Aircon Fan NOT GAS this time

[Daeths]

HEEEELP !!

Have a 2001 E320 cdi (210) estate. Looking at the front of the car, the right hand fan is not engaging when the aircon is on, when trying to turn by hand it is very stiff and feels 'gritty', i.e. the bearing/or similar has broken up.

I have rung MB to get a worse case price (after this anything always seems better !), but could not get the part no. from them.

My questions are:

• Where else can I buy one from aside from the stealer
• Where is the cheapest place
  What price would be competitive (obhvioulsy one that is cheaper than the main dealer
• How can I get the part no. realy struggled to find it on the Russian site

All and any asisstance gratefully received.

Cheers

 

[robs-mbz]

It might be worth taking the fan unit off and having a look before you spend any money. Only one of the fans has a motor, the other fan is driven by a belt from the motorised fan, it could be that the belt has come off or snapped and is fouling one of the fans.

 

[Daeths]

looking at the front of the car:

the fan on the left spins freely by hand. The fan on the right is stiff and notchy, if you give it a spin with the aircon on (carefully obviously) it will try to work and creep about 1cm of a revolution.

Could this sound like a belt ?

Is it a simple task to check/explore?

Cheers for your help, much appreciated (think everyone else is watching the footy )

 

[robs-mbz]

Easy, lift the bonnet, on the top of the plastic grille that covers the fans you will see two square, plastic catches with phillips screwdriver slots in them, turn them through 90 degrees, the grill can then be lifted off. Remove the bonnet slam shut, just four 8mm bolts hold it, 2 at each end. You will have to remove the horn and its supporting bracket. There are just two 8mm bolts on the top edge of the fan assembly that fix it to the air con condenser, remove them. On the top right hand corner of the plastic shroud that surrounds the radiator/condenser you will see a removable section about two inches square, prise it out with a screwdriver, you will then see the fan motor cable connector, disconnect it. Tilt the top edge of the fan assy towards you and lift it out and upwards, be very careful not to damage the condenser core! You will see the belt on the rear of the unit, I've never changed one but I would think it is just a matter of stretching it over the two pulleys.

I may be wrong but I thought the two fans are just auxiliary cooling fans that kick in if the engine temp. is too high, mine don't run when the air con is switched on unless the engine is really hot and the car is stationary.

 

[star]

I may be wrong but I thought the two fans are just auxiliary cooling fans that kick in if the engine temp. is too high, mine don't run when the air con is switched on unless the engine is really hot and the car is stationary.

These fan DO run with the a/c as they cut in when the pressure is too high, cooling the gas so reducing the pressure and keeping the system efficient.

 

[robs-mbz]

Thanks for that! I can't ever remember seeing or hearing mine run, is that a good sign or do I have a fault?

 

[Daeths]

cheers Robs, will explore

Robs/Star, if the two fans are connected by a belt, should i be able to freely spin the left one if the right one is static ??

 

[star]

no, they are linked, the right one is the driver, so if you can spin the left the belt is off. the right one should not be notchy but the belt might have fouled it.

 

[Daeths]

kl cheers for that, will investigate this weekend. Hopefully final q, if it is the belt, can i buy separately and if so where from ??

Many thx, am hoping this is the case to save myself £280

 

[star]

kl cheers for that, will investigate this weekend. Hopefully final q, if it is the belt, can i buy separately and if so where from ??

Many thx, am hoping this is the case to save myself £280

MB only i tink, just a few quid.

 

[Daeths]

crikey Star you're quick off the mark.

Many thx for your help will report back after the weekend.

 

[Daeths]

Star / Rob,

Thank you very much for all your help. Rob, your instructions regarding access made it very easy (10 minutes to pull apart and 10 to put together again).

The problem was that the belt had detached itself from the free running fan and wound itself around the drive fan...you guys were bang on !! .

Replacement from MB at £10.48. Putting back on was simply winding around the drive fan, throught the grooved channels and onto the free running fan, for the last little bit of the belt turn the drive fan and on it popped.

Two quick observations to assist anyone else:

1. before removing the slam plate remove the two plastic clips that secure the rad housing to the slam plate - push in from the front of the car on the clip and lift directly upwards
2. When i started the car with aircon on the fans did not click on (and I started to feel unhappy), left on full for about two minutes and they clicked on, so assume there is a sensor which detect the aircon fluid getting warm which activates the fan.

Thx again, this saved me from what i thought was a £280 bill for a new twin fan part.

 

[Daeths]

These fan DO run with the a/c as they cut in when the pressure is too high, cooling the gas so reducing the pressure and keeping the system efficient.

Sorry ingore my point 2, so reread the thread. Must have been so excited at fixing something myself at minimal cost that i forgot :smile::smile:

 

[robs-mbz]

Glad I could be of assistance! I knew the routine because on Thursday I replaced the condenser on my E300TD, this involved removing the fan assembly. You can save yourself a considerable amount of money simply by rolling your sleeves up and getting your hands dirty! This forum gives you the confidence and motivation to have a go yourself. The one thing I have learned since owning my car (my first MB) is that in a lot of respects they aren't as complex as we are led to believe, if you are mechanically minded and work in a methodical way then a lot of work can be done yourself, to be honest, if I wasn't a keen DIY'er than Mercedes Benz ownership would be beyond my financial means! The moral is - Don't be frightened to have a go and dont be frightened to ask!