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Overheating issue


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Anyone with a first gen TC have an issue with it overheating after siting still/idling for 15-20 or so minutes? I've mostly owned Honda products in the past and their cooling system is typically overengineered so I've never really had an issue like what I'm seeing with my van.

After 15-20 minutes of stop/go trafficwhen the temps outside are 85F+ the temp gauge starts climbing up near the red until I get the van moving again to get airflow over the radiator. Luckily here in Indy we don't have really bad traffic issues so this rarely happens, but it has happened a handful of times over the past couple of months.

Just trying to gauge if this is "normal" or if there is something going on with the thermostat or something. Coolant levels are good and the system was flushed by the dealer in the spring...

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Thanks guys - was able to take a look today and let it run until it heated up and did confirm the fans are not coming on. Can someone walk me through a few things I might be able to check before taking it into a dealer? There a fuse that might have blown? Electrical connections that have come a little loose?

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Check your owners manual for the fuse box info.

I've got a second gen and the blower is powered from a 50A Fuse (F8) on the high current battery junction box

There is also a control relay (R12) in the battery fuse box

There should be similar items on the first gen that you can check

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Hello DonShockley, thanks for trying to help ActiveIndy but the first and second generation Transit Connects are two different vehicles. It reads like you have a wiring manual for the second generation so please continue to jump in with help, we need more second generation owners with tech ability and manuals on this forum. ActiveIndy,as for the first generation engine cooling fans , they are supplied power from the battery junction box(BJB) behind the battery on the firewall. There are 3 fuses, a, 30 amp (F16) for the low speed relay, 50 amp (F17) for the high speed relay and 10 amp(F14) for the Power Control Module (PCM). F14 is the first fuse on the bottom left side of the BJB. It is a mini size fuse. F16 is two fuses over to the right and it is a large cartridge size. F17 is the next cartridge fuse to the right of F16. There is also a cooling fan diode and engine cooling fan resistor in the circuit but check the fuses first. If they all check good, let us know and I will tell you how to find the diode and resistor. Good Luck.

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Just came in from poking around in the fuse box. 50amp fuse was blown, but 30 amp looked ok. Need to go back and check the 10 amp fuse...

Is there a particular brand of fuses that are recommended? I assume this is something I can pick up at an auto part store (Napa, AutoZone etc)?

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ActiveIndy, for a 50 amp fuse to blow there will need to be a dead short in the wiring to ground or one or both fan motors are frozen solid! Check the wiring around the fans and follow it back as much as you can see and touch. I am sure any of the leading parts stores can supply a fuse. Please keep in mind that fuses blow for a reason, and a 50 amp fuse blows for a major reason. Let us know.

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  • 1 year later...

Hello, I am experiencing the same symptoms on my 2010 TC.  Just got through testing Fuses F16, F17 & F14.  They all tested good.  I saw that there was also a Cooling Fan Diode & Engine Cooling Fan Resistor in the circuit.  Would anyone be able to help me locate those please?  

Thank you,

Frank

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In the power distribution box under the hood  30A 30B and 30C are relays that are in the Cooling fan  circuit.  The cooling fan diode is no 32 in that  box. You can test there for power and you can also see if the fan works from there.

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  • 2 years later...

I have as similar issue but maybe more indepth. Experanced the same problem as previously stated but there is still an intermittent problem.  Blown 50 amp fuse. Replaced. Also replaced blower resistor. Sometimes the fan works and sometimes it doesn't. Unless there is a deeper wiring issue I haven't found somewhere I dont understand it.  I do know I can jump power directly to the resistor and force the fan to come on without problems.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Hey just wanted to chime in here...I had a similar problem on my 2013, found my 50A fuse for high speed fan blown.  I replaced it, didn't think much of it.  Then the new one blew, and I realized something was strange. 

 

Turns out cooling fan resistor, located on the top part of the fan assembly, which works for the "low speed fan" circuit,  was bad.  Resistance was infinite (wide open).  This was causing the fans to not operate at low speed.  My thinking is the high speed fan circuit wasn't designed for fans to start up from a standstill to high speed, and it pulls more than 50A to do so, blowing the fuse occasionally.

 

So my fans were either off, or high speed.  Every time it would spin up, the engine idle RPM would dip low, headlights would dim for a second, etc.  In hindsight this makes sense, because it was pulling way too much power to get the fans to start from still to high speed.

 

Another thing that's also better now, is that my A/C used to not blow cold, unless I was moving.  Now when I turn on the A/C, the low speed fan kicks on, and it feels nice and cool even when my car is stationary.

 

Lesson is, low speed fan not working can cause high speed fuse to blow.  Resistor is only used for low speed fan circuit.

Edited by aspillz
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6 hours ago, aspillz said:

 

my 2013,

low speed fan not working can cause high speed fuse to blow.  Resistor is only used for low speed fan circuit.

 

 

Good information.  Thank you very much.  If it's not too much trouble, maybe a few pictures would help the next guy.

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...

This is an older topic, but I have an older TC. Three of them as a matter of fact. Delivery vans, heavy mileage. I have a 2010  with 305k and blown engine for parts, a 2011 with 250k and a 2013 with 271K and blown engine. Just replaced engine with used with 90k. Started for the first time today! However, after 30 minutes at idle, temp is mid gauge, but no fans. Follow bleed air procedure, 2500 rpm for 8 minutes. Temp slowly creeps up past 3/4, no fan. No decrease in coolant. Radiator is hot as are hoses. No codes. Ran KOEO test, fans came on. Seems that rules out fuses, which I checked, relays, fan motor and PCM? Any ideas? Replace the 2 temp sensors? The used engine, came with sensors. This van would sometimes overheat at traffic light pre blow up. I'm stumped.

Edited by G McCollum
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  • 6 months later...

Thanks for the information, everyone.

 

I was having the same problem on my 2010 Transit Connect overheating in heavy traffic and my mechanic said my fans were bad so they were replaced.

 

Afterwards I was still having an occasional problem with overheating in heavy traffic on a hot day here in South Florida yet the fans would run. I looked here on this forum, and I found 103west43rd instructions on where to look for the fuses for high and low speed.

 

I copied the post and gave it to my mechanic who found that the 50 amp fuse was indeed blown, so when the vehicle got too hot for the slow speed on the fans, they just quit working because the 50 amp fuse was blown to make the fans work on high.

 

Naturally the temperature gauge would then spike until I got moving again, then it would fall back into normal range.

 

Who knew they had two speed fans with two different fuses? It was a surprise to me (and I think a surprise to my mechanic)!

 

Thanks again!!!! 

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