99.5 A4 2.8L Electric Fan connector?

[reloadmylove]

Hello, its been a lonnnng time since I've posted on here or even been back to visit the forum with my last two vehicles being VW's but I'm hoping everyone here is still as helpful as they were 4 years ago haha. At any rate, I picked up a 2.8L A4 with 64k miles for super cheap, the guy was paranoid and did the timing belt/waterpump service a little early, but as a condition of me getting the car so cheap, I had to put all the parts of the front end back on from the "service position" he left it in. I've got everything bolted back up, and all the harnesses and plugs hooked back up except for the 2 wire D shaped connector that powers the electric fan, I can't for the life of me find where it plugs in, and even with the belt driven fan, the temp creeps up dangerously high so I dont dare drive it until I figure out where it goes. Can anyone tell me where the mystery plug is located? When I take things apart I make note of where all of the connectors and bolts came from so it all goes back together, but since I bought the car already disassembled and it came with a coffee can full of bolts, I didnt think I was doing too bad with this being my only issue. Thank you in advance for anyone that can help, I greatly appreciate it!

[seanf86]

it should be around the power steering reservoir under the black cover, if its not there you might have to move some stuff around to find it but its supposed to be under that cover clipped to the plastic piece that holds all the other connectors

[reloadmylove]

it should be around the power steering reservoir under the black cover, if its not there you might have to move some stuff around to find it but its supposed to be under that cover clipped to the plastic piece that holds all the other connectors

Okay I went out and took a look and that end is plugged in, its hooked up to the larger of the 2 bright green connectors, its the other end, (the end that runs along the lower edge of the radiator mount where the fans sit) it ends up over near the passenger side, it doesnt go to the radiator fan that I can see, as there is already a hard wire coming off of the fan itself, is there some sort of controller or something I'm missing that it should be plugging into? I dont know how to attach a picture or else I would, but its a black D shaped connector, with a Brown wire, and a Red/Yellow Stripe wire going into it. whatever it is, is preventing the fan from coming on, however the aux fan powered by the serpentine belt is obviously still working. I'm sorry for any confusion, I just dont know any other way to describe the connectors.

[seanf86]

there is a fan control module on the lefthand side frame rail mounted on the bottom side, it has a large D shaped connector.

for pictures if you have tapatalk you can upload one from your phone, my facelifted car is sitting outside with no battery jammed behind my garage otherwise I'd go open it up and have a look

[reloadmylove]

there is a fan control module on the lefthand side frame rail mounted on the bottom side, it has a large D shaped connector.

for pictures if you have tapatalk you can upload one from your phone, my facelifted car is sitting outside with no battery jammed behind my garage otherwise I'd go open it up and have a look

It's hard to see, and for some reason the tapatalk app turned the pictures sideways, but the first picture shows the connector and the second picture, if you look to the right, that is the wire running down to the bottom of the fan mount and across back toward the driver side. Now when you say the module is located on the left underside frame rail, do you mean left side as you're looking at the engine bay, or left as in the drivers side of the vehicle? Thank you again for your quick response, and the help!


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[seanf86]

It's hard to see, and for some reason the tapatalk app turned the pictures sideways, but the first picture shows the connector and the second picture, if you look to the right, that is the wire running down to the bottom of the fan mount and across back toward the driver side. Now when you say the module is located on the left underside frame rail, do you mean left side as you're looking at the engine bay, or left as in the drivers side of the vehicle? Thank you again for your quick response, and the help!


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This is the fan control module on the driverside frame rail underside

[reloadmylove]

I'm assuming that's what this is, correct? and this has both of the connectors still plugged into it, and the 2 wires coming out of it from the molded plug. The wire that I can't find where it plugs into is more toward the passenger side, and is held in by the clips on the back of the core support. I'll see if I can take a better picture


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[reloadmylove]

Here are better pictures, I might have to pull the core support and everything back apart again and see if there is something simple I'm missing...but it should be more straight forward you'd think.


