If my car is maintaining temperature while I'm driving that would be a great indicator of the engine cooling fan working, right?

I would check the fan motor itself.

-No not to worry about it if your car never over head.
-No you can't get any reading if the temperature is at your thermostat's setting or below.
-It connect or (Works) ONLY when the temperature at that area reach above the thermostat setting or up to 200 degree or higher.

Good luck


Mai

Is the engine actually cooling off? If the temp switch isn't seeing a drop in temperature, it will keep the fan running.

the temperature sensor is next to thermostat housing disconnect the sensor and start the car if the fan works right away you have a faulty sensor also make sure there is good ground to the body and engine

the cooling fans on your car are comanded on by the engine control module which reads engine temperature from the temperature sensor . when comanded on the engine control module sends a signal to the cooling fan relays . which in turn runs the current to the cooling fans . So you might want to check the cooling fan relays and make sure the fues for the cooling fans are good and the relays .if the cooling fan fuses and relays are good it could be a problem with the fan motors or the engine control module not reading the right temperature in that case it could mean you have a problem with the temperature sensor

This is perfectly natural for the fan to continue running when the motor is turned off. I have seen them run for up to 15 minutes depending on how hot the day and the engine are. If it is not cutting off at all then you may have a problem in your heat sensor.

The reason for replacing the thermostat is improper cooling - not heating. The purpose of the thermostat is to shut off the flow of coolant through the engine allowing the temperature to build. When it reaches the temperature it wants the thermostat opens and allows coolant to flow to maintain the proper temp. Dodge Caravans have a track record for maintaining a low temperature until the engine is at higher rpm. While it is inconvenient in cold weather it it not bad. However, you want to check that your radiator fan is shutting off when it is cold. A fan that is staying on when it shouldn't could cause the temp to stay cooler.

bad low coolant switch or still low on coolant.

Engine Cooling The cooling system components are the:

• engine coolant temperature sensor (ECT sensor) (12A648)
• radiator (8005)
• degas bottle (8A080)
• radiator draincock (8115)
• water pump (8501)
• water temperature indicator sender unit (10884)
• water thermostat (8575)
• dual speed fan motor assembly

The water pump circulates the coolant.
The water thermostat:

• controls the engine coolant temperature.
• allows quicker engine warm-up.

The degas bottle:

• provides a location for fill.
• contains coolant expansion and system pressurization.
• provides air separation during operation.
• replenishes the engine coolant to the system.

The fan motor (8C607):

• operates only when the ignition switch is in the RUN position.
• will not operate with the switch in the OFF position.

The engine coolant flows:

• from the lower radiator hose (8286) to the water pump.
• from the water pump to the engine block and the cylinder heads.

A closed water thermostat returns the engine coolant to the water pump; an open water thermostat allows the engine coolant to flow to the radiator.
Engine coolant provides freeze protection, boil protection, cooling efficiency and corrosion protection to the engine and cooling components. In order to obtain these protections, the engine coolant must be maintained at the correct concentration and fluid level in the degas bottle.
When adding engine coolant, use a 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and engine coolant.
To maintain the integrity of the coolant and the cooling system:

sounds to me like the thermostat is sticking and allowing the car to overheat. with the a/c on the fan comes on and runs constantly to keep the engine cool

Had the same problem with a Neon same age as yours. Mine started after driving through a large snow storm that packed snow under the hood. Turned out there is a relay or sensor for the fan that had to be replaced. Once this was done the problem was fixed.