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Today I noticed my a/c was not cooling. When I checked my engine bay I realized the engine cooling fans were not moving under their own power. Neither one. I checked every fuse in the engine fuse compartment box and they were all good. I manually spun the fans to see if they were seized. They are not.
How do I troubleshoot this? Am I looking at buying a new fan shroud?
To be clear, this a 2004 4.2 XKR. I have made searches on the forums and I feel more lost after reading them. Apparently there’s a fuse box under the headlights? A fan control module?
It looks like part# XR847278 for the entire assembly. A Google image search shows the shroud, fans and control module right there on the shroud. I assume a used one would work just fine. No idea if it can be opened/fixed.
Yes, I believe it is possible that my A/C lost pressure. I recharged the system a couple weeks ago. It isn’t outside the realm of possibility that I may have a leak. However, yesterday morning I had ice cold air and the fans were working. In the afternoon, I had no A/C and no fans. I didn’t dare drive the car long enough to check if the fans would kick on when the car got to 215°F because I haven’t yet bought RealGauge.
I will check that fuse. I also sent andy a pm asking if he still has his extra fan and module. I scoured ebay for the entire assembly used and for some reason, all sellers are not including the module and wiring harness. A new assembly is an eye watering $800. My bank account was already pillaged by the fuel pump.
I have no problem finding the X-type modules, but I don’t know if they are compatible even though they look similar enough.
When I return to my home I will check the A/C refrigerant pressure.
Last edited by giandanielxk8; Mar 4, 2020 at 09:50 AM.
I recharged the system a couple weeks ago. the fans would kick on when the car got to 215°F.
I would check the A/C fill valve first, they are known to leak. If you have one of those quick fill cans with a gauge, it should be easy to check if you are still in the "green" zone to confirm if there is any charge in there. Also, true water temp is available over OBDII, so you could safely test rising temperature (the sensor is linear with the temp, the gauge is not) with an ELM327. Keep in mind the point of this controller is to provide fan speed as needed through PWM, it is no longer on/off or high/low as in the earlier models. You could also try and test with the water temp sensor disconnected to see if the ECU defaults to assuming things are too hot and engages the fans at high speed (I have not tested this, this is just a thought).
I would check the A/C fill valve first, they are known to leak. If you have one of those quick fill cans with a gauge, it should be easy to check if you are still in the "green" zone to confirm if there is any charge in there. Also, true water temp is available over OBDII, so you could safely test rising temperature (the sensor is linear with the temp, the gauge is not) with an ELM327. Keep in mind the point of this controller is to provide fan speed as needed through PWM, it is no longer on/off or high/low as in the earlier models. You could also try and test with the water temp sensor disconnected to see if the ECU defaults to assuming things are too hot and engages the fans at high speed (I have not tested this, this is just a thought).
Best of luck, keep us posted.
I did as you said and used my quick fill can with a gauge to check if I had enough refrigerant. Unless I am doing it wrong, it seems I have no refrigerant in the system. A large leak it seems. I then tried adding some refrigerant. It briefly rose to about 30 psi before completely going back to 0.
I will take it to an auto a/c repair shop on Friday.
FWIW, the usual suspect for A/C leaks on our cars seem to be the fill valve itself. I believe there are cheap cores available as replacement. Worth checking before being talked into a more expensive leak test. Obviously, you will need a vacuum and proper refill at this point.
FWIW, the usual suspect for A/C leaks on our cars seem to be the fill valve itself. I believe there are cheap cores available as replacement. Worth checking before being talked into a more expensive leak test. Obviously, you will need a vacuum and proper refill at this point.
Best of luck, keep us posted.
Do you know a source, service or a part number for the fill valve core?
Took it an A/C repair shop, the owner is a friend of the family. He is charging me a $20 fee for the leak detection diagnosis. He confirmed that the R134 leaked or completely. After the drive there, I did get to see the fans running. I’m glad they work when the car reaches operating temperature. That is some peace of mind.
Apparently, the A/C line that runs near the radiator had been rubbing with the steel of the oil cooler lines and wore through the aluminum. They welded the line and recharged the system. Predictably, the fans were also working as intended after this. All in, they charged me $145.00.
This very same issue happened to my previous 2005 S-Type five or six years ago. It took quite a bit of time to find the problem. I wound up replacing the metal A/C line, then wedged a section of rubber hose around the spot on the new line where it had rubbed against the steel bracket directly above it. That incident taught me to check the A/C lines on ALL of our vehicles whenever I am underneath them to look for potential line rubbing. A piece of rubber hose in the right spot will save you from a very costly repair once the metal A/C line finally wears through and you lose your refrigerant....
Radiator Cooling fans won’t kick on - RESOLVED
