Golf 4motion - radiator fan problem
Discussion
Chaps - a spot of help please?
I picked up a 2001(Y) 4motion last week. I'd done some reading and knew about checking for ABS warning lights, getting the Haldex oil changed etc etc. But missed the warnings about radiator fan failure...
As I understand it, both fans should turn at a slow setting and should then get faster when needed. If the fans repeatedly pulse from stationary to the high speed, they're broken and I'll be looking at a £500+ bill to replace them. Sure enough, this is what mine are doing.
Nevertheless, the car isn't overheating and the temp needle never moves past the central (90 deg C) position, so it doesn't appear to be having any adverse effect. And in the last few days I've done 400 miles of London traffic jams, country road hoons and motorway cruising.
So the question, for the more technically minded, is do I really need to get it fixed? Will it result in long term harm to the engine / radiator / fans etc etc?
Any help much appreciated before I put hand in pocket!
I picked up a 2001(Y) 4motion last week. I'd done some reading and knew about checking for ABS warning lights, getting the Haldex oil changed etc etc. But missed the warnings about radiator fan failure...
As I understand it, both fans should turn at a slow setting and should then get faster when needed. If the fans repeatedly pulse from stationary to the high speed, they're broken and I'll be looking at a £500+ bill to replace them. Sure enough, this is what mine are doing.
Nevertheless, the car isn't overheating and the temp needle never moves past the central (90 deg C) position, so it doesn't appear to be having any adverse effect. And in the last few days I've done 400 miles of London traffic jams, country road hoons and motorway cruising.
So the question, for the more technically minded, is do I really need to get it fixed? Will it result in long term harm to the engine / radiator / fans etc etc?
Any help much appreciated before I put hand in pocket!
The a/c compressor sits behind the fans and they cool it.
Eventually it's likely to fail if the fans aren't working properly.
Even new fans from VW are known to fail.
There is a modification you can carry out yourself for £20-£30 worth of parts which will give you a permanent repair. It involves a soldering some wires and resistors to an aluminium plate and fitting to the car.
Do a search on www.uk-mkivs.net for 'fan fix' or 'fan mod'
I carried it out on my old one years ago and it worked perfectly.
Eventually it's likely to fail if the fans aren't working properly.
Even new fans from VW are known to fail.
There is a modification you can carry out yourself for £20-£30 worth of parts which will give you a permanent repair. It involves a soldering some wires and resistors to an aluminium plate and fitting to the car.
Do a search on www.uk-mkivs.net for 'fan fix' or 'fan mod'
I carried it out on my old one years ago and it worked perfectly.
Vee - many thanks for the reply and sorry not to have acknowledged it sooner.
Following your lead, I spent a good few hours reading through the threads on the MkIV forum and have purchased a ready-made version of the "fix" (I didn't fancy my chances with a soldering iron etc). Fingers crossed that it works.
Thanks
Following your lead, I spent a good few hours reading through the threads on the MkIV forum and have purchased a ready-made version of the "fix" (I didn't fancy my chances with a soldering iron etc). Fingers crossed that it works.
Thanks
Edited by wrighty78 on Monday 23 November 13:44
Vee said:
The a/c compressor sits behind the fans and they cool it.
I'm sure all your research on other forums is totaly valid, But the quote above is utter tosh.
Nothing behind fans is cooled, as hot air blows out the back of them.
Perhaps you meant infront of the rad is the A/C condensor, and if the A.C is switched on, the fans have to run to maintain the correct operating temperature of the condensor and as such the correct pressure of the gas in the system.
Tame Technician said:
Vee said:
The a/c compressor sits behind the fans and they cool it.
I'm sure all your research on other forums is totaly valid, But the quote above is utter tosh.
Nothing behind fans is cooled, as hot air blows out the back of them.
Perhaps you meant infront of the rad is the A/C condensor, and if the A.C is switched on, the fans have to run to maintain the correct operating temperature of the condensor and as such the correct pressure of the gas in the system.
Either way, my 4motion had 2 sets of new fans under warranty and each set failed after a period of time. The modification worked and was a cost effective solution.
Fourmotion said:
Oooooh, do let me know if it works.
Where did you purchase it from?
From these chaps: http://www.nime.co.uk/content.php?fancontrollerins...Where did you purchase it from?
I found them through the mkiv forum, where their ready made fix seemed to be well received by most of those who'd tried it. I figured it was worth a punt for £80 considering the cost of new fans!
This is the (very long) thread that led me to them: http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/t/59897.aspx
I had an e-mail from them yesterday to say it had been dispatched, so it looks like a job for the weekend.
So not fitted yet but, as you'll see from the (very clear) instructions on their website, it all looks straightforward. (Famous last words...). Of course, you can follow the instructions in the mkiv forum thread and make your own fix, but that was asking too much of my very limited technical skills.
I'll let you know how it goes.
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