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Got the dreaded rising temp gauge needle in traffic yesterday, 96F ambient temp and I managed to get it shut off immediately. After cooling for 10 minutes I managed to limp home without it going bang, but I noticed that the fans had not kicked in, although recently they have been firing up around 20 seconds after starting. The thermostat has been changed and I did the fill and bleed as the manual recommends, and the intercooler pump is working as it should when the engine is not running. After 15 minutes of running the heater full blast and the engine at 1500rpm the needle did not move from half way, but the fans never kicked in either. It's over 100F in my garage at the moment. Could this be the fan relay module, and where can I find it on the car?
These motors do not take kindly to overheating
The fans should kick in regardless if the A/C is running (& not low on gas). There are two 30 amp fuses you can check first: F12 & F14 in the Engine compartment fusebox.
Originally Posted by petes76
Could this be the fan relay module, and where can I find it on the car?
It could, and it's located 'adjacent to the LHS horn'.
There may be other contributory issues to the overheating, but if the fans aren't coming on with the A/C then there is something amiss (what popped F14?). I'd disconnect the fans and check separately:- do they turn freely? Try temporarily powering each one via a 30A fuse, either from a feed (under the rubber cap) to one of the fuseboxes in the engine compartment or a second battery. (You will need something beefier than the average battery charger as a source, though since they draw a lot of power).
Next upstream from there is the fan module. Try the checks and report back what you find.
The fan control module is in a pocket in the middle of the fan shroud. Your problem sounds like it has failed. The ECM decides what fan should run and how fast, it tells the fan module what to do. The fan module is basically a group of relays and an electronic control for them.
i checked the fans and LHS is smooth free spinning, and came on once AC was turned on, but RHS is turning like a ratchet, so new fan assembly on the way
i checked the fans and LHS is smooth free spinning, and came on once AC was turned on, but RHS is turning like a ratchet, so new fan assembly on the way