Hi all,

I've searched these forums before and found a wealth of info towards fixing past problems, but for this one I had to register and see if anyone can help me figure out what's going on.

My wife's car runs fine for a while, then the temp will start to go up if we are in stop-n-go traffic a lot. It doesn't overheat, but it gets hot and the AC will either stop (but the blower keeps going) or it will cycle from normal to recirculating.

I have replaced all the relays, all three. I replaced the radiator cap because the old one was quite worn after 4 years and I think it was barely sealing. We had a few times we could see steam from under the hood. This has gone away with the new cap.

The two things I have not examined closely are the T-stat (which I can't even find), and the radiator fans themselves. Though last night when we parked, the I heard a fan still running and it ran a long time (which was unusual), so I opened the hood and noticed that the fan on the right (if looking from the front of the car towards the passenger compartment) was running, while the fan on the left was not. I don't know if this is normal. If the left fan is suppose to run and is not, then that would probably explain why the car overheats some. It gets hot, then we get moving and it stays in the middle and eventually cools a little.

I was told that it might be a good idea to get a multimeter and check power to the fans as the motor could be out or the sensor could be on the fritz. I purchased a Haynes guide to see how much I can do myself (we nearly got this car paid off and NOW it decides to have issues!) and will grab a multimeter in the next few days.

This is where I am and where I've been on this. If anyone has any ideas or experience with this issue, the help and advice would be appreciated.


Thank you.

 

Which engine do you have? I am pretty familiar with the 5.3L. Has your MIL activated?

 

MIL?

This Monte has the 3.5 V6. I think it's the "N" unit.

 

Malfunction Indicator Lamp. The "Check engine light". Sorry, I dont know enough about that engine to be able to help you. Hopefully people will notice this thread growing, and will be able to help you. Good luck.

 

Oh no, that light is not on.

Thank you for trying.