Questions and Answers

Pontiac Sunbird Cooling Fan Motor Q. Please help, I have a 1993 Pontiac Sunbird LE. It's a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder, stick shift, with A/C. I noticed that the car would run extremely hot with the temperature gauge showing dangerously hot temperatures. I had a compression test done and found it had a cracked head. I had the head gasket, and head replaced, with the mechanic telling me that would make the vehicle run at normal temperatures.

Performance was restored but the car was still running into the red area of the temperature gauge. The temperature sensor was changed. Car was still running way too hot.

My bright idea was to ask them to make the fan motor run all of the time, but to shut off when the vehicle was turned off. What they did was they ran a hot wire from the cooling fan, drilled a hole through the firewall, and ran the wire to my fuse box. Then they jammed the hot wire into where there is a fuse marked 10 and it is the gauges fuse.

The car ran at perfect temperature then, but now, a year later, I noticed that some of the dashboard lights started to get dim. Now the car doesn't want to start in the mornings. It takes me about 10 minutes of turning the key on and off trying to start it.

Once it gets running, I have no problem. it will start right up. if it sits for about four hours then I have to spend 10 minutes to start it again. They did a diagnostic test and said that the fuel pump was bad. I had the fuel pump, and the filters changed. It still doesn't want to start.

I went to another mechanic and he saw the way they wired that fan motor to the accessories part of the fuse box. He told me to disconnect the fan and to start the vehicle. He was right. After I disconnected it, it started up on the first turn of the key this morning.

My question is: How do I get the fan to run all of the time, but to shut off when the vehicle isn't running, without all of these freaky electrical problems?????

I am afraid if I have it put back where it was, I will have the problem of a cracked head again, due to the car running at the hot temperatures. I cannot afford another car, so I'm sort of stuck here. Any suggestions would be a huge help.

Sincerely,
Brandi

A. Any technician that knows his stuff will be able to turn that fan on through the factory relay by grounding the relay through a switch controlled by you. If you have a schematic you will see what I mean.