Hello,
For a few years now, the radiator fans in my Jag have been... well, snarky. First I thought it was the FCM, then the car made it seem like it isn’t, then it does again.... it’s been a mess!
We just had the car looked at a shop near my house that works exclusively on Jaguars. The ECM threw a trouble code of P0480, which indicates “Cooling fan drive circuit malfunction.” The shop, which are quite reputable, said that this causes the fans to kick on intermittently and will eventually cause the fans to not turn on at all. BUT they said to replace this part, you need to replace the entire Radiator assembly. (>$1400)
I checked other forums on here to make sure the issue was indeed with the FCM. Here’s where it gets interesting. Started the car. While in park, switched A/C to full power. Sure enough, the radiator fan starts turning (not full blast or loudly, but significantly fast). This makes me think that the FCM is working fine. Am I wrong? The fans are coming on when they need too, but not turning off after driving. I’m stuck.

So could it be another part within the Radiator, or is it the ECM altogether? Possibly Thermostat reading the wrong temperatures?

Any advice is welcome! Thank You!

Sorry I forgot to mention the year aparently! It’s a 2002 X-Type. I believe the FCM model I’m looking for is the X400, correct?

G’day Tyler,

I had had a similar problem with my car in that the fans kept running after shutdown.
I noticed that the temp needle was about one needle width higher than normal so I replaced the thermostat and that fixed my problem.

Cheers,
Jeff.

Do you by chance have a link to a good FCM for a 2000-2004 Jag X-Type? I believe the one linked there is for the 2005-2012 models. The old model is long and skinny

Just an update, I have ordered a new FCM off eBay. The condition is used, but it says the computer is working fine and has a 60 day return date. I think I will try to drive 100 miles on it to make the ECM readjust to the new configuration, and see if I need to return it or not...

Real quick, I know I have to remove the battery box to reveal the FCM connections... is that all I need to do to remove it? Or are there some hidden steps I’m missing?

Thanks for the reply! The guys from the shop checked all of that yesterday. Fuses and fluids are all ok. The only thing I’m questioning is the Thermostat, but I’m assuming the shop would’ve picked up on an issue there.

You Tube

Hey thanks! Just got my new FCM (not new, but a year younger than my 16 year old one). Installed it, and so far so good!! The Temp Gauge stayed 1 needle cooler than normal, and the fans are not loud at all! I’ve only driven 53 miles on it so far and did the A/C fan check. So far so good! I got very lucky that my unit was a good one (and had no way to tell until it was in the car).

It was easy. You just have to remove the air filter box and battery box to expose the plugs and harnesses. Under the battery, there are 2 small plugs underneath the FCM itself, which are the main cables that connect to the ECM. Then you have 2 more cables that feed to each fan motor. Be mindful of where the cable clips are, because they are kinda hard to find. It’s definitly a squeeze to get to the fans, but it’s not terrible; just a few scratches. Anyway. If you need any help, send me a reply and I’ll talk you through it.

Thank you all for the help! You saved me a ton of cash!