ok fella's, i posted with this problem before but i've done lots to the cooling system since, heres the deal........... keep in mind thecar sat for who knows how long its a 79 with 55k miles so probably sat for more than less but anyways.............. car ran great for awhile but i noticed the cooling fan wasn't kicking on, i figured it was the fan switch but didn't feel like changing it at that point so i ran power and ground directly to the fan and turned it on and off with a switch inside my car, it worked great but the radiator started to leak so i figured i'd replace it and get a new fan switch also...... new radiator is in along with new fan switch(two prong), radiator doesn't leak and thermostat is openeing when it should but damn cooling fan still won't turn on, not sure if its the plug into the fan or the wiring to the switch or both or what... i did look at all the wiring and saw no cuts or seperations and i have an ohm/volt meter can anyone give me some tips such as resistance measurements or voltage measurments??? wires going into fan switch are solid brown and brown/red strip, also there is a wire just kinda hanging off to the side beside the battery that looks like it connects to nothing trust me i looked and this wire is hot(touched it to ground and saw sparks).... this is really pissin me off somebody help me please...... much thanks.............
I think I mentioned this in your other topic, but I had a very similar problem w/my GTI. It sat for the better part of a year before I bought it so maybe if your car was sitting for a long time as well it might be suffering from the same problem. If you have ruled out the fan switch, and the fan itself is operational, then the problem is most likely either:
a) bad relay
b) bad fan motor
In my case, the fan would come on briefly, then shut off a few seconds later. I replaced the fan switch twice with no luck. Next I replaced the relay, still no luck. The fan fuse also was blowing intermittently, so I kept replacing that. Eventually I figured the fan motor was drawing too much power, this turned out to be correct, it was drawing something like 45 amps on a 30-amp circuit, so every time it would try to turn on, it would blow the fuse and shut off. Replaced the fan/motor assembly with one that tested out to 9 amps and it has worked flawlessly since then.
So, cliff notes version, check fuses, check relay, check fan motor itself.
If a switch turns turns the fan on and it doesn't blow the fuse then the fan is almost always good. The fan fuse is the one on the far right of the fuse box. Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, there is no fan relay. The fan circut is insanly simple. The current path goes +, fuse, switch, fan, - That's EVERYTHING that runs the fan (except in A/C cars, which have another switch that jumpers the main switch).
The biggest causes of a dead fan:
Dead switch: Test it by removing it, checking continuity, drop it in a pot of boiling water, give it a few minutes, test again. If it doesn't have continuity between the pins, it's bad. Make sure you're testing the right switch, I've seen people get confused with all the switches on the car. You want the one that screws into the radiator.
Low coolant: You'd be surprised how often I find a 'bad fan switch' to really be low coolant. If the coolant gets below the switch it wont get hot enought to turn the fan on. While this seems crazy, the switch is actually quite high in the system.
__________________
-Aaron
Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a bi-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit. - Banksy
Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, there is no fan relay.
I'm guessing this is true of older Rabbits? Because mine ('83) definitely has a relay marked as "fan" in the Bentley, and I've definitely replaced it. If that wasn't a fan relay then I have no idea wtf I messed with, lol...
it does have a/c, and the fan works if run directly off the battery, all fuses ok, didn't see a relay marked fan but there are definatly some relays there, when the engine gets hot the fan doesn't even try to kick on i feel the thermo opening but no fan, if i let it get any hotter i'd be cookin some rabbit head stew, will check into relay, i need a manual... thanks guys
Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, there is no fan relay.
I'm guessing this is true of older Rabbits? Because mine ('83) definitely has a relay marked as "fan" in the Bentley, and I've definitely replaced it. If that wasn't a fan relay then I have no idea wtf I messed with, lol...
Yep, '81 and later had a relay, although the circut was still super simple.
__________________
-Aaron
Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a bi-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit. - Banksy
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cooling fan problem help needed!!!
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