Daughter in Montreal Overheat Help

[bill b]

Anyone in Montreal willing to help out my daughter? She says it was steaming etc but no light or overheat. She just had it towed to a Goodyear on Saint Laurent. If it's a HG it's not worth it. Thank you.

[Superaero]

Most likely a coolant hose leak.

[bill b]

Yah, that's what I'm hoping; she just said they were dumping coolant in and it was running right out. The radiator is less than two years old.
So, if it's the hose mushroomed and popped, circumcise it and reclamp.
But lacking any more feedback from her and her boyfriend (knows less than nothing about cars), I am so afraid she'll get taken advantage of.
Thanks for your reply.

[N.E. Swede]

If you have AAA plus, I'm about 60 mi. out of Montreal. Think I have every hose for a 9k new in stock if that's any help to you

[bill b]

Thanks. We won't know until tomorrow morning, barring the unforeseen happenstance that someone living right down the street takes a glance at it and sees that it needs a lower radiator hose.
Let's hope it's something simple like that, but I'll definitely keep you in mind if they say it's a hose and they "can't get it."

[Superaero]

The most prone to failure is the upper heater core hose. Next most likely is the upper rad hose. But, unless you've changed them all recently any hose more than 10 years old is likely to fail. Between 5 and 10 years all the hoses should be changed. Like a chain, the system is only as good as its weakest part.

[bill b]

I changed the upper radiator hose two years ago. The rest are suspect.

[bill b]

Thanks to all who replied. I saw the car last night. The only part they changed which I could see was the sensor/switch on the back of the radiatior a bit more than half way down on the right end. The repair bill also said to leave the AC on to operate the fan and to change the "fan module" when she arrives home. To what part would they be referring?

[Superaero]

Possibly the two speed fan controller. If yours has just one radiator fan it is a two speed fan. There should be a resistor pack somewhere which gives the two speeds. Odd that the thermoswitch would fail at the same time as the fan controller.

Using AC only runs the fan when the compressor is actually running. If you have ACC, which you must as all North American SAAB 9000 had automatic climate control, then the AC is active all the time but runs only when cooling of cabin air is required.

All in all this is odd advice. You cannot run the AC on demand, it only operates when the temperature setting inside the car calls for air conditioning from the ACC.

[bill b]

Originally Posted by Superaero

All in all this is odd advice.

Thanks, sir, and you understand why I asked the question, although, if you're in the northeast US, AC's are running full time this summer.

[Twinsen]

It's definitely odd advice as running the A/C tends to aggravate an overheating problem. If it is a fan problem, the car will be fine if it keeps moving. If stuck in traffic, turn the heat on HI and roll down the windows.

[bill b]

They say, "Change the fan module," and I am not sure if there is one without a wiring diagram or parts schematic. I will say that, when I first bought the car, the fan would run after the engine was shut off. I do not know if that was still happening. It is possible that the fan was not working unless the ccompressor were on. Regardless, I think they're saying I need to fix what turns on the fan when triggered by the switch they just installed. Is it a relay?

[Twinsen]

The fan is powered by a relay in the box in front of the battery. If the fan does run with the A/C, the relay is working. What does the temperature gauge look like when the engine is warm?

[bill b]

Originally Posted by Twinsen

The fan is powered by a relay in the box in front of the battery. If the fan does run with the A/C, the relay is working. What does the temperature gauge look like when the engine is warm?

The needle is generally around the highest mark of the normal range in warm weather.

[Twinsen]

Does the fan operate with the A/C?

Does your car have a temperature sensor by the thermostat?

[Superaero]

There are two cooling fan relays (at least, possibly three), one for the AC actuated fan operation ( it runs the rad fan whenever the AC compressor runs and thus bypasses the radiator thermal switch, that's what the mechanic was thinking I suppose) the second runs two speeds for the rad fan. Because the temperature gauge reads high I suspect the resistor pack which gives you two speeds has failed. Usually it is the low speed that fails as this is the resistor circuit.

All North American SAAB 9000 have a timed relay for the radiator fan to ensure the fan continues to run for a few minutes after the ignition is turned off if the coolant temperature is high enough to switch on the fan. This is part of the protection for the turbo.

Thank your lucky stars you don't have a 96 or 97 as for those all this cooling fan electric controls were incorporated into the instrument cluster and integrated with coolant temperature senders and the temperature gauge. When that goes bad it is very expensive to set right. Ask me how I know this!

[bill b]

Originally Posted by Twinsen

Does the fan operate with the A/C? Yes

Does your car have a temperature sensor by the thermostat?

Not sure, the car is away at college with my daughter.
I'm looking at what Superaero said, and I believe I'll check the resistors and the relays.
Thanks to all.

[Superaero]

I thought all 9000 had coolant temperature senders at the thermostat housing for the gauge and on the cylinder head for the ECU.

All 9000 are set up to run a radiator fan when the AC compressor engages otherwise you'd have no AC in stop and go traffic.