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Fan Failure (Continued)


Boosh
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So, got my hands on a multimeter today. Assuming that the fan comes on as soon as the aircon is turned on and regardless of engine temperature, I think I can confirm a fault with the fan. I got a reading from manually spinning the blades, and a reading from the 'in' side of this box

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but nothing on the fan side of said box. Is that the fan motor? In any case, I popped over to a conveniently close Ford parts warehouse, to be told that it only comes with the fan...£200+! Would anybody with similar experience be able to confirm that my reasoning is correct, and if so, where I can find that box only? No doubt it's gotta be cheaper that buying the whole fan assembly...

Also, reading the Haynes manual for similar problems, I found that engine temp taking a long time to heat up could be a thermostat fault. Mine does that, with coolant loss to boot. The parts guy says they sell a fair few thermostat housings as they are made of plastic and can warp. Mine seems to be dry underneath, so not sure I want to spend the £200 (again!) they charge, to find out mine was fine. Should I have to bite the bullet and go down that route, is it a terrible job to tackle, or fairly straightforward?

Thanks for your much-appreciated help again,

Boosh.

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That a module I think motor Built into fan housing when u disconnect that away from fan is there still electrical connector there u could get a power probe an power up fan or make up ur own leads an power it off battery disconnect it from car an see if it spins when u give power an a ground wat exactly is problem ur havin

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

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The thing you took off is the fan control module. The fan motor is the big fat lump of metal in the centre of the fan itself.

Are you saying that the fan runs constantly when the aircon is on? If so, that's correct and normal. No fault there.

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No it's the other way around: fan doesn't come on. I turned aircon on and checked that power arrived to the module. It did, but nothing out the other end. So methinks module is a dud. Any idea where I could find one?

Thanks,

Boosh.

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Well, from personal experience my money is still on the fan itself being dead.

If you can, hook it up direct to the battery and see if it spins. I know you got a reading with the multimeter but that isn't definitive proof that the fan is OK. If the bearing is shot then you will get a reading, but you'll also get a horrible grinding noise which won't be evident unless the fan is up to speed.

I tested mine with a metre or so of 3-core cable, with spade connectors crimped to two of the wires. Put one end into the terminals on the fan plug (which is the short cable from the fan motor that plugs into the control module), and the other end to the battery. You might need to get somebody to hold the wires into the fan plug while you do the battery end. Also bear in mind the wires can get hot fairly quickly if you do it for any length of time, depending on what grade of cable you use.

I reckon your fan with either turn with a god-awful noise, or not turn at all.

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The thin wire is a control , you won't get an actual voltage down it , but I have seen more faults with this breaking than modules .

Do you have access to a code reader ? the PCM will log a code if the circuit is open , but not put the mil on.

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Thanks for the tip. Please don't take it the wrong way, but I hope you'll be wrong, which will mean an easier and cheaper fix than swapping the rad! Thanks for good and logical advice. Can't beat a good forum for that...

Boosh.

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Cant find BigD's thread, where we discussed he had changed many fans (3 or 4 wasn't it BigD?) I think he put a lot of detail into the threads.

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Sadly I do not have access to a code reader. What puzzles me is that I connected my multimeter to the fan connectors and got a reading by spinning the blades by hand, and also got a reading on the loom side of the module (with engine running and aircon on), but nothing on fan side of the module under same conditions... but you seem to think that the module is not necessarily faulty and that the fan is not necessarily working... Don't get me wrong, any pointer/advice is gratefully received, as the car will need to get MOT'd in 3 weeks, so I need this fan malarkey sorted out. Cheap preferably, too.

Thanks for your help,

Boosh.

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You'll get voltage by spinning the fan as a motor and a dynamo are essentially the same thing , but but used backwards to each other !

The wire generally breaks on the ns just past the headlamp where the loom forms a u shape , it seems to be where any overspill from the washer filler neck leaks down , look for stains.

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Will do, though I didn't notice anything earlier. Then again, I wasn't particularly looking. I got good consistent power to the module earlier, so I'd be inclined to think it's the module that's at fault. Guess I'll borrow a length of cable and bridge the battery to the fan to see whether I can rule the fan out.

Thanks again,

Boosh.

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You said you didn't get any sign of life from the output on the control module, but I'd urge you to recheck this. When I did mine I noted that there was a signal coming through but only briefly every 30 seconds or so, and only one one of the pins but I can't remember which one. I don't know the ins and outs of how the system works but the upshot is, that was on a working control module.

And yep, James is correct - I know the fan on my mondeo quite intimately, as I'm on my 4th one in two years. Got sick of the crappy Ford ones and have a 14" universal fan in there now. Required a few of the mounts sawing off to get it into the fan chassis (held on with zip ties), and a little light soldering to attach the old fan plug to the bare wires of the new fan, but it works like a charm, and a hell of a lot better than paying Ford nigh on £200 for a new bespoke unit, which only does the same job.

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The 2 thicker wires are direct battery supply and should give consistent voltage , the third thinner wire is a signal wire from the pcm and is the one that i've found problems with before.

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Well, I can definitely rule out the fan! I did as suggested and bridged the fan to the battery and it came on, with no nasty noise (bonus!). I also noticed that the engine temperature after my short commute to/from work is barely a quarter of the way up, so I suspect that the fault actually lies with the thermostat being stuck open. Got myself a replacement one and will fit it tomorrow. Hope it's a job within my skills. Haynes manual should help. I'll give it a go and report back. Thanks again for your help,

Boosh.

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Well, I changed the thermostat today. Cost £14 (with new seal) and took about 20mn, plus 15mn to run the engine to temperature afterwards. Well easy job, too. Engine temperature is now up to half way in normal time. However, I'm still not convinced hat the fan isn't faulty as still won't come on... Will have to keep an eye on fit for a couple of days, and report back once again. Thanks for your help,

Boosh.

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