96 Maxima radiator fans not working
 

Been reading about my '96 Maxima problem. Radiator assy fans do not move....ever. I have activated both low and high speeds with my trickle charger and junk yard connectors/wires. So the motors seem to work fine. Fuses look good and I swapped the relays with junk yard relays too. No change. I have seen some talk about a temperature sensor that may be causing my dead fans issue also. Any confirmation or advice is greatly appreciated.

How's your coolant temp sensor?

I'll look at this tomorrow. Anything to check or just replace and try?

coolant temp sensors are pretty cheap to buy, and easy to put in..id just go to an auto parts store and grab one..if nothing else you eliminated that possibility, and youll have a new ECTS...but i have a feeling changing it will remedy your problem..let us know tho!

Do they run when you put the A/C on?

I should have mentioned that in my first post. No they do not come on when the AC is on. Does that make the coolant temp sensor less likely? Car runs really good. Temp gauge is normal all the time. We drive it everyday but not far or in super bad traffic/higher engines temps

I replaced the coolant temp sensor today and no change. My AC doesn't work because the evaporator coil is leaking. I'm putting off the repair until I have money because this is beyond my abilities. I have had the car to 2 places that told me that the fan assy is bad and needs to be replaced for $350. I don't believe that because I can run the fans with my trickle charger and junk yard connectors/wires. Maybe I'm wrong. I do assume that when I turn the car on and turn the AC on the fans should spin, right? I would think whether the system is charged or not, right? There is no refrigerant in the system now. Otherwise running great with the windows down.

Go to a local parts store and pick up the part, keep the receipt just in case you have a gremlin chewing at your wires or something.

Should cost you no more than $150 on the high side and it's very easy to swap the whole fan assembly out yourself.

If it works, congratulations.

The fans will not run with the a/c switch on when the a/c pressure switch senses low refrigerant.

But if you can put power to the fan motors and they run, you certainly don't need to replace them.

When you checked the fuses, did you check the fuses under the hood? That's where the radiator fan fuses are. There are 2 fuses, one for the low speed and one for the high speed. In the schematic they are named fuses D and E. The cover has them labeled as RAD FAN 1 and RAD FAN 2.

The way it works (with out the a/c on) is then the engine coolant temperature gets to 203º F, the ECU energizes the appropriate relay. So if the temperature sensor registers low, that could do it.

You can take a resistance reading of the sensor and compare it with the chart in the FSM or you can get an OBD reader that can display the sensor temperature output.

Thanks DennisMik. Sounds like my AC pressure switch is working, keeping the fans from coming on. Guess I'll have to get the AC fixed first, so it will hold refrigerant before I should expect turning on the AC will start the fans. It has been diagnosed with dye and it's the evaporator coil/behind the dash. I was quoted $600. I will be shopping around looking for a better price.

I will likely have to take a longer drive to test the fan operation once the coolant temp reaches 203. Would the coolant temp rise to 203 from idling in the driveway? I could give it 20 minutes or so to see if that would do it.

Thanks again

Yes, the fans will kick on while idling for that long.

Did you check the fuses Dennis mentioned?

If the fuses are good ...the next thing I'll be doing is applying power to the fans to ensure that they're working (good)....and if they are checking the relays, wiring and CTS (coolant temp sensor) or water temp sensor are working properly!

Two of your recommendations have already been discussed/checked and have been ruled out. Try and keep up, would ya. ;)

I'll try one day....if that's ok with Weezer! My bad! There are two fan inop threads I thought I was on the other one!