Cooling Problems

I have a 95 saturn SW1 with an automatic transmission. when i purchased
this car, the cooling fan didnt work, and it wasnt a problem in the
winter, but now that it's getting hotter out, i decided to fix it, so i
replaced the relay, and the coolant temperature sensor, which were both
broken, and the fan works, but only when it gets VERY hot, like all the
way to the white line just before the red. i was wondering if this was
a problem with my pcm, or what else it could be.

 

It seem to be the norm as GM has it get hotter than I would. If you
have AC the fan defaults to on when ever the AC is on regardless of
engine temp. You could install a amnual overide switch if you want
too.

 

The fan comes on at about 220 degrees. You can use a scantool to to see
when it actually comes on at a given temp.

 

It come on a lot hotter than that on my daughters car, It is well over
230 on a scan tool and they told me it was normal for that car.

 

This is normal. It's not any problem with the car or cooling system, it's a
problem with how they made the gauge look to the driver. As long as the fan
engages prior to the needle being in the red, all should be fine. If you're
overly concerned, any good garage can plug into the car and monitor the
temperature that it gets to prior to the fan coming on. This can be
compared to the specification for the car listed in the factory service
manual.

A tip - make sure the plastic air dam is still on the car under the
radiator. It plays a big part in cooling (even when the fan isn't running).
Over time, it can disappear from the car often without a driver knowing
since it is only held on by 2 flimsy springs.

Lane [ lane (at) evilplastic.com ]

 

I agree with the previous posters, but would comment that my cars do not
normally indicate temps in the upper part of the gauge even when fully
loaded in the mountains and my lower plastic air dams have been missing for
years and I also have wire mesh in front of the rad to protect from gravel
damage. I do live in southern Canada, do not have AC, and have also not had
the common heat related problems with alternators and batteries.

YMMV