Volvo running hot during idle/traffic

aikomama · Post by **aikomama** » 02 Jun 2012, 18:51

Hello! I'm new to the forum and am by no means a mechanic. A few months ago I bought this car and since then (thanks to your site) have managed to replace the heater core, sensors and a few other minor issues. The car has run fine but now that it's getting hot here in PA I've noticed that in traffic or if the car is left idling....it starts to get HOT. I have never let it get up into the red...but close. When I drive it cools right back down to normal. Coolant levels are fine as well and no leaks. I let it idle in the driveway tonight and noticed that the fan wasn't kicking on(hood was open) I guess I'm just not sure what to start with? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I'm fairly confident when it comes to working on the car and am willing to try things myself. I am a girl so I'm not always up to speed on car lingo so please keep it in laymans terms. I am going out of town Monday and am taking the car so I need to get this fixed asap!

Thanks in advance for you help!!
-Jackie

Post by **jblackburn** » 02 Jun 2012, 19:01

Welcome to the site.

There is a fan relay on the radiator fan shroud. You should remove the connectors to 'in' and 'out' and connect a wire between 1 and 1 or 2 and 2 on each plug. See if the radiator fan runs.

If the fan runs, you may have a bad relay by the sounds of it, since the temperature sensor appears to be working just fine. If it does not, you'll have to replace the fan.

BE CAREFUL - overheating one of these engines can cause serious damage, warping the head and requiring $1500+ worth of work.

aikomama · Post by **aikomama** » 02 Jun 2012, 19:10

Thank you!! Will any wire do? I can go out and check this now. I haven't ran it into the red yet. As soon as it's close I pull over and turn the car off. I definitely don't need to deal with replacing an engine!

Post by **JRL** » 02 Jun 2012, 19:17

Doesn't matter
DO NOT CONTINUE TO DRIVE THIS UNTIL FIXED
Fan (is it coming on)?
Fan relay
or
Thermostat

aikomama · Post by **aikomama** » 02 Jun 2012, 19:32

OK...Found some copper wire in the basement. Tried bot 1:1 and 2:2 and nothing. I'm not sure if this helps but when I turn on the A/C I do hear a clicking noise from the cooling fan area(just thought of this now) Should I try replacing the fan relay and thermostat?

Post by **jblackburn** » 02 Jun 2012, 19:40

Sounds like your fan itself has burned out. For some reason, that's a really common problem this year. You can connect it directly to battery power to see if it will do anything, but it sounds like it's bad to me. The clicking is the relay telling the fan to turn on as it should.

Jumpering the connectors will ground out the fan, entirely bypassing the relay, which should make it run (if it works).

Any junkyards close by? You can usually yank parts like this for $20 or less.

aikomama · Post by **aikomama** » 02 Jun 2012, 20:23

Unfortunately I have to fix this tomorrow as I leave tomorrow night

I tried jumpering and got nothing from the fan.
I usually like to replace all parts with OEM, however since I'm in a time crunch this is the only thing local.
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp ... %7CGRP2070_____

Post by **jblackburn** » 02 Jun 2012, 22:00

Not sure how you would go about mounting that one.

If you are leaving at night and making the drive, as long as air is blowing through the radiator, you should be OK to make the drive without the fan working - watch your gauge very closely. If you can get the car by a dealer or somewhere that can actually install a fan on Monday, then absolutely do it. Avoid sitting in traffic and avoid running the air conditioner as it will heat up the engine and radiator without the fan running.

Not sure where exactly you are in PA, but there are SOME (very few) junkyards open Sunday.

aikomama · Post by **aikomama** » 02 Jun 2012, 22:15

Thanks so much! I'm in the Poconos (Tannersville, Stroudsburg area). If I can't get to a junkyard tomorrow are there any sites that you recommend getting this from? I'm driving about 90 miles tomorrow night heading to Mahwah, NJ so I'll post and see if anyone knows of a reputable garage or dealer in that area.

Post by **jblackburn** » 02 Jun 2012, 22:20

You know, actually, that Advance one MAY mount up if it is the right size. The wiring I'm not too sure about.

That's the part one of our vendors shows, and I guess you just screw it into the rectangular surround behind the radiator.

FCP-Groton is located in Connecticut and usually gets parts shipped out the same day that you place your order.