Coolant temp 96 taurus
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 917
Likes: 25
Tried to pick up the sender yesterday, but the NAPA I hit was out of stock. A whole $6, I would like to get that in there. Also see the aftermarket remote starter has a temp feature to avoid overheating the car as it runs unattended. May hit their website to see if their tech. assistance or someone has ever heard of their tie in causing a similiar foul up...? THANKS AGAIN for the advice!!
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,570
Likes: 20
Yes; replacing the fan resistor cured my problem. Out on the open highway there was no problem. Had a problem when I ran local errands in stop and go traffic. Would be sitting at a traffic light watching the temperature gauge go up and up, wondering if I'd see steam coming from under the hood. Then the temp. would drop from its high point. Sometimes it would act okay if the car had been driven on the highway, then in stop and go traffic. Also my resistor was attached to the front of the engine. BTW the Taurus would sit outside for a month at a time without being driven, so moisture may gotten the resistor.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,570
Likes: 20
The resistor varies the voltage to the fan, making it a variable speed fan. Similair resistors are used for your HVAC evap. fan on your vehicle. Also the DRL uses a resistor to cut the voltage to the head lamps. This is the part I wasn't able to figure out, Is there a safty to bring the fan on if the resistor fails? The fan would come on after the temp. went way up and would be running at high speed, it would cut out sometimes (stop running). Then as the temp went back up it would start again at high speed.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 917
Likes: 25
Both of you, THANK YOU! I had the wife p/u the sender for the gage tonight and found a guy with a couple of junk Taurus' (Tauri?) that will let me yank a resistor. I still have to find and identify mine so I know what to grab. Hoping that between the two the gage calms down. It sure has been nice to have you guys for help. BIG THANKS
Fleet Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 28,609
Likes: 18
From: Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Well I'm glad that the Tauri are on the mend. It all makes perfect sense now, but I would sure like to be able to examine one of these resistors to see exactly how it works. Is it a moving contact on a coil?
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 917
Likes: 25
New sender is in. Gage seems to be reading at a lower temp already. Got my fingers crossed that it is fixed. Easiest and cheapest part-that would be nice. Comforting that I got new pump and stat even if they weren't trouble. Find out on my ride to work in the am if it is really fixed. If not I may be hitting you guys up again for a link to an illustration or schematic so I can find and replace the resistor if need be. That is certainly my next step. While under the hood, I did notice the slower fan speed at cooler temp as mentioned. This also gives me hope that I may not even need to keep looking for the resistor...Like I said, "fingers crossed", I never get that lucky.
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Thread Starter
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 917
Likes: 25
So much for my good luck. Morning drive not much different with new sender. Gage still doing it's up and down dance. I think I may be hitting the boneyard near my home and see if I can get a used coolant temp sender(for the computer) while I get the resistor(if I can get more help finding it and identifying it). Any other tips/tricks that may help me along? THANKS to all again!
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,448
Likes: 2
From: CA Central Coast
RSCHAP1, thanks for all the updates. From another Taurus owner and shadetree mechanic, it's good info and nice to know other folks have similar troubles chasing down these things.
I'm looking forward to how it works out for you.
I'm looking forward to how it works out for you.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 917
Likes: 25
I am getting more and more bewildered by this. Is it a voltage drop when the fans kick on that causes the gage to wander, are they both on the same cicuit? Why wouldn't headlights, rear defrost, or other big draws do same? I found a small black horseshoe with one wire mounted to my coilpacks. Numbers FGAF-18801-AA>PBT-GF-30< molded into it. Part no. wasn't found on DirectFordParts.com. Sound like the resitor I'm searching for?
Fleet Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 28,609
Likes: 18
From: Lake Tahoe, Nevada
I've never seen this setup but it sounds from all the posts as if the resistor is variable, controlling the speed of the cooling fan. Not on the same circuit, the temp is actually going up and down.
Anybody have anything authoritative on this system?
Anybody have anything authoritative on this system?
Fleet Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 28,609
Likes: 18
From: Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Well that schematic is odd. Power coming in to the 'constant control relay module' on pins 3 & 4 are common. The 'powertrain control module' appears to operate the coil of the 'HEDF' relay that delivers current to the cooling fans high speed. But the 'EDF' relay coil is in series with the 'HEDF' relay coil so it appears that they would come on together. Makes little sense to me because then power is delivered to both sides of the fan dropping resistor at the same time. So even if the resistor were open it looks like it wouldn't matter because the fan would run at high speed whenever it's on anyway.
Am I reading this wrong? Or is there more to the circuitry than is shown here?
Am I reading this wrong? Or is there more to the circuitry than is shown here?
