How To Test The Cooling Fan Motors (2001-2004 Ford Escape - Mazda Tribute)

TEST 4: Testing The Fan Relay

The 3 relays (in the engine compartment relay/fuse box) that the cooling fans use to activate are all the same type (they're all interchangeable), which makes testing them a breeze.

In this section, I'll show you how to bench test the relay off the vehicle.

You'll need three very important things:

• A multimeter (analog or digital).
• Two jumper wires with alligator clips on the ends.
• A helper.

OK, to get this test going, this is what you'll need to do:

1. 1

   Remove the relay you want to test.

2. 2

   Using a jumper wire, connect terminal 85 of the relay to the battery's Ground terminal.
   
   NOTE: Using a jumper wire with alligator clips on both ends will make the process easier.

3. 3

   Place your multimeter in Ohms mode and connect the leads to terminals 30 and 87.
   
   It doesn't matter which color lead goes where, since the polarity does not matter for this test.
   
   You'll need a helper for this operation, unless your multimeter leads have alligator clips on the end of the leads

4. 4

   Connect the male spade terminal 86 to the battery's positive (+) terminal.
   
   When this last connection is made, the relay will activate
   
   Again, if your jumper wire has alligator clips, it'll make the process a whole lot easier.

5. 5

   Once the last connection is made, your multimeter should show continuity.
   
   If it doesn't show continuity, recheck all your connections and retest.

6. 6

   Remove and reconnect the jumper wire to terminal 86 several times, as you eye-ball the multimeter.
   
   When the jumper wire IS NOT connected to power, the multimeter should show NO CONTINUITY
   
   When the jumper wire is connected to power, the multimeter should show continuity.

7. 7

   Repeat steps 1-6 on the other 2 cooling fan relays.

OK, let's interpret your test results:

CASE 1: Your multimeter showed continuity. This tells you that the relay is OK and not the cause of the problem.

CASE 2: Your multimeter DID NOT show continuity. This tells you that the relay is bad and needs to be replaced.

Related Articles

Here are some specific 3.0L Ford Escape test articles you might be interested in:

• Blown Head Gasket Test (at: troubleshootmyvehicle.com).
• How To Test The Throttle Position Sensor (2001-2007 3.0L Ford Escape).
• How To Test The Ford Escape COP Coils (Troubleshooting A Misfire).