Ford EscortFord Escort ZX2 is a hot-looking compact coupe with a rakish design. Yet its handsome interior reveals a roomy back seat and surprisingly large trunk. ZX2 provides responsive handling and good road manners and its engine delivers decent power. At the same time, the ZX2 is a practical car, with plenty of room in the back seats for friends.
This past month I have found that my A/C isn't getting as cold as it normally has been. Naturally, I thought that it just needed its freeon topped off but it's pressure is fine, and in fact the problem is that the radiator fan never turns on so the A/C condenser overheats and shuts down.
I did some more testing and I found that if I leave the A/C on and drive on the freeway for about 5 miles, the air moving through the radiator keeps the A/C running cool. When stopped at a light, the A/C stops cooling and the engine temp meter on the dash skyrockets into the red - which is remedied by turning the A/C off and turning the heater on full blast until the engine cools back down.
Through it all, the rad fan never turns on. There are three wires going into the fan's motor. My VOM shows two of the wires have 14V on them, while the last is neutral. This leads me to believe the fan motor itself is faulty, and the relay and temp sensor are working fine.
Does that sound about right?
The problem is - I don't know for sure what all three wires do. Obviously one is ground, but are the other two used for different coils in the motor or are they connected to a relay inside the motors housing?
Straight wire the cooling fan from the battery to see if it works or not. Are you sure the A/C is actually cooling or is it just road draft you are picking up through the vents. If the cooling fan and the A/C compressor both are not working it is probably a bad CCRM. If you find out it is the CCRM, I have one listed in the for sale section of this forum for $60. for the CCRM, $15. core charge, (refunded when I receive the core) $8. shipping, and $7. for paypal fees. (only if paying by paypal) You can also buy it by money order for a total of $83. with a $15. refund when I receive the core. These CCRM's cost about $300. new.
Last edited by Ford Man 59; 07-29-2009 at 04:28 PM..
Thats what I'm planning, but I dont know what the three wires are for. As I said - two of the three wires are hot with a 14V current, the other is neutral. It would seem that the CCRM is already trying to turn on the fan motor, but since I dont know what the two hot wires go to (and why there is two of them) I'm not sure how to connect it to the battery directly.
EDIT: I'm positive the A/C is working - When the car is moving and the radiator is being cooled by the draft the air is ICE cold. Once I stop at a light the air slowly warms back up to the same temp as the outside air.
If you have one fan, it is probably a two speed fan.
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BroncoJoe19
2006 Alt Fuel Jeep (electric)
'98 windstar 3.8L
'99 Crown Vic 4.6L
'90 Full Size Bronco 5.0L
I'm not a professional mechanic, take my suggestions with a grain of salt, or a cup of coffee
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Thats kinda what I thought - one hot wire for each coil, and a shared neutral. I just wanted to post about it unless there was something I was missing, or I misunderstood the way the motor might power on (a switch inside the housing, etc).
Guess I know how I'll be spending my Saturday afternoon.
__________________
BroncoJoe19
2006 Alt Fuel Jeep (electric)
'98 windstar 3.8L
'99 Crown Vic 4.6L
'90 Full Size Bronco 5.0L
I'm not a professional mechanic, take my suggestions with a grain of salt, or a cup of coffee
At the bottom of each post there is a little icon
Clicking it gives feedback to the moderators, and poster regarding which posts are most helpful.
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Bad radiator fan motor on 97 Escort LX? 
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