Hi,

I have a 1996 Accord LX 4 Cylinder which has been overheating in stop and go driving over the last week. The issue appears to be caused by the fact that the radiator (passenger side) fan is not turning on even if the A/C is turned on. The A/C condenser fan on the drivers side is working properly. I swapped the cooling fan relay with the power window relay to rule out a bad relay. I then jumped the connector on the fan control switch at the thermostat housing. I could hear the relay activate and also could hear the fan motor attempting to start but the fan never turned. The weather here has been warm enough that the fan should be triggered. So my guess is that the radiator fan motor is dead.

Now I've seen aftermarket replacement units online for $50 or less with complete shroud housing, motor, and fan blade. But how difficult is it to replace this fan? Are there any DIYs out there? Specifically does the radiator itself need to be removed? I see the two bolts on the top holding the fan housing in place. Are there also bolts on the bottom? And my biggest concern is can the fan clear the A/C tube during removal?

Just trying to figure out what I'm getting myself into on this one

Thanks in advance!

 

It has been 3+ years since I changed the on on my 95. It is not that hard to change. Yes there are two at the bottom so the plastic under tray will need to be removed. The two at the bottom do not have to come all the way off. The bottom of the shroud is slotted, should be able to see that from online pic's. Remove the coolant overflow so you have room to slide it to the right/pass side when coming out and you'll clear the AC lines, of course you remove the bracket from the ac lines that is bolted just abouve the top of the rad. Don't remember if the top hose had to come off or not?

 

TBH, you're best bet is to just pull the radiator out, then take off the fan. Start by draining the fluid at the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator. Just buy a cheap 10 dollar drain jug at Walmart. The fan's are a bitch to take off by themselves and getting them out are hard too. Here's the thing, the connectors(there should be three, one on the passenger side, and two on the drivers side) that you need to take off can be a bitch to take apart and if there's dirt in there they can be a bitch. Then, using the work smart not hard, stupid method, you would take off the hose at the thermostat housing and the hose at the outlet(the top of the radiator) need to come off. I used to take of the hose at the bottom of the radiator until I realized that the clamps were always rusted and corroded on and started taking it off at the thermostat housing instead. Much easier, then just pull it under the ac tube. There are a couple brackets at the top of the radiator that need to come off. Then just lift it out and take the fan off and put the new one on and put it back inside. All in all, it's not that hard unless those sensors don't want to come apart. That's usually the only hard thing for me, lol.

But of course if you have room to get to the fans themselves pretty easy, then you can just do that. I just hate shredding my knuckles in the process.

 

Thanks for the responses so far. So before pulling the fan out, I jumped fan control switch and again heard the cooling fan motor trying to run but the blades did not move. I then smacked the back of the fan with a big screwdriver a few times and the fan kicked on. I'm pretty certain that this would validate a failed fan motor.

Anyway, I have a new fan on the way. I was able to remove the old one by removing the AC bracket. I also removed the passenger radiator bracket so that I could move the radiator a little bit to squeeze the fan out. I also had to remove the top coolant hose. My question is now that I removed the coolant hose, I assume there is air in the system. Do I have to bleed the system after I put the new fan in? What is the best way to do this? Surprisingly I expected to have a mess of coolant coming out when I removed that hose but there really wasn't any. Is this normal? My reservoir tank is at max level.

 

The only time you need to worry about bleeding the system is when air gets inside the area between the thermostat housing and the water pump. Normally, even when that happens the system will still work and the air will eventually be pushed outside the cap.

You want the reservoir at middle level. The system expands and contracts and the idea is that coolant will move between the radiator and the reservoir during different times.

 

Just for reference and should you decide to do it, the bleeder is at the t-stat housing (lower hose to engine, right/pass side) just below the cables to the TB. Mine is at about at a 45 deg. slant towards the back of the car....looks just like a brake fluid bleeder, 12mm?

 

Been a while since I did these also. As I remember it thought it's only a few bolts. I think you have to remove the plastic underneath the radiator to get to the bottom bolts, but I can't remember for sure. Only took 20 minutes or so to get it out having no clue what to do. I just looked at it and saw where the bolts were. The fan just slid out the top then and the motor just unscrews. Once you get the fan out it's super easy. Just unplug the plug for the motor and unscrew the screws to remove the motor from the fan assembly.

One problem I did have is several parts stores sold me motors that didn't fit. They were the wrong size. That's one thing I'd worry about buying online. I finally found one that wasn't identical, but close and worked perfectly. I can't remember if it was Napa or Fishers Auto Parts I ended up buying it from. Not a install problem, but I did have that issue finding one to fit.

If you are really slow and all you have is a rachet and socket set and a few screwdrivers you should be able to do it no problem in less than an hour. It's really not a big deal at all.

 

You guys are better than me. I am trying to remove my radiator on a 1991 accord and it's a pain. Transmission lines are hard to get a hold on the clamps to undo, and the fan plug I can not get unplugged ( very hard to get to). I am so ready to have it picked up and take it to a shop. If it was on a rack I think I could get to the parts better, but the drive way is not getting it( Asphalt, can't jack it up ). It looks like if I can get the trans hose off and lower radiator hose, I can unbolt the fan and leave it in and just pull the radiator out. Any ideas would be great.