Cooling fans will not turn on

I would suspect a bad engine coolant temperature sensor and possibly a stuck thermostat. That sensor sends a signal to the computer which the computer uses to judge when to turn on the fan(s). The thermostat could have gotten stuck after the car overheated, as sometimes the shaft of a thermostat will bend when the car overheats, causing to be stuck in place.

I am attaching Toyota's instructions on how to test the coolant temperature sensor in the images below. You will need a multi-meter or ohmmeter for this. A decent multi-meter can be bought for $15.00 to $20.00 (last I checked, at least). You will need to set it to Ohms and go from there as outlined below.

Oh that is great. I am glad it was a simple fix for you. Please feel free to come back any time.

It is normal for the fans to run on high when the cooling fan switch at the bottom of the radiator is unplugged, does the switch screw into an aluminum adapter that screws into the radiator? If so try to remove the adapter and screw the switch directly into the radiator. The adapter insulates the switch to much and can cause your symptoms. Also on this car the coolant temperature switch is on the downstream side of the thermostat and a faulty or stuck thermostat could cause this issue to because the hot coolant can't get to the sensor.

Your welcome and yes I think the 180 may be to cold. Let me know how it works out.

Two different system is used by Toyota for their vehicles where cooling fan circuits are concerned. For the cooling switch attached to the bottom of radiator, the sensor is open and when heat increases, the switch contacts to make a complete circuit.

The other type utilises a switch near the thermostat housing and this switch is closed all the time until the correct temperature is achieved whereby it would open the circuit causing the relay to start the cooling fans.

Both system uses different types of relays so make sure you get the correct relay.

I t means you take an ohm meter and probe where the terminals go into box and one on ground and see if you have continuity or the ohm meter should go to zero. See pics then after checking this go to repair/electrical how to check a relay on our site. If that doesn't fix it take to a pro because I may be beyond your ability.

You are welcome

Unplugging that sensor is a really bad idea. That will cause your fuel mixture to go full rich.

The fan circuit is pretty complicated with 3 separate relays so you need someone with electrical knowledge to troubleshoot it for you.

Unplugging that won't make the fan come on. Grounding that wire should put it on.

The switch in the radiator works by supplying trigger ground to the relay and turning the fan on. It should be inoperative when unplugged.