engine is not on it runs with key turn).
A friend told me whoever had it before bypassed the fan relay and just hooked it straight up to the switch so it comes on like that.[BTW the engine runs smoothly otherwise].

My question is: Is this going to damage the engine, especially in cold weather, in the long run? Should I leave it like that or is there a fix I could do?

Thanks guys.

 

[RningOnFumes]

other than taking longer to warm up initially, i don't think there will be any concern

 

[JetspeedCamry]

It won't really cause eny damage, but it gets really annoying. Mine does it sometimes.
This fix is, to remove the relay that controls that fan, and tap it a few times. Then pop it back in and see what happens. Fixes mine everytime

 

[Knailgun]

no damage...just noisy, mine does it to, on a sidenote though, I would question the friend on his justification, because should he forget to flip the switch...voila...overheating

 

[Mike Gerber]

It will also shorten the life of the blower motor. It is an electric motor and the brushes will eventually wear down.

Mike

 

[DallasToyo]

It will also shorten the life of the blower motor. It is an electric motor and the brushes will eventually wear down.

Mike

Is this an expensive part?

 

[Mike Gerber]

Is this an expensive part?

I would guess around $100 for an aftermarket rebuilt unit. That's allowing that you could install it yourself. It's not a hard job, if you don't mind lying on your back under the passenger side of the dash for a while. It's pretty intuitive as far as what has to be removed to replace it.

It's probably a lot cheaper and easier to just locate that relay and replace it.

Mike

 

[marc780]

Yeah just change the fan switch. its obviously stuck on. you dont want the fan running all the time like he said, it will lower your gas mileage and wear the fan out too soon and you will be changing that too, along with the switch you will have to change anyway.

 

[azz419]

under the passenger side of the dash???? hahahaha. I assume you are talking about the RADIATOR fans? More than likely the relay is not pulling in, this is a fail-safe in case the relay stops working, power is used to keep the fan OFF until it's needed. If it has been tampered with then either the relay will be getting no power or it has been removed and the fan terminals shorted. No big deal in any case. I would try belting the relay see if that works.

 

[DallasToyo]

under the passenger side of the dash???? hahahaha. I assume you are talking about the RADIATOR fans? More than likely the relay is not pulling in, this is a fail-safe in case the relay stops working, power is used to keep the fan OFF until it's needed. If it has been tampered with then either the relay will be getting no power or it has been removed and the fan terminals shorted. No big deal in any case. I would try belting the relay see if that works.

Yes I'm talking about the radiator fan located on the right(passenger) side of the front of the V6 engine! When you turn the ignition key on right before you start the car(when all the dummy lights come on) the fan starts working(without the engine being started) and stays on at all times. I tried removing the relay to no avail. it's definitely been shorted out to stay on(probably an easy way out to keep from fixing the relay by the first owner).

 

[Mike Gerber]

Yes I'm talking about the radiator fan located on the right(passenger) side of the front of the V6 engine! When you turn the ignition key on right before you start the car(when all the dummy lights come on) the fan starts working(without the engine being started) and stays on at all times. I tried removing the relay to no avail. it's definitely been shorted out to stay on(probably an easy way out to keep from fixing the relay by the first owner).

Sorry for my other post. I misread your original post. I don't know why I was thinking the passenger compartment fan.

You could refer to the wiring diagram in the generation 3 manual at the top of this forum. Just work backwards from the fan itself and see if you can locate the problem.

Mike

 

[azz419]

I would simply trace the wiring from the fan, taking notw of the colour, to where it has been tampered with.There are a number of fan relays, make sure you pulled the right one. ALso, the Thermotime switch on the thermostat housing must be plugged in and functioning. This switch will only have one wire in it. It shorts this contact to earth when cold to hold the relay energised and keep the fan off. When it gets hot, the switch goes open circuit and the relay drops out, allowing the fan to rotate, obviously if the switch is faulty or the wire is dicsonnected, the fans will rotate as soon as the ignition on. This should help you trace the wiring and find the problem

 

[DallasToyo]

Thanks AZZ, I'll try that.

 

[DallasToyo]

Well I traced the red wire which seems to bypass the relay and if I disconnect it the fan is totally disabled. I took the relay out and reinstalled it to no avail.
I guess it's back to the dealer for me.