I have a 1992 Town and Country. It would appear my radiator fan is no longer turning on. I first noticed it several weeks ago when my engine started getting hot while stopped at red lights or in traffic, but it was fine temperature-wise on the highway.

I replaced my radiator yesterday (it was rusty and falling apart) and that's when I realized that the fan was also an issue.

I tried unplugging and replugging it a bunch of times, but that didn't help. The contacts look okay.

I ran wires straight to the battery and the fan turned right on, so the motor is okay.

My Haynes manual says to try disconnecting the coolant temperature sensor, and if the fan turns on the sensor is bad. The fan didn't turn on when I unplugged the sensor.

I do know there is a radiator fan relay along the side of the hood. I haven't been able to test that because I don't know how and I don't have an identical one to swap it with.

Any suggestions on what else I can try/check?

 

disconnect the radiator fan relay. The connector will have 5 pins, maybe only 4 being used. They should be labeled, pins 85, 86, 87, 87a and 30. Pins 85 and 86 are the control for the relay. 86 usually has power applied to it and 85 is grounded to actuate the relay. pin 30 usually has power to it and 87 and 87a are the items being controlled. 30 to 87a should have continuity with the relay not energized and 30 to 87 should have continuity with the relay energized. Check the relay connector and make sure you have both powers. If you don't have the power at 30, probably blew a fusable link, in the large harness that runs back to the washer bottle. If you have power at both, jump 30 to 87 and see if the fan runs.

 

Typical relay, this says horn but is mostly universal

 

There is power at both (14V and 12V). Jumping them does not start the fan. I disconnected the fan cable from the fan to check for power in the fan connector and it has none.

The wires from the connector appear to run down and under the front side of the engine (they join a few other wires wrapped in a cable protector). Not sure where they go from there, though I imagine it may be over to the coolant temperature sensor?

What can I further check? Seems the power is being lost somewhere between the relay and the fan itself.

 

you are correct. If you have power at the relay, jump it and have no power at the fan, open wire. No easy way to track that down (that's why we get the big money.....lol), you basically have to follow the wire til you find the bad spot. Look for somewhere where it's rubbing on something sharp.

 

So apparently I got to kill two birds with one stone. That stone, unfortunately, was apparently my starter losing a bolt somewhere along the line, and that bolt being the thing that the fan ground wire was hooked to. *cough*

I went to work the other day, and at about mile 25 of my 30 mile drive I started hearing a knocking sound. Made it to work okay. When I went to leave work the sound was too awful to attempt the drive, so I got a tow from AAA, and when I got home, my brother and I got it up on some ramps, I started it, and he said "Well, found the problem." The starter was shaking all over the place.

After some time, managed to get the starter off and pull out the broken nub, and follow the dangling wire to the back of the fan. Tadaa!

Once everything was back together (with a new bolt and new starter of course), I ran the engine until it got halfway up the temperature gauge. The fan still didn't start, but literally as soon as I turned the van off and back on, the fan finally kicked in.

Huzzah!

Thanks for all of your help.