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Radiator Fan Removal Issues

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protege_chris

CEG'er
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
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103
I made a new thread for searching purposes (my other one is clogged, focuses on a million issues, etc.)

Anyways, I'm pulling the radiator fan and the A/C line is the only thing standing in my way. What do I do to remedy that?
 

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I change mine out, but due to that very issue I did it through the bottom. Do you have the ford CD and have you checked the removal proceedures in it? BTW when I changed it I installed the dual fan unit in my 95.

AF
 
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IIRC there was some big black metal thing in my way underneath. I'll doublecheck to be sure. Don't have the Ford CD. :/

I really do love this forum. All of you. xD
 
Uh.. yeah. Underneath there are a million obstacles, the main one being a huge black bar (part of chassis/support?) and the other being the bottom of the headers/exhaust. My only option is to move the A/C line.. how do I go about that. Ahhhhh.
 
Maybe I'm missing something. I followed those steps (removing the resonator support, etc.) but I'm finding NO way to pull it out without the A/C hose being in the way. Maybe when I go out after it warms up I'll have an epiphany.
 
I got it out! :p In a million pieces.

The old fan:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/CIMG5810.jpg

I noticed a bigger bend in my radiator than I thought. I honestly CAN'T afford to replace the radiator and get the tires and alignment I need.. so hopefully it's alright.. for a few weeks, at least. A lot of my wiring has no shroud, i.e. it's just visible wiring. I'm going to at least wrap it while I've got the access from the fan being out.

The bent radiator:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/CIMG5811.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/CIMG5813.jpg

Radiator fan's shredded wiring.. worries me:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/CIMG5815.jpg

More wiring..
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/CIMG5816.jpg

New fan:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/CIMG5814.jpg

The car as it stands now:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/CIMG5809.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l211/protegechris/CIMG5808.jpg

I'm afraid of putting the new fan in there. I'd rather not break it, too.. and I don't have $50 to spare for it. In fact, I'm down to $100 and I need 2 new tires, front end alignment, and haven't bought any of the airbag or body parts yet. :/
 
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Did you remove the one bolt (in the hardest to access point the engineers could find) that secures the A/C line down over to the left side? That will give you some wiggle room. Use a ratcheting 10mm box wrench it speeds thing up. Also remove (if the bolts aren't rusted tight) the lower radiator supports, again for more wiggle room. The bent radiator is probably the main reason you're having trouble.
 
BoSoxBruin said:
Where do you live? If it is cold out, and you do not drive anywhere where the car would need to idle for more than a minute or so, I would think you could hold off on putting the fan in there, no?
Click to expand...

I'm in Texas, it's a little above freezing at the moment. I can still drive it around, just very sparingly because I'm running on a spare that has over a few hundred miles on it. It's begun to warm up here, though, so I figured I'd do this in advance.

I didn't think of the radiator mounts, I had *just* put them back on a while ago. Good idea. I'll update with progress :)
 
Chris,
Your wiring is toast. You have the wiring harness problem that there was a TSB / recall on, but since it has been over 10 years it is now over and Ford will no longer fix it. You have mentioned you limited funds and I hate to say it, but if you continue to fix this car without addressing the wiring issue you are just putting money down the drain. PLEASE check out the issue first, do a search.

[Owner Notification Program 99M03 - Certain 1995-1997 Contour and Mystique vehicles - Under Hood Wire Harness - Additional Coverage.]

What you are seeing there is only the tip of the iceberg. Depending on the options this can be more than the car is worth to fix. My 95 is a Ztech without ABS and the cost of the replacement harnesses was $140. To me that was worth saving the car for, but if I'd had the V6 and ABS the cost is about $3,000 which means I'd have parted out the car. There are many variations in between. The fan harness was included. I think I have a good fan harness around here that I'll be glad to send to you (PM me), but there are still two other harnesses in the engine compartment that are bad and at worst can cause a fire. Just something to consider and NOW is the time for you to think about it.

Regards,
AF
 
So I went ahead and put in the new radiator fan.

