while the motor is running shake the wires leading up the fan motor to see if it goes off or on. on another car not a saturn for two years i was trying to fix an intermitten bad idle swapped out alot of parts and one day i accidently dropped a wrench on some wiring leading up to a vaf meter box and the motor starting running better and ever since that time i became a wire shaker.

 

No prob derf!

UPDATE: Tried Max A/C which for this car was A/C button on/fan on high, but I also tried turning on the recirc button, fan still did not turn on. Pulled the fuse box and traced the wire from the fan to the fuse box and I did not see any damage to the wire, but couldn't test it because I forgot my voltmeter at home (DOH!). So tomorrow I will be bringing a new Coolant Temp Sensor per the owners request, since it's only 10.00 and I will bring my tester and check the continuity of the wire and go from there.
Thanks for all the help guys!
Scooter

ETA: Another note. It's an SL2 if that makes any difference

 

So today I changed out the coolant temperature sensor and checked continuity in the power wire for the fan from the relay. There is continuity in the wire so it is good. Ran the car and the temp guage went to about 1/2 way between the 1/4 mark and the 1/2 mark and the fan never started, nor did it start when I turned on the A/C. I told the lady to drive it close to home and see how hot it got and if it got past the 3/4 mark to take it home and call me. When is the fan supposed to turn on?
Scooter

 

How about continuity of the return wire (per OA)?

 

I did check continuity of the ground wire from the fan connection to several spots on the engine and frame, and I had continuity.

The car did not reach the 3/4 mark when she was driving the car. I told the mother of the girl who drives it to tell her to pay attention to the temp gauge and if it goes above the 3/4 mark to let me know. I am going to monitor the situation and contact the mother when the weather warms up to be sure the car doesn't overheat. I am beginning to become a little skeptical of the original diagnosis of overheating.

Thanks again for all the help guys!
Scooter

 

still, the telltale sign that there is an issue is that the fan does not kick in with the A/C engaged.

Maybe a issue with the connection between the PCM and the relay?

It's not something you want to leave unresolved with the warmer weather coming as these cars tend to heat up significantly when sitting traffic.......

Others have been known to wire a manual fan switch to be able to control the fan as a last resort

 

Heck -- I'm still trying to decide if the PCM is giving him "true ground" on the relay control line. Course, a grounding switch will trigger the relay too ......

 

I talked to the girls mother last night and told her to take the car into the dealer and see if they can tell her why the service light with the wrench is coming on. My code reader didn't show any codes. Would the dealer be able to tell if the PCM is at fault if it's not throwing a code?

I could wire in a remote switch for them, that would be a piece of cake. The problem would be making sure the 19 y.o. daughter pays enough attention to flip the switch when needed.

 

the dealer visit for the SERVICE light is a good idea -- the SES only indicates that ODB codes are set, so I'm not surprised to hear you couldn't read any.

Pls let us know what happens and good luck