Questions and Answers

Intrepid Cooling Fans Q. I have a 1995 Intrepid with a 3.5 that is overheating. I have noticed that the low speed fan on the passenger side cuts off when the high speed fan comes on. Is this normal? I have replace the high speed fan relay and the fans operate the same. If I place each hand above each fan on the radiator cross member when only the high speed fan is running, the part of the cross member above the low speed fan gets so hot I cannot keep it there.

The section of the cross member above the high speed fan remains ok to touch. I have looked all over the net, looked through Chilton's, and read the operation of the cooling fans according to ALLDATA. I have found nothing that says if the low speed fan is supposed to cut off when the high speed fan comes on. The only thing I have found is a chart that says the low speed fan comes on at 104C and cuts off at 99c. The high speed fan comes on at 110c and cuts off at 105c.

I would be very thankful if someone could answer the question "Is the low speed fan supposed to cut off at 105C when the high speed fan cuts on?"

Brian

A. I studied the wiring diagram for the cooling fan circuit and from what I see, both fans should run together. The low speed fan will come on first and if conditions warrant, the high speed fan will come on without turning off the low speed fan.

There is a low speed fan relay and a high speed fan relay, both are controlled by the PCM. Both fan motors share a common ground so we can assume the problem is not there. The PCM grounds the relay coils which activates the relays so I would almost have to say the problem is in the PCM because the cooling fans do operate, but not together. If you have the ALLDATA subscription for your car, there is a detailed circuit check you can do to confirm this.

The diagram I referred to was:
1995 Dodge Intrepid V6-215 3.5L
Vehicle
Diagrams
. Electrical Diagrams
. . Heating and Air Conditioning
. . . System Diagram
. . . . Air Conditioning/Heater
. . . . . Without ATC

Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA