LinkMan
08-17-2006, 05:56 PM
On the one hand I fixed something and saved a bundle! :thumbsup: On the other hand, it was a royal PITA 'cause of the way Ford's supplier built stuff :rolleyes: , and it took some JB Weld to finish :rofl:
As some of you might recall, the electric radiator fan in the Tempo has been dead since last September. I figured I would save some $$ and replace it myself, but after winter had passed. If it's cold out, you don't need a radiator fan, right? Well, other than the weekend the g/f and I drove down to Athens for the last Bobcat home game, when it was unseasonably warm, and I overheated, and could hear coolant boiling in the system, and am very lucky I didn't blow a gasket or warp a head. Thank goodness for the cast iron 2.3L! Since then it's been OK, though a few times I had to crank the heat up to help cool her down, so it was HOT in the cabin. And no A/C when there's no radiator fan :(
Well, I finally replaced the fan today. Didn't have too much trouble getting the motor / fan / shroud combo out, but getting the motor / fan off the shroud was a royal, cursing a blue streak PITA. The bolt heads are UNDER the fan :( And I could not get the fan off. Finally got the motor / fan off the shroud, and even after some PB Blaster, still managed to crack the fan a little YANKING it off the motor. Whew!
Put the hub back into the fan with some JB Weld and a hammer. Put the motor back onto the shroud. Put it all back into the Tempo. Wires a little different, so a piece of red flex tubing and a zip tie later, it's done. Fire up the old girl and now I've got a functioning fan!! :biggrin:
Despite the PITA it was, I saved a bundle. Originally, a ProCare quoted me $222 for the fan motor, $158 for the Control Relay Module (CRM), and $82 for labor. Ripoff. Either they were cheating me blind, or didn't know squat about testing, 'cause there is absolutely nothing wrong with the CRM! I used a no-name fan motor from Advance Auto that cost $45, and it took me like four hours, including tool set up / test drive / clean up. ($222 + $158 + $82 >> $45 + four hours) :)
As some of you might recall, the electric radiator fan in the Tempo has been dead since last September. I figured I would save some $$ and replace it myself, but after winter had passed. If it's cold out, you don't need a radiator fan, right? Well, other than the weekend the g/f and I drove down to Athens for the last Bobcat home game, when it was unseasonably warm, and I overheated, and could hear coolant boiling in the system, and am very lucky I didn't blow a gasket or warp a head. Thank goodness for the cast iron 2.3L! Since then it's been OK, though a few times I had to crank the heat up to help cool her down, so it was HOT in the cabin. And no A/C when there's no radiator fan :(
Well, I finally replaced the fan today. Didn't have too much trouble getting the motor / fan / shroud combo out, but getting the motor / fan off the shroud was a royal, cursing a blue streak PITA. The bolt heads are UNDER the fan :( And I could not get the fan off. Finally got the motor / fan off the shroud, and even after some PB Blaster, still managed to crack the fan a little YANKING it off the motor. Whew!
Put the hub back into the fan with some JB Weld and a hammer. Put the motor back onto the shroud. Put it all back into the Tempo. Wires a little different, so a piece of red flex tubing and a zip tie later, it's done. Fire up the old girl and now I've got a functioning fan!! :biggrin:
Despite the PITA it was, I saved a bundle. Originally, a ProCare quoted me $222 for the fan motor, $158 for the Control Relay Module (CRM), and $82 for labor. Ripoff. Either they were cheating me blind, or didn't know squat about testing, 'cause there is absolutely nothing wrong with the CRM! I used a no-name fan motor from Advance Auto that cost $45, and it took me like four hours, including tool set up / test drive / clean up. ($222 + $158 + $82 >> $45 + four hours) :)