TxJeeper

Ok my cooling fans were working this morning , now they are just kind of vibrating? I pulled the alternator this morning and didn't pull the fans just lifted them a bit . They are getting power and the fuses are good , but thye just spin very slowly the bearings are not bad in them they spin silently . Any help? they spin after the car shuts off but like jerky revolution every 5 seconds both spin at the same speed? any suggestions?

oh its for a 1989

MainePorsche

This all began after you were working in the area and gave the shroud a little lift ? Also would be odd to have two bearings and/or motor internals fail at the SAME moment.

Go back under and inspect the lines - strip off some insulation if need be. I'm betting the problem is in the wiring. They are exposed to a lot over time.

TxJeeper

I figured that but they are getting some form of power... oh and whose good with HP laptops that fan stopped working as well not my day

Kevin in Atlanta

What kind of power is the question? Are you getting 12v to the fans. Continuity is not sufficient.

MainePorsche

Yes, this.
You state a 'jerky' kind of revolution to both.
Speaks of a fractured wire. These fans are in series - all it takes is one small hidden fracture site. You may get 12 V on the one strand that is just hanging on.
Search well - you'll find.

Mrmerlin

go check the battery terminals,
remove the ground wire ,
then clean all of the connections at the positive terminal.
Make sure all of the connections are clean and tight add some deoxit to the connections,
spray the backside of the CE panel with some deoxit the fan fuses may be corroded

dr bob

I'd start by carefully reseating the wires and connectors at the fans, and where the wire passes from the fenderwall on the passenger side, through that Omega-shaped clip in the rear face of the fan console, ten down towards the fans. The fan motors are not wired in series, by the way, but they do share a common ground conductor in the harness. Your symptoms sound a lot like a failed ground wire to me. Lifting the fan console puts local strain on the harness between that clip and the body, and tha may include wire failure there internal to the harness, or maybe at the ground point. From memory, that one is on the fenderwall just forward of and below the 14-pin connector and the jump post, by the end of the radiator sheet.

MainePorsche

You are correct dr bob, I spoke off the cuff regarding regarding the fan wiring and they are not in series. They behave as if they are in series, but in fact they are not wired that way.

Their ground point is MP II on the fenderwall forward of the 14 pin connector via a separate Brown/Black from each fan.

Still looking for a wiring defect corrupting the common ground point.

outbackgeorgia

Well, no the fans are not "in series" but each operates independently. Normally, they behave the same, but if one fails, the other operates independently. If erratic behavior is common to both fans, it could indicate a common wiring issue, ground issue, fan controller or final stage issue. I would first examine the fan wiring, especially the connectors carefully, as this was the last area in which you worked.
Dave

TxJeeper

We had rain yesterday and today so I went to lock the car up and the fans still spin slowly. We are talking almost and hour after the car is shut off , s something is keeping the fans powered up.
I will check the wires. I will try to track down the ground , never had a ground issue yet this car is very clean been in dry Texas its whole life.

My car has had a drain for sometime but now I am trying to tackle that battery drain now that I have time just to have one more pop up.