I have a 2000 cavalier 2.2l 3sp auto. We got between 6-12in of snow yesterday. My road wasnt plowed and and idrove through it to get to work. My car started overheating. I figured it would cool off a little on the freeway but it still overheated. I got the snow/ice off the front of the radiator. I think it could be the cooling fan relay. The fan wont come on but if I jump the relay it comes on. The the fan works. Am I correct about the relay or could it possibly be something else(like maybe snow/ice in the radiator fins)? Im praying its not. A blown headgasket or something major like that. Thanks for the help. When it gets almost to the red(260degrees) it will start spraying coolant out of the overflow hose on the coolant resevour. Then I need to put more water/coolant in before driving.
-2000 cavalier 2.2l 3 speed base sedan silver
-U.S.A Love it or leave it
Were you having overheating issues before the snow plowing?
I don't know how badly clogged your radiator is, but a quick way to the ice off is to take it to a do-it-yourself car wash and use the high pressure/hot water to melt the ice off of the radiator. That will be one less thing to troubleshoot. If you can jump the relay to keep the fan moving, leave it on, that will help with the cooling. You'll have to take this step by step to get it solved, I think.
George (geozinger)
'95 Sunfire GT-my second Pontiac from Hell!
'97 Cavy Beater-still running like a champ!
'04 Sunfire - my kid's car, but I get the bills...
'09 Pontiac G6 - Sport Package 1
There never an overheating issue before. Even on the really hot days in traffic it ran at 195 or just a little above. Im now wondering if it could be the thermostat? The entire bottom (about the size of the the lower grille opening) was covered in thick ice. I got all of the ice off of the outside of the radiator. But I havent been able to get to a car wash or my job to spray it with our pressure washer. I was thinking the same thing.
-2000 cavalier 2.2l 3 speed base sedan silver
-U.S.A Love it or leave it
If u jump the relay and it works the relay may not be the issue. sounds like u may have broke a power or ground wire going to the relay. when u say jump the relay, do u mean bypass it and hotwire the fan, or just hotwire the relay and get it to click??. if u get the relay to click and the fan comes on then the relay is good. if u bypass the relay and the fan comes on then relay is bad. simple check is to swap the cooling
fan relay with ur blower relay, they are the same. if all goes back to normal then the relay is bad, if not there maybe a wiring problem. goodluck.
I just fixed mine last weekend, the fan was bad. It would still come on when I first started the car (with the a/c on) but would soon blow the fuse. Ice on the fan is what caused it. It also caused the check engine light to come on though.
It also has some weird stuff going on. When I first changed the fan out, replaced the relays and fuse, the check engine light stayed on. The fan would quit working after a few minutes. It didn't blow the fuse or relay, but wouldn't come back on until I pulled the relay out and put it back, then the check engine light went off and hasn't come back on.
I also drove it a few times while the fan was out and even with a collapsed radiator hose, it never overheated at all......
I mean, I simply removed the relay and used a piece of wire to make the fan work constantly. I drove it like this 30 miles to work. I changed the coolant, used a pressure washer with hot water to spray out the radiator fins (I didnt bend/damage any fins), and I replaced the relay with a new one. It runs fine now. Im not sure what was wrong. The techs at my job said it could have been anything that I fixed (I work at a Ford dealership). Oh well. Its working now. That all I really care about.
I want to do a coolant flush in the spring, is there a cooler thermostat I could put in to make it run a little cooler or wouldnt it do any good?
You would think that a state like minnesota would realize that the plows would need to be out PLOWING the snow during and after a snow storm.
-2000 cavalier 2.2l 3 speed base sedan silver
-U.S.A Love it or leave it
Lol I hear ya about the plows. I live in Chicago, so i understand. Sounds like ur relay was just bad so no worries. Since all is fixed thats all that matters. Take care!!
Where is this "said" blower motor relay?
if it didn't overheat in the summer; check the freeze point of the coolant. If its weak it will freeze in the rad; when the thermostat opens nothing will flow through it and it'll overheat fast.
