Code 564 Fan Control (FC) CKT Fault

[White Lincoln]

Driving home this morning, the Cougar just died. Coasted into a closed gas station and tried to start the car. Cranks, but no start. Had it towed home and ran codes. Code 564 Fan Control (FC) CKT Fault. No issues up till now except the Check Engine light would come on once in a while and go off.

From what I can find, the Constant Control Relay Module (CCRM) is at fault. I think I replaced this a few years ago.

Any suggestions other than replacing the CCRM? Fan does run under KOEO test, both low and high then brings up the code 564.

Thanks.

 

[White Lincoln]

Forgot to mention that all three indicator lights on the dash are lit:
1) Check Gauges
2) Check Engine
3) Battery

All the gauges are working including the oil pressure. I can crank the engine and the oil pressure will go up and drop when I stop cranking.

 

[Vicinity]

Seems haywire, which ground wires should be checked?

 

[White Lincoln]

Seems haywire, which ground wires should be checked?

Good point. I will check that tomorrow. I am going to check the A/C relay as well.

What is weird that others that had this code, the car kept running. Mine will crank, but nor fire.

 

[White Lincoln]

Here is where I am at:
Both relays are good. I tested them for power (hear the solinoid click) and opening and closing the circuit. I did this to both relays.
The fuel pump shows pressure when the pump is turned on and gas is getting to the fuel rail (it was coming out of the tester and you can smell). But during crank, there is no pressure (expected).
I have no spark at a spark plug.
I have no spark at the coil to distributor.
I have 10 volts at the coil power instead of 12.

On to finding a test for the ignition control module (ICM).

I did order an Powertrain Control Module Relay just in case. I can't find the OEM module I replaced 5 years ago or my coil pack I had replaced.. where does this crap go?!

 

[Kidd-7]

The same nomes that steal socks outta the dryer. LOL

 

[bowez]

- Key "OFF".

- Disconnect Powertrain Control Module (PCM). Inspect for damaged or pushed out pins, corrosion, loose wires, etc. Service as necessary.

- Install breakout box, leave PCM disconnected.

- Disconnect Constant Control Relay Module (CCRM).

- Measure resistance between test pin 13 and test pins 40/60 at the breakout box.

- Is resistance greater than 10,000 ohms?

Issue is either CCRM or PCM. Do the fans come on ?
40 is BK/W wire and 60 is BK/Y both are gound
13 is T/O cooling fan (assume power)

X20 - Does Fan Run With Key On — 1994 Ford Thunderbird V6-232 3.8L Service Manual | Operation CHARM

Detailed repair manual for the 1994 Ford Thunderbird V6-232 3.8L.

charm.li

 

[White Lincoln]

Fan (as mentioned earlier) does go on, both speeds and then the code pops up.

Will look into both the aformentioned suggestion and the friken nomes... Thanks!

 

[White Lincoln]

Issue is either CCRM or PCM. Do the fans come on ?
40 is BK/W wire and 60 is BK/Y both are gound
13 is T/O cooling fan (assume power)

X20 - Does Fan Run With Key On — 1994 Ford Thunderbird V6-232 3.8L Service Manual | Operation CHARM

Detailed repair manual for the 1994 Ford Thunderbird V6-232 3.8L.

charm.li

The only bad thing is, getting to the PCM with a bad back. I have been putting off all kinds of work due to this menace. Sucks gettng old.

I did find my old PCM that I originally replaced, nothing wrong with it. Still can't find my CCRM though... friken nomes.

 

[White Lincoln]

FRACK!
I pulled the distributor cap off just to make sure nothing happened there... The SOB rotor tip was broke off!!!! Will pick up a new rotor on the way home today from O'Reilys.

Jeez....

 

[White Lincoln]

I still did not start after replacing the distributor rotor. CCRM will be here on Thursday or Friday. Enough time to run some more tests to pinpoint if its the CCRM or the PCM.

 

[White Lincoln]

Digging through my records, I found I bought a refurbished CCRM back in 2020 from O'Reileys. I luckily found the purchase record on their web site and I returned it the same day. Mistory of the missing CCRM solved. New CCRM should be here tomorrow and I need to run some diags before replacing it though. Never enough time in the day to get much done.