Drove it.
3.5 miles, overheated (tried to, of course I pulled over). The new radiator fan never cuts on.

I found a blown fuse in th engine fuse compartment. It's in a group of three, it's a 60. The middle yellow one on the top left here:
showpic.php


Please, someone... tell me that it is causing my fan not to cut on. Pretty pretty please?
 
Yes, the fuse for the fan is that yellow 60 in the middle... According to the owner's manual, those three yellow fuses should be "replaced by a qualified technician" :laugh:

On a side note, the fan relays are the green and black set on the bottom left... Green is for low speed and black is for high speed...
 
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BoSoxBruin said:
Yes, the fuse for the fan is that yellow 60 in the middle... According to the owner's manual, those three yellow fuses should be "replaced by a qualified technician" :laugh:

On a side note, the fan relays are the green and black set on the bottom left... Green is for low speed and black is for high speed...
Click to expand...

Well, that's a load off. I ran the car with the fan f'ed up until the motor gave out (I assumed). It was brittle, and blades had come off in the wreck. I just didn't know it.

Anyways, can I buy the fuse at Autozone? I couldn't manage to get the little turd out -slaps-

A smile is emerging from my face. Sort of.

edit: I can't get the damned thing out of there. Is there some secret other than.. pull?
 
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Yes, on the end of that fuse trio there are tabs and you either push them in or pull them out I forget which but they lock that block in place, and the wires are short too don't forget which goes to which, and above all don't loose the screws. (disconnect the battery first)

AF
 
Okay. New fuse is in, radiator fan works (YAY!).
Radiator is full of 50/50.

Took it to get some new (used) tires (my goal here is to make it last a few months..).

Overheated a few times. Oddly, one of them was on the interstate at 60mph in barely above freezing weather. The radiator fan was running EVERY time it started to overheat (it's cutting on at the appropriate times).

I'm thinking THERMOSTAT.. because around town, it'll stay in the middle sporadically, then randomly start to climb up to the red. I used to run between A and L in hot weather, and one time it climbed above the L that I can remember. I was considering replacing the t-stat then.

This diagnosis sound about right?
 
i would replace the thermostat and the coolant temp sending unit (the one thats located on the bottom side of the t-stat housing).
 
Replaced the thermostat today. Couldn't find a 180º t-stat locally, so I had to go with the regular 195.

Drove it for a few miles (3-5), didn't overheat. Parked it and idled it for 6 minutes, it sat between L and the redline. It used to run between A and L, and considering how much coolant I lost changing the t-stat, it's not surprising, but it DIDN'T go into the red. I didn't notice any visible defects to the thermostat, but who knows.

I'll be able to tell better once I refill the coolant.. but I noticed..

my fan does NOT cut on until almost the L. I suppose this means I have no low-speed fan. The fan comes on whenever the A/C is on, as it should.

I read somewhere on how to test your relays.. anyone know this off the top of their head?
 
protege_chris said:
Replaced the thermostat today. Couldn't find a 180º t-stat locally, so I had to go with the regular 195.

Drove it for a few miles (3-5), didn't overheat. Parked it and idled it for 6 minutes, it sat between L and the redline. It used to run between A and L, and considering how much coolant I lost changing the t-stat, it's not surprising, but it DIDN'T go into the red. I didn't notice any visible defects to the thermostat, but who knows.

I'll be able to tell better once I refill the coolant.. but I noticed..

my fan does NOT cut on until almost the L. I suppose this means I have no low-speed fan. The fan comes on whenever the A/C is on, as it should.

I read somewhere on how to test your relays.. anyone know this off the top of their head?
Click to expand...

No, your fans are working properly... TRUST ME... It took me forever to get it through my head that the low speed fan on the Zetec does not come on until the L-ish area...

If you do not believe me, when the fan turns on pull the green relay (low speed relay) and the fan will shut off...
 
We're glad you're making progress, but a lower rather than a higher t-stat might have been a better choice.... it would have opened a bit sooner there by running a bit cooler maybe at the m.. just thinking , but you probably had to go with what you could get at the time.

AF
 
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