Hi,

One of the radiator fan motors has died on my '96 I30; bearings went out, it was making a lot of noise and when I looked under the hood I could see the fan blades wobbling really bad. Most of the Infiniti dealers that sell parts online say the motor is discontinued ( I found that one part number is 21487-38U00 and another is 21486-85E00 (RH side)). However, when I looked at this sight, https://parts.infinitiusa.com they say that the updated part number is 21487-CL80A, which fits:

INFINITI FX35 3.5L V6 AT 2WD 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
INFINITI FX35 3.5L V6 AT 4WD 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
INFINITI I30 3.0L V6 AT SEDAN BASE 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
INFINITI I30 3.0L V6 AT SEDAN T/PACK 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
INFINITI I30 3.0L V6 MT SEDAN BASE 1996, 1997
INFINITI I30 3.0L V6 MT SEDAN T/PACK 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
INFINITI M35 3.5L V6 AT 2WD SEDAN LUXURY 2006
INFINITI M35 3.5L V6 AT 4WD SEDAN LUXURY 2006
INFINITI M35 4.5L V8 AT 2WD SEDAN LUXURY 2006
INFINITI M45 3.5L V6 AT 2WD SEDAN LUXURY 2006
INFINITI M45 3.5L V6 AT 4WD SEDAN LUXURY 2006
INFINITI M45 4.5L V8 AT 2WD SEDAN LUXURY 2006

Does anyone know if this is correct? I can find this updated part number for $125 on Ebay, which I think I would probably buy that.

The alternative is taking the gamble on a used motor from pick-a-part or Ebay, or getting an aftermarket fan motor.

 

I would get one from Ebay or Autozone.

 

Thanks Wizard, I would really like to get a genuine part. My wife drives this car, and she's great but I worry about a fan motor dying and she doesn't notice and overheats the car.

I think this is the equivalent from a Nissan Maxima: Nissan Part No.: 21487-1L000. Anyone know if that is correct?

 

Don’t be misled ...

With regard to your 24 year old Infiniti/Nissan, if you do your research, you’ll find that many of your OE labeled parts are the very same as those available at your local and/or online parts retailers ... simply repackaged.

A fan motor purchased, from Rock Auto, Advance Auto, Autozone, NAPA, Pepboys, and likely some others I’ve missed, will serve you just as well as one in a box stamped Infiniti ... and those “non-OE” parts typically include a LLT warranty.

 

FWIW, I've bought a radiator fan motor from Autozone about 8 years and 75k miles ago, and it's still going strong.

 

Thanks Turbobink and Wizard, I was kind of thinking that same thing after I slept on this. An aftermarket motor that is either OEM or not made in China would probably be a good value, with a warranty. This I30 is on #3 or #4 starter, and I've found that the Delco "lifetime" warranty starters seem to last about as long as the original starter. The major difference is that when a starter dies, that does not typically lead to a cascading failure; the car simply won't start. If a cooling fan dies, that could lead to a cascading failure with engine over-heat and all the bad things that could entail.

This morning I made a run to the local LKQ, they have a '98 I30 and a ~200x FX35 on the lot, so I wanted to see if either of those fan motors would fit, like the one parts website says that I posted above. Well the FX35 had no cooling fans - already gone, and the '98 I30 was an automatic trans, not a manual, and the fan motor was clearly different (larger diameter case) so I did not get that motor to experiment with. Inconclusive result. I'm thinking that the entire fan shroud assembly with motors and fans from a '98 or '99 Infiniti, regardless of transmission, may fit into the earlier years. The '98 I looked at had a broken shroud - looks like the car was in a rollover, so I did could not get that to see if that idea would work.

I did however find a '97 Altima with a nice set of cooling fans, so I brought home one of those, and it just may work. The harness connector is different, so I'll have to cut that off and splice on my original motor connector. The dimensions are slightly different, but eye-ball comparison says the Altima motor just may fit.

I also looked at a ~2010 Nissan Quest cooling fan and it is also similar in dimensions to the I30 fan, so I bought that too. The shaft may be too short though, I think I'd need to put some shims in place to keep the fan from rubbing on the motor. Probably going to return that when I take back my core to get that money.

 

The '97 Altima fan motor fit. The plug was different, so I had to cut / splice the plug from the original motor. Also the heat shield is tight on the Altima motor, so I need to either bend that out a bit or figure a way to add some spacers to get it off the motor. The fan motor that died was on the passenger (left) side of the car. I'll return the Quest motor when I go back to get the core refund with the old dead motor.