ok I took it to the shop and had them replace the coolant sensor and kept my fingers crossed. They did check the harness with a jump and all seemed ok. But it does not seem that the new sensor solved my problem.

To recap my situation the SES light comes on while the engine was warming up and the aux fans blast till the engine is turned off. After a new coolant sensor was installed the ses light comes on now AFTER the engine warms up with the same situation with the aux fans blasting.

I witnessed the removal and installation of the sensor and protocols listed in this forum were not followed. The radiator was not drained using the drain plug to a level below the sensor. The sensor was just removed and allowed to drain. The rad was refilled with the rad cap off , engine at normal driving temp, and then bled using only the top bleeder valve. Then coolant was added to the reservoir.

So Im wondering if the refill was not done properly could you experience the ses and aux fan situation that I am now experiencing? Thanks for all your helpful input

 

Is the SES still coming on because of DTC 36?

 

dtc 32 which is the EGR and 61 ac. The tech couldnt make sense of it. Any ideas??

 

Im faced with a decision as to what to do now. In answer to your question Injuneer after replacing the coolant sensor the codes coming up now are 32 and 61. I know there is a problem with the AC so my question is I know the aux fan or fans come on when the AC is actuated. Can the problem with the AC cause the SES light and aux fans to come on?? Again...the mechanic is stumped and I guess I,m faced with trying a new shop which at this point Im not sure I want to do. Help ???

 

Is this the same tech that seemed to feel I was an idiot because I couldn't understand why he was getting code 36 andf the fans were going on? I guess that $10,000 Snap-On laptop isn't all it's made out to be.

 

yeah it was the Pep Boys guys that replaced the sensor. After replacement of the sensor they ran a scan and 32 and 61 came up. Can you offer any advice as to what to do now??

 

Find someone with a scanner that knows what they are doing.

Seriously - there is FREE software available. And a recommendation for a cheap cable. If you plan to keep your car, you have to adopt a more "hands on" approach. Downloading the factory manual would be another good start. All the codes are shown in detail, and there are clear explanations of what sets them, and what happens with regard to the SES light, trans, etc.

DTC 61 - "If the PCM determines the A/C refrigerant charge to be low, the A/C clutch will be disabled and DTC 61 will be set. DTC 61 will be stored in the PCM memory, but will [u]not(/u) turn "ON" the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)."

DTC 32 does turn on the SES light.

 

Thanks again Injuneer. Your information is always useful and I am gaining valuable knowledge. I would like to start doing some diagnosing myself etc but not confident that I could follow instructions from the manual as Im not well versed in mechanics of a car and afraid that I may damage more then fix. Anyways...one more question if you could answer. You say DTC 32 will actuate the SES lamp but could it also actuate the aux fans? Ive brought this up to my Pep Boy friends but they say if the problem was the EGR that performance would be lacking with engine stuttering etc. Other than the ses lights coming on along with the aux fans performance seems fine. The only hesitation I get is when Im driving and the SES light is triggered . That only lasts for a split second. After the light comes on performance is fine.......What do you think is my next course of action????

 

DTC sets when the PCM cycles the EGR valve, and does not see a change in manifold absolute pressure (MAP) that would indicate a change in EGR flow. That could mean:

1 - The valve is stuck closed, or the passages are plugged, or there is not enough back-pressure on the exhaust ssytem. In that case, there would be no (ior very little) EGR flow, and the engine would not cause lack of performance or stuttering.

2 - The valve is stuck open. That would cause lack of performance and possibly stuttering. But if the valve is stuck open, your idle would be very rough.

You can test this be letting the engine idle, reaching back to the EGR valve and pressing on the diaphragm to open it, or by applying a vacuum to the hose that connects to the EGR valve to open it. If your engine pretty much stalls when you open the valve, you can be pretty sure its not stuck open.

EGR flow is used to control the formation of NOx (oxides of nitrogen, a pollutant). NOx forms when the combustion chamber temperature gets very high, or the engine is running very lean. Logically, the PCM should turn on the coolant fans (not sure why you call them "aux fans") to prevent high combustion chamber temperatures when there is insufficient EGR flow.

 

Thanks again Injuneer for your valuable information. I may try to do the testing myself but getting up in age kind of restricts me from laying on the car engine,,etc. But maybe after a few Ibprophens I'll be able to do this. Just took the car for a 4 hour trip and although the ses light and cooling fans came on the car ran fine. Hope by doing this in near freezing temps wont damage any car components.....will it??

Last question...since my car threw the code 32 and that is a problem with the EGR if I cant personally figure out the problem with it by cleaning etc and have to take it to the shop can an EGR actually go bad and have to replaced or is it usually just a cleaning situation ? You know how shops are....they try to get as much money out of you as possible so I'd like to be educated in this area so I ask the right questions etc.

Thanks again for all your help