Radiator cooling fan not turning on, 1995 V850 GLT

rombe3jr · Post by **rombe3jr** » 12 May 2007, 18:33

My 1995 Volvo 850 (USA) has about 145,000 miles on it now and the cooling fan won't kick on, so when I idle for longer than 5 minutes the coolant boils over and I have to refill it (with 50/50 coolant/water mix of course). The engine temp gauge dips back down when I drive again. With some research on here and on the web, it seems the problem is either the Water Temperature Sender or the Fan itself need to be replaced, but I'm no mechanic and wanted to get a second opinion from this very enthusiastic Volvo forum we just discovered last week. We have a trusty Haynes manual to help us figure out how to do any work. Thanks for any help or ideas.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 13 May 2007, 04:32

Could also be the fan relay located on the passenger side of the fan shroud.

stoutlogic · Post by **stoutlogic** » 13 May 2007, 11:29

I doubt it's the temp sending unit. When they fail the fan runs continuously.
First check the fuse block. Second disconect the fan relay and jumper the fan with 12v direct. Third when you pull out the fan relay, gently tapping it may lossen up any stuck contacts.

Trilarry · Post by **Trilarry** » 13 May 2007, 16:57

RB3jr
I'm working the same issue on my T5, The middle connector that plugs into the Fan relay was loose and the plastic material that 's suppose to support the female end of the connector is all broken up and falling out of the connector. For a temp fix I pushed the two wires through the connector cover and connected them to the relay without the cover, My fan started working after that. This is a temp fix until I can find a connector cover. I'm not sure if they are procurable or not.
I hope this helps.
Tri

rombe3jr · Post by **rombe3jr** » 14 May 2007, 15:51

We're novices here. Can you tell me how to jumper the fan with 12v? Can I use the car battery? What kind of wires do I need? Also, it's getting expensive to keep refilling the coolant while we figure this problem out. Would it be hurting the car if I temporarily used more water in the coolant mix than 50/50? Thanks for the advice.

Buck380 · Post by **Buck380** » 14 May 2007, 21:55

Hey rombe3jr;
I just bought a '95 Volvo 850 turbo wagon with 155,000 miles and have a similar problem. I'm new to this site but there is certainly a wealth of information here, particularly from the post of the downloadable shop manuel. Wow!
Anyway, here's an easy way to jumper the fan to test it; First, get some jumper wires from Radio Shack or an electronics store. (Ask for high quality, Don't get the scrawny ones. You need at least two.) Find the fan relay tucked in just above the fan shroud and just off to the passenger side of center of the radiator. Wiggle it out of there and unplug the large plug with the thick red and green wires. If you look, you'll see these wires lead directly to the fan motor. You'll also see a black wire with a plug coming from the same harness down near the fan. That's the ground. Unplug it. Put a jumper on the red or green wire connecter and connect it to the positive side of your battery. Clamp a jumper on the ground wire connector that leads to the fan and touch that to your engine block. The fan should operate. Check the green wire, too...those are your low and high speed connections. Whether or not it works I would suggest you go find the manuel on this site, then read the "tests with codes pdf." and find the cool test procedure that automatically activates your fan, among other things.
Hope this helps. Just remember to be safe and maybe tape down your "hot' wire so it doesn't come loose, flop around and make sparks and fire and such.
I promise to post pix as soon as I can.

rombe3jr · Post by **rombe3jr** » 15 May 2007, 06:41

Well last night I was lucky enough to have my friend who's an electrical engineer, read the schematic in the Haynes manual and tell me how to hook the battery up to the fan... and it works! That probably narrows it down to the fan relay from what most of you are saying. A couple shops on the web sell it for $63 new, but would this be ok to buy used?

Trilarry · Post by **Trilarry** » 15 May 2007, 06:54

Yes they are okay to buy used. I picked up a slew of relays at a salvage yard, including the fan relay for about $2.50 each. My fan relay was good, it was only the connector going to the relay that was worn and broken inside. I also lost coolant from overheating so check your relay connection before you spend any money.
Question: do your fan work with the AC turned on?
Tri

rombe3jr · Post by **rombe3jr** » 15 May 2007, 07:02

Yeah, I unplugged everything and replugged back in, they all looked good. Good question about the A/C... its a whole nother issue. I've had it recharged every year for three years, and it loses its cool before the summer ends. I might jump to the A/C forum on here to see if there's anything I can do. But not sure if the fan turns on when the A/C is on, I'll test that at lunch.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 15 May 2007, 07:20

The A/C was not on when we tested the fan, should I turn it on for some reason?

The fan should turn on anytime the A/C is on. It is not dependant on the car temperature. I use it as a quick check to see if the fan and relay are working.

...Lee