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Hi, I purchased my PT Cruiser with only 6 miles on it-brand new, and so far it hasn’t given me any problems. But I’m worried about the cooling system and a/c not working well. The heater works fine. My mechanic filled up the refrigerant and it feels cooler now, however, he was showing me the radiator fan wasn’t coming on and warned that it might get overheated and this could create a serious damage to the engine. Just last fall this same mechanic replaced the radiator and hoses and did the routine flushing and replacing the coolant which by the way I’m aware now that this car requires a specific kind of coolant (HOAT) as per manufacturer’s. The mechanic has estimated $400 to replace the fan? I don’t think he has exhausted all possibilities: fan relays, fuses, or radiator gauge. I really need to hang on to this car for a couple of years, but at this rate of repairs cost, it’s going to be hard to save up for a down payment on a newer used car. I changed the timmimg belt back in 2010 so this should extend the life of the car. What is the average cost in maintenance and repairs I should be looking at in this type of car? Last, I would like to commend you on this great website. Thank you.
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Do you trust your tech who is working on this?
If your radiator fan is not coming on, then yes, he should have checked the fuses, relays and any pertinant sensors…
Chances are, your radiator fan is bad or going bad… This is not something to be trifled with… Overheating will kill your PT cruiser engine deader than disco…
Like a medical diagnosis, you can always get a second opinion… If you are second guessing him, then see what another place has to say…
If your radiator fan is not running, and he is a competent tech, then chances are it is a bad radiator fan..
Since you have not given us the Year of the car, it is a difficult estimation of maintenance costs, but I will be frank with you that Chryslers are not my favorites… Pay less now, more later and get a car that dies earlier…. JMHO
If you think of a $400 repair as a car payment for one month and then if the car lasts you two months (or more), then you are ahead… Its all how you think about the costs to move your body…
Good luck…
-Karl
[quote=”ToyotaKarl” post=107779]Since you have not given us the Year of the car, it is a difficult estimation of maintenance costs, but I will be frank with you that Chryslers are not my favorites… Pay less now, more later and get a car that dies earlier…. JMHO [/quote]
Karl, the year of the vehicle is in the subject of the post (2003).
It’s likely the base 2.4L Naturally Aspirated 4 CYL engine as very few of them were the GT (2.4L Turbo) in the US.Did the same mechanic that changed the timing belt also change the water pump and tensioner in 2010 at the same time? A good mechanic will suggest it as they’re in there anyhow and if they did in 2010 there would have been less of a need to do a coolant flush/fill in 2013 IMO. Or did the radiator fail in the way that they tend to and the transmission cooler line breaks out (darn plastic!)?
You can check the fan fuses and relays on your own. Typically the other relays will fit (like the AC relay) in the same slot. You can swap one of the known good relays with the fan relay. You’ll find these relays in the power distribution center under the hood 🙂 Here’s a chart on how the fan should operate:
I bet if you’re semi-mechanically inclined you can work on narrowing it down. I have a very similar vehicle (2004 dodge neon) and parts are pretty easy to find at the junkyard/pickapart/auto parts store. If you do go buying a new fan assembly at an auto part store look for coupon codes online for places like advanced auto. They routinely have 30% off online coupons and you can do in store pickup.
Karl, Thanks for this advice. I trust the mechanic’s expertise, but his prices always compare higher to others; maybe it’s because of the location of his shop. I checked the fan today after arriving home from work which is about 13 miles away and the fan wasn’t running and the engine felt extremely hot (pretty much untouchable) I made a stop at the advance auto parts and they have both relays at 12.99 ea. in stock. But I think I’m going to get a couple more estimates first from references I got from friends’ mechanics and will make the point they check the relays first. One of the recommended mechanics already quoted at 300.00 so that’s -100 🙂 Thanks again, your warning is timely, i really need to take care of this tomorrow. My PT Cruiser is 2003.
Why not swap the fan relay with the AC relay and see if the fan then works? Then you know it’s a bad relay.
If it still doesn’t work you can check the fuse for the fan.
If the fuse is ok, you can then look at replacing the fan.I put a video at the bottom of my post on how to replace the fan. If you watch that and think you can do it why not save the labor and replace it yourself?
Aaron, you’re right it’s not a turbo, and the timing belt/water pump was replaced at the dealership where I bought it. They charged me 1,307.00 for seal-wpump,belt, tensioner, bracket-torque reac,antifreez,crank seal,lower front motor mount-what do you think? I’m guessing the radiator was ok back then as they usually advise of other needs. Thank you for this chart and your advice. This is very helpful.
I’m sure doing the swapping tomorrow morning when the engine cools down, and will check out your video too. Honestly, it doesn’t seem hard at all-I’m just hoping I have the tools I need 😉
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