jpaper007 Posted October 28, 2016 Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 Hello all, Ok I have a 2011 Ford Edge SEL. 3.5L, 2WD and no tow package. My wife drives the car more than I do, but she has told me about it over heating. I have also seen this, and doing research on here gave me some excellent Ideas of what to look at. With the engine being cold and starting it up. I turned the A/C on max and could hear the fans kick on. I also observed a small spike in the RPM's with the extra load. This lasted for 3-5 seconds and I would hear the fans stop and see the RPM's reduce back to where they were originally. I minute later the process repeats its self. The A/C will not push out much cold air when the car is warming up. Take it for a drive and the A/C puts out lots of cold air. Driving on the freeway the A/C works great and the car temp is where it should be. Driving around town with stops or at a drive through the A/C stops putting out cold air and puts out stale air. Also when the car is warmed up and we are driving around town the temp gauge will rise past the normal operating area if we are at a stop or in a drive through line for any amount of time. This will happen regardless if the A/C is on or off. Reading this forum and others I immediately looked to the fans being the culprit. I replaced the fan assembly, but there was no change. I also replaced the thermostat and had a coolant flush done and there is no change in the symptoms. The one thing that I did observe is that the fans would remain on for about 30 seconds after driving it a while and coming to a stop and turning the car off, which I did not recall happening before the fans and thermostat were replaced. The SES/CEL is not on, but I can get my code scanner back from a friend and scan it if need be. Could this be a sensor of some type failing to turn on the fans when its needed? Maybe the Coolant Temperature Sensor? I thought that may be the A/C was causing the overheating issue, but it will overheat with the A/C turned completely off. Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted October 28, 2016 Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 How many miles on the Edge? Mostly hwy, city, or combo ...? AC actually helps cool down the temp because it causes the fan to kick on earlier than usual and stay on. Remaining on a short while after engine off is normal if the temp warrants that the fans remain on (over 210F or somewhere in that vicinity). Did you replace the fan controller also, or reuse the OEM controller? What brand did you replace with, and is the connection tight? I know temps rise pretty quickly while idling for any period of time once the TStat opens on mine, but I have not changed the TStat (still original). Once I get moving, temps come back down fairly quick, though not as quickly as they rose. I think that is normal, but I could be wrong. Keep checking the coolant periodically to see if it goes down too quickly, and/or you start seeing contaminants of any sort. THAT could be a major issue in the making. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpaper007 Posted October 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 I knew I forgot something in the stats. It has just shy of 86K. We bought the car used, and have mostly town miles on it. Now for my stupidity to shine. I believe I replaced it. I thought that box attached top driver side of the fan assembly where you plug it into the car was the fan controller. If that is not the case then no. The connection is tight, but I will double check. I got the new fan at Oreilly's and believe it was a Murry brand. I will also check the coolant levels. I just had it flushed and replaced last weekend. So it should be have any contaminants in it, but if its low, then I have other issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted October 28, 2016 Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 (edited) Murray brand, thats way off the beaten path. OEM is best, Dorman usually works, albeit sometimes needs coaxing. OEM controllers are also best, you should be ok. Edited October 28, 2016 by WWWPerfA_ZN0W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpaper007 Posted October 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 The new fans are doing the same as the old fans, with the exception that I am now hearing or at least noticing that after driving for a while that the fans run for a little while after the car is turned off. Given all that I have replaced, even if the fans were not the optimal brand, they should work (only 2 weeks old). What is the process that initiates the fans to start running? I know the fan will run, but it appears that they are not getting the signal to run or that its intermittent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted October 28, 2016 Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 The coolant temperature being over the threshhold and the AC being turned on are the two triggers I know of. Is the AC system verified & working well? Refrigerant level is easily high or low in this system because it is correct within a narrow band. Also there is a sensor/switch in the AC system that could have gone bad, but this is so infrequent ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted October 28, 2016 Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 So did you replace the controller or not? I couldn't tell for sure. Even non-OEM replacement controllers don't always work out of the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpaper007 Posted October 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2016 Where is the cooling fan controller located? Just be be sure I am thinking about the correct item. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omar302 Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 Just a thought, could also be the fan Relay. Though I don't remember any Edge owner reporting it failing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpaper007 Posted October 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 I can definitely look into that. Is there a test procedure to see if the relay is functioning properly or failing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbwt Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 You reference "overheating" what is the ECT (engine coolant temp) sensor showing you? 196-201 would be a pretty normal temp. 210 in town traffic. At speeds of approximately 50+ miles per hour the fans will shut off due to the air flow generated by moving and the engine coolant temp my hoover around 196-198 degrees. The RPM's will jump when the fans turn on or the AC turns on and will fluctuate slightly (this is normal) You should get a scan tool on the Edge and get some data on this to help determine the issues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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