I apologize because the last picture is completely upside down, but if you are standing in front of the car, looking at the pulley (as if it were at the top of the picture) the wire runs through the clips coming from the driver side of the vehicle, to the center of the core support between the two fans, it's there where I can't determine if it's something that continues toward the passenger side, or if it should come up the center channel between the fans and connect to something up higher. There literally isn't anything in plain view as to where this connector would plug in


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[reloadmylove]

Bump. Can anyone help? Anyone that has a 2.8 that wouldn't mind running out and taking a quick look? Or anyone have a wiring diagram for everything related to the cooling fans? Thanks again for any insight in advance!


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[walky_talky20]

Those wires are *way* too small to be the actual fan wires. Those are something else. Hood latch or outside temp sensor, maybe? But the red/yellow (and sh-medium size of the wires) makes me think it's power supply to something. I'm pulling some diagrams.

[reloadmylove]

I wish I could get better pictures, it's not the one that hooks up right under the hood release, although that one does have the same connector, it is hooked up. It's also not the ambient air sensor as that is completely unhooked, if it helps, like I said, the other end of this plug goes to the larger of the 2 lime green plugs under the black power steering pump cover


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[reloadmylove]

If I have to I can pull the core support back off to get more pictures. What doesn't make sense though is that the electric cooling fan won't turn on, and the temp is still creeping up over half even with the serpentine powered fan running. I've tried turning the AC on full blast to kick the electric fan on and nothing...its just not making sense


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[seanf86]

it looks as if red/yel and brown go to the coolant after run pump, if you give me an email I can give you the diagram

[walky_talky20]

The fans do have 2 pin connectors like that, but I believe the fan side harness will always have the "blades" on them. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think that wire will carry power to a fan motor. More like a temp sensor or something.

it looks as if red/yel and brown go to the coolant after run pump, if you give me an email I can give you the diagram

I was thinking after-run pump, too. But I thought it would be weird for the wire to run across the rad support instead of through the engine harness. But that makes a lot of sense. The length of the wire seems right, too.

[seanf86]

The fans do have 2 pin connectors like that, but I believe the fan side harness will always have the "blades" on them. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think that wire will carry power to a fan motor. More like a temp sensor or something.



I was thinking after-run pump, too. But I thought it would be weird for the wire to run across the rad support instead of through the engine harness. But that makes a lot of sense. The length of the wire seems right, too.

I thought it came up from the rear of the engine but I've never looked at the afterrun pump on my 2.7t and thats the only car with an afterrun pump that I own altho it would make sense since the pumps controlled by the fan control module.

[walky_talky20]

Yes. Lots of sense, as the module is on the frame rail. It's a pretty straight shot to the pump (near the alternator on these ones) if the wire runs across the core support.

Would certainly make for a "WTF!" moment when you go to maintenance position for a t-belt job. So that really explains why the OP is here. Nice input, Sean. My aftermarket diagram wasn't showing the after-run pump, so thanks for chiming in with that.

And OP, I don' think this t-belt job was early at all. That's over 15 years on the original belt. Way past due. Should have been done back in 2010 or earlier. Previous owner was rightfully paranoid.

[reloadmylove]

My email is [email protected]
Thank you a ton guys, it seems like you've given me a lot of information to work with, where is/would the after run pump be located? The alternator is simple enough to find, and I suppose you're right, I didn't even take into consideration the year of the car and the length of time that belt had been run in the vehicle. I just knew that Audi recommends it around 100k miles and the vehicle is still about 36k under that.


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[walky_talky20]

Rule of thumb is 8-10 years and the belt is due. Environment is a factor. So temp, humidity, etc. But 15 years is definitely overdue, regardless of mileage. I have seen a factory 1.8T belt fail at 75k and 10 years. Teeth fell right off of it.

[seanf86]

My email is [email protected]
Thank you a ton guys, it seems like you've given me a lot of information to work with, where is/would the after run pump be located? The alternator is simple enough to find, and I suppose you're right, I didn't even take into consideration the year of the car and the length of time that belt had been run in the vehicle. I just knew that Audi recommends it around 100k miles and the vehicle is still about 36k under that.


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Emailed you that PDF for the cooling fan/afterrun pump diagram