Hi guys I'm Mark.

I'm having an issue somewhere in my electric cooling fan circuit. Initially the alternator went seemingly because the fan control module went. I have replaced both of these and I'm still having problems. Since the fix the battery is being drained - a 5A load! I also noticed a humming coming either from the electric fan or the FCM. This humming happened with the car off/cold engine for a good 15 minutes until I disconnected the battery.

This is as far as I've gotten. I suspect it's the fan because of the humming and the load - but I can't understand why it would be running for so long after the car is turned off and the engine being cold. That makes me think there's a bad sensor/relay causing the system to stay on and drain the battery - but then I can't understand the humming.

Any ideas? Should the fan come on for longer than 15 mins on a cold engine? Also, what exactly does the FCM do?

 

Willkommen to the forums!

I've read a couple of threads where folks have had similar issues. it is my understanding that the electric cooling fan is only for auxiliary cooling purposes. it is only designed to run when the fan on the serp belt can't adequately provide enough airflow for cooling (maybe when the AC is on too?). The electric fan will also operate as an "after run" fan to circulate air for a few minutes after you turn the car off. These functions are controlled by a sensor (not sure which)

I'm sorry I can't offer you an answer, but hopefully that will help you start looking in the right direction. I believe that some people just disable/remove the electric fan all together if/when it becomes a problem. I know that mine never, or almost never, runs.

good luck getting it sorted. hopefully someone that knows better than me will respond

-not an expert, just an enthusiast

 

Thanks for the response. I'm going to see what other troubleshooting I can do and get back.

 

Ok I've discovered that the mechanical fan is kaput. I let the engine warm completely, shut it off, and there's no resistance when I try to turn it.

I'm going to replace both fans (the clutch in the main one). We kept a very good eye on the temp gauge and the car hasn't overheated, but obviously the small fan has been running more often than it should.

So here are my questions:
Could this be the cause of the fan control module going?
Is there anything else I should do with the front of the car off?
Lastly, where are the relays for the small fan? I have the dash of the car taken off under the steering wheel. It looks like this is what I'm after, but I don't see it.

many thanks again.