A/C fan not working - where is the relay located?

[RandysWay]

I've been trying to diagnose an issue I've been having with the air conditioning blowing warmer than it should. It's intermittently blowing warm air as soon as I come to a stop/idle, and then back to cold air when I start driving. The small A/C radiator fan was on and working yesterday, but today, the small A/C radiator fan isn't spinning with the air conditioning on max. I'm hoping that it's not the fan control module; is there a relay somewhere that I can check?

Thanks!

[fly300kts]

They are 2 relays below the ECU but I would start by replacing the fans
If you have a VAGCOM cable, just run the test

Phil

[RandysWay]

They are 2 relays below the ECU but I would start by replacing the fans

Phil

Do you happen to know which relay or the markings on the relay so I know which one to check? Thanks!

[fly300kts]

Don't remember but there are both the same (white in color) so you can swap them to troubleshoot
I never seen them go. In order:

Fans
Fan module

Phil

[fly300kts]

Don't thank me (but Audicoupej):

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...r-replacement)

Phil

[RandysWay]

Thank you, Phil! I pulled everything apart and the relays looked fine, but I swapped them anyway. It's still not working.

I decided to try to hot wire the A/C cooling fan directly to the battery. I tried two scenarios - I jumped the brown wire directly to +12V and then jumped the brown wire directly to +12V and the purple wire to ground. In both scenarios, the main radiator fan powers on high, but the smaller passenger-side A/C cooling fan does NOT power up at all. Am I correct in thinking that the A/C cooling fan should be powering up when directly connecting it to the battery this way? If so, it seems that my fan is dead.

Is it possible to swap out the passenger-side A/C cooling fan without removing the entire radiator fan assembly or radiator cross-brace up top?

By the way, I have a VAG-COM cable and I plugged it in to find that I've tripped the following fault:

001152 - Coolant Fan Control Circuit 1
P0480 - 002 - Electrical Malfunction - Intermittent



Thanks for the help!

[fly300kts]

You need to remove the bumper, cross bar, slide out the entire front module, then remove all screws and disconnect harness and slide out the support assembly holding both fans
No need to disconnect radiator.
Still a pita and for this reason, you should replace both unit because the large one will fail soon

Phil


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RandysWay]

You need to remove the bumper, cross bar, slide out the entire front module, then remove all screws and disconnect harness and slide out the support assembly holding both fans
No need to disconnect radiator.
Still a pita and for this reason, you should replace both unit because the large one will fail soon

Phil


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What are you referring to as the entire front module? I can't unscrew and slide the whole fan assembly out through the bottom without taking the bumper and cross bar off? My headlight adjustment screws don't work properly so it's a royal PITA to aim the factory xenon projector headlights because of this. If I can avoid unbolting any of the headlights screws then I'd be golden! Thanks!

[kegobeer]

I did it by following the procedures in the Bentley repair manual - carrier lock position, disconnect the trans cooler lines for added room, pulled the fan assembly out, swapped the fan, replaced the assembly, buttoned everything up, and it worked like a champ.

[RandysWay]

Before I go and buy and replace the entire fan assembly, am I jumping the right two wires? Am I correct in thinking that the A/C cooling fan should be powering up when directly connecting these wires to the battery?

[kegobeer]

Yes, the fan will spin if you connect it directly to the battery. As for replacing both fans, I only replaced my A/C fan (the smaller one) because funds were tight. If you have the cash, I definitely recommend doing both. Unless you like pulling the front end, of course... ;)

[RandysWay]

Alright, thanks. For $139.95 for the entire radiator fan assembly (this one here on eBay) versus $90 just for the smaller A/C fan alone, I think I'll just buy the entire assembly and be done with it..

[kegobeer]

I don't trust the el cheapo eBay aftermarket fans - I would buy the 300mm febi fan from Europaparts.

[RandysWay]

Those two fans are $99.95 each, or $215.00 for the set shipped.. what do you think about this TYC radiator fan assembly for $157.00? I've had good luck with TYC in the past.

[kegobeer]

I think an additional $43 is worth the piece of mind knowing you won't have to go back in there and replace a fan in a year. Not saying those fans will fail any sooner than the good ones, but I stick with the quality stuff when it's going into a spot that I don't want to get back into any time soon. Just my opinion though.

[fly300kts]

Get ONLY OEM fans or be ready to do the same thing again in 3 months

Phil