I have a 93 MX-3 1.6 little 4cyc. I have a over heating problem. It filled it with antifreeze. The cooling fans do not turn on. I need to see where the cooling fans fuse is so that I can check that. If its ot the fuse I will have to test the fans some how or something. If not i might have to buy new cooling fans. Or buy a v6 motor for it instead. I started it up in my drive way and let it run. The temp gauge went from the middle where it should be to the over heat mark. The cooling fans did not kick on at all! I turned the motor off befour it over heated. But I still blew the small hose that goes to the over flow tank. The radiator is bent like the person that had it befour me wrecked it and pushed the radiator in clse to the motor. It looks like a cresant moon. I am going to buy a new radiator for it as well. I need help with the cooling fan fuse where its locsted at. Also somone opinion on how they would go about fixing the problem. Or if anyone can help me, tell me what I can do to fix it. Thanks for your help. Kenny

 

Have you tried it with the A/C on? The cooling fans should kick on w/the A/C. If they work then, the radiator temp sensor is probably not working, or there is an air bubble near it that is not allowing the sensor to see water.
A bent radiator is never a good thing, but before spending the money for that, I would make sure your cooling fans are running.
You could temporarily hot-wire them just to make sure? But if both aren't working, it is likely that they are not being signaled to start.

 

Did you actually check the radiator level or did you just pour coolant into the bottle.

The radiator can be completely empty and still have coolant in the overflow. The Min Max levels are not an indication of what is in the cooling system, just what is in the bottle.

If there is coolant in the Radiator then... run the heater at max and fan level 3,

When overheating, if the air is much hotter than normal...Like so hot that it's hard to put keep your hand in front of the vent, then you can rule out the coolant temps sensor, it is fine.

There are relays that control the fan, they will be located in the fuse panel.

You can remove the relay and manually make the connection with a test wire. This will rule out the wiring.

If the fan does not come on when overridden with the test wire, check the wiring.

If you want the "Ghetto" fix, run a switched wire from the battery to the positive terminal of the fan and manually turn it on after the car is running.

If you do not feel comfortable with all this, get some help.

The thermostat is also a $5 part that can be changed easily most of the time.

If it's stuck closed, no coolant will ever go to the radiator..

 

Hot air from the heater will only tell you coolant is circulating through the heater core. That will not tell you the coolant sensors are fine.
You should find the coolant sensor for the fan and test it with an ohm-meter, or multi-meter. Then, you'll know if it is working. If it shows 0 ohms, replace. If it shows no reading at all, it is broke. If it is fine and working, you'll get different ohm readings for different temperatures.
Fuse and relays for fans, i believe are in the fuse compartment by the battery. I'd check fuses first. There could be a fuse for the fans inside the interior fuse box, but, i can't recall.
When the car overheats, does the upper radiator hose get hot? If it does, thermostat may be fine. But, repeated overheating could damage it, so i'd suggest replacing it soon anyway.
If sensor is fine and fuse isn't blown, you can do the jumper test, but i can't say which posts need to be jumped. I'd run a wire to a good ground and a fused wire from the battery and test the fan.
One fan kicks on for A/C, the other is for normal cooling. I don't recall for sure, but think the passenger side fan is for A/C.
Yes, you can 'rig' it if the fans work. I've done this in a Nissan beater car I had. In it, I wired the fans together, so both ran when triggered.

 

Here are a couple of "easy dos" that might spare a lot of plugging, ohming and jumpering.
1. With the rad. full and engine running, but NOT BOILING HOT, look into the rad and see if the water flow is turbulent; if it is not, you have a water pump or blocked cooling system issue.
2. With everything OFF, check by hand that the fans turn freely; that rad ding may have distorted the fan mounting(s) such that the blades are fouling the shroud(s). The clearances are tight and it doesn't take much drag to prevent fans from starting up.