cooling fan won't turn off

[skytz]

Hardtop and doors for cj7/yj

We've got a 97 Cherokee Sport with 70k miles on it and this Thanksgiving week it decided to act up. Over the past few days it has developed a sporatic problem where the cooling fan sometimes keeps running long after the car has been turned off and the key is removed from the ignition.

I say sporatic because sometimes it turns off normally, sometimes it keeps running. Sometimes it runs only a couple extra minutes, and others, like just now, it had been running 30 min after my wife got back from the store (keep in mind the temperature is in the 40s here). I went out and pulled the fuse for it (labeled #31, Cooling Fan) in the engine compartment just to get it turned off. If I put the fuse back it in comes right back on, though. An hour later when I replaced it it didn't, however.

Also of note (and this might be completely unrelated), my wife tells me the check engine light came on briefly last week, but by the time she got home from work it had turned itself off. The light has not come back on since then.

Any thoughts? By no means am I mechanical, other than basic maintenance, but I wanted to get the forums' thoughts before taking it to the dealer or a mechanic. Thanks in advance...

 

[jeepin916]

find the relay for the fan and make sure its not sticking

 

[Tug-n-pull]

Sounds like the Thermostaticly controled switch is going or is gone. I do not know much about your ride but if you could pick up a copy of a haynes manual or do a google search for cooling fan switch, you could find it and replace if fro a fraction of the cost of the repair at a dealer. tug

 

[jeepin916]

that would have been my second guess.

 

[XJNick]

Hi,

I'd check the relay first. I believe the coolant heat switch is only triggers the fan if the ignition switch is in the RUN or START positions. Also it will be much cheaper and easier to fix the relay than to fix the coolant heat switch.

The relay for the radiator fan was placed on the left fender by the air box on earlier model XJs (not sure if that's where your's is). If the fan is sticking on, try removing the relay from it's socket and tapping it lightly against the fender or tap the relay with a hammer as doing so will usually free the stuck relay. Then plug the relay back in, and if the fan is now not running, go get a new relay. :mrgreen:

-Nick :!:

 

[skytz]

Jeepz.com site questions/suggestions...

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I'll check the internet to see if I can track down more information on those two parts so I can know exactly what it is I'm looking for and what those parts look like.

I have updated my original post with more info in case it helps anyone here. Any additional info will be appreciated. Thanks again, and I'll let you know how it goes. I appreciate all the help so far!

 

[thomasw]

Hey, i have a 97 xj country....its definatly your relay, my cherokee did the exact same thing to me a few months ago, it would just run to its little hearts content, even if the key was out, so i went to autozone and picked up a relay for it, problem solved, 10 bucks to solve your problem..

 

[MudderChuck]

I´d turn the key to the accessory position, and watch the temp. gauge for awhile after I shut the motor off. Not to sure about the 97, but on many models fan, will run, after the motor is shut off. Typically the temp. quage will go up, especially if there is a little air block in the system, after the motor is shut off. The coolant is still circulating even after the motor is stopped. It´s a physics type thing, that helps with cooling.
But like mentioned before, the fan relay is probably the culpret, a lite tap with a screw driver handle on the relay, will often cause sticky cntacts to release.