2002 Thunderbird

Tiny
HANSONBOYLE
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 FORD THUNDERBIRD
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 56,000 MILES
So, the emission warning light comes on, the temp gausge goes to hot and warning light for over heating comes on. Car loses power.I pull over & turn off car. Start car 5 minutes later and car runs normally - temp gauge is also normal. Car runs fine for about 1 month and it happens again. Mechanic ran a diagnostic check & can find nothing wrong.
what to do?
Monday, July 11th, 2011 AT 9:12 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
CJ MEDEVAC
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,004 POSTS
My friends Grand Cherokee did almost the same thing. His wife let it sit 5 or so minutes

It actually did overheat, but soon was normal after she cranked it back up

They sorta just kept this "Procedure" up, over time, as it became more and more regular

He and I kept checking things. Fan operation, replaced thermostat, etc

Finally, the "procedure" failed to work!

We found the FAN RELAY, would ACTIVATE, But the contacts necessary to complete the FAN MOTOR CIRCUIT, were Kinda Burned.

Even though they were contacting, they were not Transferring Juice from one to the other.

We found this out by careful, RELAY dis-assembly and testing!

All along this was the problem, getting worse and worse.

Sitting for a few minutes (cooling maybe?) Allowed it to come alive again

We wanted to be positive, that this was the problem, before we stuck another in, and waited to be called to another breakdown!

The Medic
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Monday, July 11th, 2011 AT 9:53 PM
Tiny
HANSONBOYLE
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Is it expensive to repair?
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Monday, July 11th, 2011 AT 10:00 PM
Tiny
CJ MEDEVAC
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,004 POSTS
Well..........................

Have you ever played with the toy where you must fit the triangle, circle, square, oval into the correct slots?

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/PartSearchCmd?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&pageId=partTypeList&suggestion=&actionSrc=Form&searchTerm=radatior+fan+control+relay

Depends on how much you are willing to spend, for one of the above!

As far as location, it may be marked in a fuse or relay box....or not!

I may be able to find you a diagram...if you need me to.

Just remember, this may "NOT" be your fix, your symptoms were very close to the Jeep

Whatcha got to lose?....if nothing else, you just replaced a part that's been "moving" for 9 years, think of it as preventative maintenance!.....and now you have a "old" spare "Radiator Fan Control Relay"..........and labor was cheap!.....and if this does fix you, you owe me lunch!

Then this "factor" could be ruled out, as you journey toward other possible causes.

Your Turn

The Medic
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Tuesday, July 12th, 2011 AT 12:19 AM

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