I have a 1995 Escort wagon with the 1.9 4 cyl engine. The cooling fan does not turn on and when the engine is turned off - a hissing sound can be heard coming from the right side of the engine. I checked the cooling fan fuse and it seemed o.k. What else can I do to 1) diagnose the fan problem 2) figure out what the hissing sound is?

 

Hello DS,
I'm working on a relative's 95 escort sedan, so I might know just enough to be dangerous, but am willing to pass on what I've seen and/or learned.

In the sedan there are at least 3 relays involved with the cooling fan, one in the relay box under the hood, and two (one for high speed fan and one for low speed fan) mounted to the side wall under the air intake box (drivers side).

If the wagon is like the sedan, maybe the first thing you want to do is verify if the fan comes on under ANY conditions. I've read that the fan should come on at the low speed, as soon as you select "defrost" OR turn the a/c on (if you have a/c).

If you can make the fan come on by selecting "defrost" or turning on a/c,
the ECT (engine coolant temperature) sensor might be defective, and not properly signalling the computer (i.e. powertrain control module, aka engine control module) to turn the fan on low (above 220 degrees F) or high (above 230 degrees F). Hope this helps.