 

[White Lincoln]

Today I unplugged the PCM connections and turned the key on (CCRM connected). The fan did not run. Per the info listed above, the code 564 says to replace the CCRM. I recieved the CCRM from RockAuto and installed it. It cleared the 564 error (yeah!) but the car still will not start and has the Check Gauges idiot light still on.

Shout out to Bowez for suggestion the links listed above, they were a great help!

More research.

 

[White Lincoln]

All I got to say....

 

[White Lincoln]

I ordered a new distributor from RockAuto. I sent the last one back to them 5 years ago because the shaft would not "spine" and was not easy to turn. Not a good sign, though I could be wrong. Now, where did I get this one from? I looked all through my records and cannot find where I bought blown up one from. But it was replaced because I compared photos from over 5 years ago and this is not the same distributor.

We will see in a week when the part gets here if this cures the issue.

BTW: What led me to look at the distributor again was after clearing all codes, I went back to the basics:
1) Does it have fuel? Yes, it held 38 psi for some time until I pulled the fuel gauge.
2) Does it have spark? NO! SOB, had no spark on my spark tester. I started checking connections and sure enough, I saw a piece of something in the bowl of the distributor, looked harder and dang if the metal part that spins was not bent to hell and there was a bunch of broken parts inside under the metal part. I did not notice this the first time I looked and found the rotor had broken its tip.

Bought a bunch of other crap while I was at it. Stuff the car will need down the line. Windsheild wipers, spark plugs, rotor and cap... all for less than $5 each. Can't pass that up when you see the prices at a regular store.

 

[Zep5.0]

I'm just down away by the damage in there. I can't wrap my head around it. Something must have worked the "rotor" loose and when it went, shit happened.

 

[White Lincoln]

I'm just down away by the damage in there. I can't wrap my head around it. Something must have worked the "rotor" loose and when it went, shit happened.

"God works in misterious ways...."

I am just as blown away that this could even happen. I did find a whole rotor tip in the mix of peices that was not part of the broken rotor tip. Could have been there for years and finally popped up when we went over a speed bump and hit the rotor? Na... that makes no sense.

Crappy Chines parts? FInally broke down from the heat and blew up? We were driving on the freeway for some time, but my engine was running very cool, so ... frack, I don't know.

Put this down as one of the weirdest occurances you have seen.

 

[White Lincoln]

Found some pics of the same distributor before its demise. What I found where pics of a rotor that broke (tip busted off). So it would seem that ether I bought crappy rotors or the distributor is eating them for lunch.

Rotor that was busted back in May of 2025 (and its replacement on the left):





Rotor before demise, May of 2025:



From the pics, it looks like the whole tip of the rotor popped of and did its damage, that is about all I can figure. In the previous pics, you can see the rotor tip from the blue one above in the previous pics of the collection of broken parts. I did purchase a new rotor and cap, should be here next week if the truck carring them does not get stuck in the storm somewhere back east.

 

[White Lincoln]

UPDATE: Replaced CCRM, replaced distributor and now I get error codes 116, (coolant temp out of range) and 636 (tranny oil sensor) and it won't start.
I suspect the codes are because the engine and tranny are cold.
I still have the check gauges light, battery light and check engine lights when cranking the engine.
I did set the harmonic balancer to TDC and if anything was even off a bit, the engine would back fire and have a fit.
I wonder if I unplugged the timing plug and let the car try to run without the computer trying to set the timing would help.
I wish these cars had better codes.

Could it be the PCM is an issue? Once again, the gauges work and show oil pressure when cranking, battery and well.. temp gauge, but that will be cold. Going to revisit old codes from beginning now that I have the main crap taken care of.

 

[Zep5.0]

Always unplug the timing plug to set base timing. Once set you turn the car off, plug it back in and out should be good.

Not being an expert on these I lean towards ECM

 

[White Lincoln]

Thanks Zep. I pulled #1 plug, stuck a coat hanger in, found TDC, marked the hanger wire, went back and forth several time to ensure TDC and then checked the distributor. I was 180 off. Trying to start, wants to start, but not quite getting there....

Funny thing about ECM... I thought I had the old one, turns out, it was the one for the Town Car. Ug... hate waiting another week for another part.

More to come.

 

[White Lincoln]

It's ALIVE!!!!!

I think I misunderstood the mark timing numbers as TDC. Anyway, it's running and I am letting it warm up to do a full diag on it.

THANKS ALL!

