Which is the Engine Cooling Fan Motor Relay?

Sorry. The pictures were not attached and I am adding them.

Sure, here is a guide to help test the relays and the cooling fan relay location in the images below:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-an-electrical-relay-and-wiring-control-circuit

Check out the images below. Let us know how it goes.

So, the small box is called relay box. Mine has three relays. I will test all of them. Will let you know. Thank you very much.

You are welcome, let me know how it goes please.

There are three relays on the side of a small relay box. Two black relays are for lights. So, I guess the green one must be it. It has five pins. I used the info (GA32 DC12V20A) on it to google and found Ebay has it. But the sellers said they do not know what part the relay is for. So, I just assumed it was for the cooling fan. There is no diagram on the side of the relay. I asked a electrician friend for help. He told me to do continuity between "NC" and "com" and use wire connected from the battery to touch the two "coil" to hear the click (see picture). All working! That means the relay is good. So, I need to go to the step to check. as I mentioned in my earlier post, there is an Ebay product https://www.ebay.com/itm/295093540289. I think I should find this part in the fan area in my car to check. (I do not have the square shape control module for the fan. Maybe I have and it's hidden somewhere.)
Thank you.

The link doesn't not work? It looks like there are 7 cooling fan relays, please check the cooling fan wiring diagrams below to see how the system works and which relay controls which fan. Check out the images (below). Please let us know what happens.

Thank you. I will do some research. I thought there should be one or at most two relays. Seven relays for the two fans are a lot!
The link is
https://www.ebay.com/itm/295093540289 (without the ending period)
I searched "cooling fan control module for 2000 Mazda MPV" and nothing came out. The returned square module controls showing are for 2003-2006 Mazda MPV. That's the reason I think my 2000 MPV uses different kind of control like the link shows. But even for this one I have not been able to find where it is located. I will take off the battery to see if it is underneath. Thank you again.

I am looking around and trying to find more relays and found one more small relay box close to the coolant tank. There are four relays inside (see picture) I will test them tomorrow.

I showed the diagram to my electrician friend. He said there should be another relay box on the passenger side. But I looked around again. The small relay box close to the front and the coolant tank is the only one I can find. No other boxes. Another thing I can do is to take the battery and battery tray and some parts out so I can trace back the wire from the fan to other parts to see how they are connected.

There are two relay boxes which all seven relays are mounted. Does this vehicle have A/C? It shows the other relay box near the battery, is it there? Please upload an image, also have you tested the fan motors? Then go out.

It has A/C. The picture I uploaded earlier is near the battery. I took another picture (attached and you can see the battery) I will test the motor. I thought I should start the easy one and move to the hard one and I thought testing relay is easy. I did not know there were so many relays. So, I should forget relays for now and test the motor first. Thank you.

Yep, the relay box with the green relays is for the cooling fan motor.


Please go over this guide and get back to us.

hi, Ken,

Today I finally got time to test fans. Both are working. I traced the wire and thought I could find the control module (see picture I downloaded online for other MPVs) but cannot find any. The wires directly go to the relay box, the big, long rectangle box with yellow relay inside (see the picture I sent last time). I also noticed there is a cable between this big box and the small relay box (with the green relay). I do not know how the wires are connected inside.
It does not make sense. I saw YouTube videos and other years' MPVs always have the square shape fan control module. Both fans' wires plug into the module first and then go to the relay box. I believe there must be a thermostat inside the module, otherwise the fan will run all the time. I do not understand why my fan wires go to the relay box directly.
Thanks a lot,
Ming

Hi Ming,

I don't see the image below? The ECM controls the relay operation for the cooling fans. Can you confirm there is power at the engine fuse 30 amp and the fan fuses, also did you check the main system ground? Please check the images below.

Hi, Ken,

I stopped by my local Mazda dealer. A very nice gentleman in the parts department always helped me. He looked up the MPV by my VIN and said it does not have the fan control module. He suggested me to go back to look at the relays again and also the thermostat. I pulled out the 7 relays and checked each of them and they are all good. (I used the battery to connect two wires and touched the relay's two Coil pins and I can hear the click) Now I plan to check the thermostat (temp sensor). I ordered one from Walmart and it will come in a few days. I will compare the old one with the new one and will let you know.
Thank you,
Ming

When I looked up the thermostat online, I found two types (see the two pictures attached). The circled marked one is what I bought, and I can find it in the MPV. But I do not know if I will also need the round one. I found a YouTube video for it. In order to replace this one, I will need to disconnect the coolant hose and it is inside. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcrpAGljZk4&t=39s)

The weird thing that does not make sense to me for the round one (go-parts brand) is there are no wires connected to it. The part will go inside a hose, and I do not understand how it communicates with other parts like the fan.

I found another YouTube video that explain the round thermostat ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-TocpZzIjY ). So, it looks like I bought the right thing. This round thermostat is for controlling the coolant flow based on the temp. My engine light is not on so the Engine itself is not overheated. I just need the front fan to run to blow hot air out.

We should connect a scanner to see what the engine temperature is reading.

Here is a guide to help:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

Please go over this guide and get back to us.

Ken, Engine light is not on. The dashboard engine temperature indicator does not go up a lot meaning the engine itself is not too hot. Just when I open the front trunk, I cannot even touch the hood support rod because it is too hot. So, the problem must be the fan. I cannot hear the fan running either.
Thank you,
Ming.

Even if the check engine light is not on it could have pending codes that could help us.

