How to Troubleshoot a Saturn Radiator Fan

by Alibaster Smith

The radiator fan on a Saturn should give you years of trouble-free performance. However, over time, several things can go wrong with it. When the radiator fan does not work, this is a serious problem. The fan helps cool off the radiator, which acts as a heat sink drawing heat away from the engine. If the fan is not working properly, the radiator will not properly cool the engine. This, in turn, could cause critical engine components to fail.

Step 1

Check the fuse for the fan and relay. Remove the fan fuse under the dash. Open the fuse box by turning the knob on the fuse panel cover counterclockwise and pulling the fuse panel down. Remove the fuse for the fan with the supplied fuse puller (on the underside of the fuse box panel cover). Check to make sure that the fuse has not failed. The fuse contains a metal strip in the center of it that should be intact. If it looks burnt or is broken, replace the fuse with a fuse of the same amperage.

Step 2

Start the engine and turn on the air conditioner. The fan should start up within a few seconds. If it does not, shut off the engine.

Step 3

Unplug the lead wires running from the fan to the fan's relay. There are two leads running off the fan -- a power lead, and a ground lead. The ground lead will always be black. The wires run to a relay switch, which looks like a small black box. Pull the leads off the relay switch.

Step 4

Touch the red or power lead to the positive terminal of the battery directly. Then, touch the negative lead from the fan to the negative terminal on the battery. Always connect the negative lead last and remove it first from the battery. Make sure that you are not touching the battery directly or that you are not touching any exposed wiring. Hold the fan wiring by the protective plastic coating. If the fan starts, the fan is not the problem. If it does not start, the fan has failed.

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