Radiator fan
06-01-2016, 05:11 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 16
Radiator fan
02 Maxima. I am having a problem with my air conditioning. I just put refrigerant in my car about a month ago and the air blows cold air when I am driving, but as soon as I stop or slow down to speeds less than 35mph or so the air starts to get lukewarm. I am sure it is probably either the fan motor or the fan itself. Is there a way to test one or the other before just guessing at which one it is?
06-01-2016, 09:49 PM
#4
Are you talking about the radiator fans? The two fans should both be running whenever the a/c is on. A simple look-see will tell you the answer.
A more likely cause of your problem is the a/c is low on refrigerant.
A more likely cause of your problem is the a/c is low on refrigerant.
06-01-2016, 11:12 PM
#5
My money is on one of the fans being bad since the AC's working when you're moving. Like Dennis said, see which fan isn't coming on with everything warmed up and the AC on.
You can also hotwire the fan to see if it comes on or not. Each one has a four pin plug. The black is ground and the red with stripe is hot. The white and blue don't matter for this. Add power and ground to the appropriate pins and the fan should come on.
I've seen this on other cars and both of my Maximas in the last year or two.
You can buy the fan motor alone at the local auto parts store and it's a relatively easy fix. Don't let them sell you the whole shroud assembly for several times the price.
You can also hotwire the fan to see if it comes on or not. Each one has a four pin plug. The black is ground and the red with stripe is hot. The white and blue don't matter for this. Add power and ground to the appropriate pins and the fan should come on.
I've seen this on other cars and both of my Maximas in the last year or two.
You can buy the fan motor alone at the local auto parts store and it's a relatively easy fix. Don't let them sell you the whole shroud assembly for several times the price.
06-02-2016, 09:07 AM
#6
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06-02-2016, 09:36 AM
#7
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 16
Not low on refrigerant, ac is ice cold when driving at speeds above 35mph, just put some in it. My passenger side fan has never turned on, Ive heard from people only 1 runs at a time and others say both are spose to run. But yeah im guessing its the fan motor
06-02-2016, 09:37 AM
#8
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 16
My money is on one of the fans being bad since the AC's working when you're moving. Like Dennis said, see which fan isn't coming on with everything warmed up and the AC on.
You can also hotwire the fan to see if it comes on or not. Each one has a four pin plug. The black is ground and the red with stripe is hot. The white and blue don't matter for this. Add power and ground to the appropriate pins and the fan should come on.
I've seen this on other cars and both of my Maximas in the last year or two.
You can buy the fan motor alone at the local auto parts store and it's a relatively easy fix. Don't let them sell you the whole shroud assembly for several times the price.
You can also hotwire the fan to see if it comes on or not. Each one has a four pin plug. The black is ground and the red with stripe is hot. The white and blue don't matter for this. Add power and ground to the appropriate pins and the fan should come on.
I've seen this on other cars and both of my Maximas in the last year or two.
You can buy the fan motor alone at the local auto parts store and it's a relatively easy fix. Don't let them sell you the whole shroud assembly for several times the price.
Yeah Im gonna go to my local pull a part and just get the whole assembly, they have them for $22, just the motor alone goes for $37 on rockauto
06-02-2016, 11:04 AM
#9
On the nissan, both fans always run, never one only. The people that say otherwise do not know the maxima as well as they should.
I'm kind of surprised that the temperature gauge wasn't climbing towards hot.
I'm kind of surprised that the temperature gauge wasn't climbing towards hot.
06-02-2016, 02:32 PM
#10
You would think that the car would get hot but it doesn't. I've had this same issue. With only one fan working, it will sufficiently cool the operating temp of the car. The issue I had was that at idle or stop and go traffic the ac gets warm almost like it stops working. As soon as you get going a steady speed again the ac gets cold again. My guess is with the help of airflow at a steady speed it makes up for that fan that doesn't work. Once the airflow stops then it's not enough air circulating for the ac to work properly.
06-05-2016, 10:35 AM
#12
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 16
You would think that the car would get hot but it doesn't. I've had this same issue. With only one fan working, it will sufficiently cool the operating temp of the car. The issue I had was that at idle or stop and go traffic the ac gets warm almost like it stops working. As soon as you get going a steady speed again the ac gets cold again. My guess is with the help of airflow at a steady speed it makes up for that fan that doesn't work. Once the airflow stops then it's not enough air circulating for the ac to work properly.
Bought the whole assembly from pull a part for around $30. I was just gonna replace the whole thing but decided just to change the motor in the fan that wasnt working (passenger side) and it did the trick. Both fans run when ac is on, and ac is ice cold at standstill now.
06-05-2016, 05:48 PM
#15
Bought the whole assembly from pull a part for around $30. I was just gonna replace the whole thing but decided just to change the motor in the fan that wasnt working (passenger side) and it did the trick. Both fans run when ac is on, and ac is ice cold at standstill now.
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06-06-2016, 08:44 PM
#19
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Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Florida
Posts: 972
Check out the diagnostic procedure for insufficient cooling in the Nissan workshop manual.
Get a krikit gauge and test the belt tension too. On the 01 Max its supposed to be 180 lbs. It says that loose belts could cause insufficient cooling.
Get a krikit gauge and test the belt tension too. On the 01 Max its supposed to be 180 lbs. It says that loose belts could cause insufficient cooling.
06-08-2016, 01:51 PM
#20
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Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Florida
Posts: 972
By process of elimination you'll get closer to the issue. I'm having a coolant issue too and I'm pretty sure it's a low pressure hose leak but I've been going through all the steps. If you replace any component or recharge you may want to consider adding the suggested amount of oil.
For a big leak it's like 1.1 Oz s when recharging.
For a big leak it's like 1.1 Oz s when recharging.
Last edited by maximatech12; 06-08-2016 at 02:02 PM.
06-08-2016, 04:55 PM
#26
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Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Florida
Posts: 972
One would conclude this guy would've had a P1217 or equivalent if this was a fan issue.
It's got the complete diagnostics + circuit diagrams. This makes it too easy to repair this issue!!
06-08-2016, 07:35 PM
#27
Hey Dennis, well one of my fans is really loud and I'm experiencing a slight overheating issue I think the motor might be intermittently failing and I don't wanna buy the whole assembly if I can get this fan motor.
Last edited by nestorlugo; 06-08-2016 at 07:39 PM.