Ken,

No engine light and no code. Maybe because I took off the battery a few days ago and have not driven it. Tomorrow the thermostat I bought online will come. I will take off and test the old one and replace it if needed.
BTW, how can I test the fan after installation? Just keep the car running for half an hour to see if the fan starts running. It's cold in my garage and it will take a while, I guess. Thank you.
Ming

You can test the system by turning the A/C on and waiting or about a minute, the fans should turn on. I am interested to see what happens with the new thermostat.

Ken,

I just learn to fix simple car problems and my knowledge is so limited. I did not know the A/C could trigger the front fan. I should have done it earlier.
I replaced the fan thermostat. I started the car and turned on the A/C. The fan started to work almost immediately. After 30 seconds the fans stopped. Started again in 20-30 sec, stopped again. Is this normal? (Not run continuously)
I thought I have fixed the issue if the behavior is normal. But I was lost after I tested the old thermostat. Looks like it is good and behaves the same as the new one. (I learned from a YouTube video: put to ohms and touch the pin using a multimeter and use a hair dryer to heat the thermostat and I saw the reading going down.)
Really do not know what’s going on. In the summer it was super-hot in the front and my hand could not even touch the hood support rod.
I also bought the round thermostat (see attached picture). It can be installed inside the coolant tube. When the coolant temperature is high it will open and let the coolant to circulate. But I do not think I need it. Yesterday I drove the van for about half an hour. Then I touched the coolant tank and could feel the coolant inside is hot. That means the coolant was circulated. If the thermostat is bad and never open, the coolant should remain cold all the time. Am I correct?
Thank you and Merry Christmas,
Ming

Before I replaced the thermostat, I should turn on the A/C to test the fan first.

Ken, I was just curious. Since it takes me about 10 minutes to do it, I just replaced back the old thermostat. I turned on the A/C and watched. Exactly the same as what the new one does. The fan was on and off intermediately.
Thanks a lot.
Ming

Does that mean my cooling fan system is good? In the summer the front was hot. That may be because of another different reason.

Merry Christmas to you as well, if the A/C system is on the fans should not cycle. When the A/C system is off the fans will cycle. Hope this helps.

Ken, not sure if I understand you. You said if the A/C system is on the fans should not cycle. But when I turn on the AC, the fan is running intermittently, on and off in a few sec, does that mean my system is running wrong?
Thank you,
Ming

You also said "When the A/C system is off the fans will cycle." If I turn off the AC, the fan will not run because the temp is not enough. In winter it's hard to test it. Maybe I have to drive a long time to find out.

My question is if it is normal that my fan cycles on and off for a short period of time when the AC is on. I searched online and saw it is actually a confusing question for other people. See this post.

The guy posted: " There is so much conflicting information, some people say the cycling is a bad sign and indicates a bigger issue within the AC system as a whole. This link here https://www.thetireman.com/Heating-and-Cooling.aspx claims "Some warning symptoms are: Electric engine cooling fan quickly cycles on and off" Other people say this is normal operation including some dealerships.

This website here https://www.aa1car.com/library/electric_cooling_fan.htm claims "so the fan does not come on until the engine reaches normal operating temperature (195 to 215 degrees). The fan will then cycle on and off as needed to maintain the coolant temperature"

So I guess it might be possible that this is normal? I have no clue. Two different people both with a 2011 and 2012 claim their fans do not cycle. ...
"

Merry Christmas Eve! I drove out car this afternoon for 40 minutes. When I stopped I kept the engine running and looked at the fan. No AC at that point of time. The fan cycled on and off. Looks like it is working, I guess. Not sure what's going to happen in the hot summer. Will see.

Glad you could get it fixed, thanks for letting us know. Please use 2CarPros anytime we are here to help.

Ken, hopefully it was really fixed. I will see what's going to happen in the summer when I use AC all the time.
This time I did not replace anything like thermostat, relays, fan. I guess what happened is somewhere the connection might be loose and it is fixed while I touched everywhere and plug on and off.
So far so good and it would not happen without your kind help in each step. I appreciate it. Will get back to you in the summer and let you know if further work needs to be done.
Thank you,
Ming

You are welcome.

Ken, It's summer again. I drove the Mazda MPV 2000 today. I used the AC. Looks like the same problem is still there. I drove half an hour and opened the front hood and felt it is very hot. Even the hood support rod is too hot to touch, I saw the fan was running. I touched the coolant tank and it is also very hot, meaning the coolant was Circulating. What could cause the unusual high temperature in the front engine area? Thanks a lot,
Ming

I found this online: symptoms of overheating, which can include:

Steam (which can look like smoke) coming from under the car hood.
An engine temperature gauge on your dashboard that spikes to "H" or into the red. (Engine temperature gauge symbols vary, so consult your owner's manual.)
A strange smell coming from the engine area. For example, leaking coolant can smell sweet while leaking oil might smell more burnt.

I do not have any of them. I just opened the front hood and felt it's hot based on my experience. I think I can open the front hood and the one inch space will blow in air when I drive on highway.

It sounds normal really. Modern cars tend to run very hot. Coolant temperatures well over 200 are normal while running. If the light or gauge isn't showing hot then it may be normal. What I would do is get a non contact thermometer and check the various parts of the system with that to see the real temperatures. I would suggest not driving with the hood on the secondary catch, I have seen the results of that and it wasn't a good thing.

Hi, Steve,

You said " would suggest not driving with the hood on the secondary catch, I have seen ....."
Thank you for letting me know that. I thought it's safe and I will drive 3 hours on the highway tomorrow and I was planning to do it. What can happen? (The wind cannot blow it up, I guess.)
As for the temperature, maybe it's normal but I don't remember it is so hot before. The hood support rod was always quite warm after driving for a while but not that hot.
Thank you again,
Ming