 

[KevinVarnes]

As Zep stated. The 0 mark on the balancer lines up with the timing mark twice during the engine cycle. You have to figure out which one is actually TDC. You can either do the thumb over the spark plug hole trick or pull the valve cover to see what the rockers are doing.

 

[White Lincoln]

In the pic below, the rotor is pointing to cylinder #1.



Wouldn't you think the BIG NOTCH in the harminc balancer would be TDC? NOOOO! It is the little circle with a line through it! I did not see the ATC until I put my glasses on and used a flash light to see where the timinig mark was.



Let's review: The distributor either had a broken part bouncing around or the shaft froze up, I am not sure what caused the dist insides to go ape shit and bust up inside the cap, but the shaft is hard to turn now. The new dist shaft turns easily and appeared to have never been opened from the box.

I believe the distributor blowing up sent a shreaking amount of voltage to the relays (CCRM) and blew a few relays.

After replacing the CCRM and distributor and setting the timing I no longer have any codes or idiot lights on the dash. The car is running as it was before the incident. Needless to say, my wife is no longer confident the car will not break down while driving.

 

[Zep5.0]

The best advice I have for this, is when you take a distributor out, mark somewhere on the engine or radiator shroud where the rotor is pointing. When you do that, you are not fighting TDC. You are just getting it as close as possible to firing the cylinder next in the during order based on where the engine stopped.

I once had the ignition module fail on my 355 Chevy in the Walmart parking lot. Luckily I worked at a dealership and had friends that told me I'd be better of buying a new distributor. Went to auto store with the old one already pulled for a core, came back to Walmart and dropped the new one in, started right up, did the ear test for timing and went on my way. It all happened in 30 minutes so I knew exactly where to drop it in and got lucky. Of course when waiting for replacement parts, you need to mark something so you know where to shoot for.

 

[White Lincoln]

The best advice I have for this, is when you take a distributor out, mark somewhere on the engine or radiator shroud where the rotor is pointing. When you do that, you are not fighting TDC. You are just getting it as close as possible to firing the cylinder next in the during order based on where the engine stopped.

I once had the ignition module fail on my 355 Chevy in the Walmart parking lot. Luckily I worked at a dealership and had friends that told me I'd be better of buying a new distributor. Went to auto store with the old one already pulled for a core, came back to Walmart and dropped the new one in, started right up, did the ear test for timing and went on my way. It all happened in 30 minutes so I knew exactly where to drop it in and got lucky. Of course when waiting for replacement parts, you need to mark something so you know where to shoot for.

Don't get me started about my mistake. I put the new one in, fired it up, would not start, made a funny noise like a backfire. Pulled the distributor and found I forgot the shaft to the crank. Needless to say I had to find TDC all over again. I would have saved myself a days worth of work if I would not have forgot that part.

Nice story though, Zep.

 

[White Lincoln]

Follow up:
Car actually starts better, warms up better and seems to drive better now that it has a new distributor. It now goes into high idle when cold and slowly moves from 2000 rpm down to 700 like it should. No drops from 2000, to a 1000 and then 800 then 700 in steps. And, as mentioned, it seems to be driving smoother with a bit more pep. I will check my 137/173 codes soon to see if they have been cleared finally, not sure if they are related or not.

Thanks again for the input in this issue.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

Follow up:
. It now goes into high idle when cold and slowly moves from 2000 rpm down to 700 like it should. No drops from 2000, to a 1000 and then 800 then 700 in steps.

It idles at 2,000 rpm from a cold start? Is that a characteristic of earlier model years?

Mine never does that. Depending on temperature, the highest idle on cold start I've seen is 1,300 rpm, and then it does drop within several seconds in steps to about 1,000 rpm, then about 800 rpm.

Maybe my car has never experienced  real cold; the coldest was about 15°F.

 

[Zep5.0]

I don't think I've ever had a car idle at 2000 or more. Maybe 1400, tops. Unless that's a 3.8 thing I don't know about, I'd wonder about a vacuum leak.

 

[theterminator93]

I don't remember my 94 idling that high when it started, granted it's been 10 years. When it's colder it will take longer to step down, and until the engine has reached a temperature threshold the idle baseline is higher too. Warm idle in neutral/park should be 800, with drive idle being 560-600 (though the gauge itself can't be relied up to be super accurate).

Off the cuff I'd say 1400-1500 RPM after initial startup then a settle down to 800-1000 (depending on temperature) within 30 seconds is normal.