Hello!

I've had my car now for about a year and I noticed that after power off, the radiator fan free wheels for about 30 secs. It my previous career I spent a lot of time servicing electric motors and this free wheeling characteristic usually means the bearings/bushings were 1/2 to 2/3 through their life span and would need changing or lubing in a bit. Being in Texas, I really can't afford for the fan to go out at an inopportune time (100+ deg summer day). My question is can the bearings/bushings be serviced (lubed or replaced) on the fan motor? or do I have to replace the whole motor? If so, where can I get an affordable one with decent quality ?
Thanks in advance!

Kind Regards,
Ken

 

Obviously, the fan stays on for a few seconds after you turn off the ignition so are you sure that it is freewheeling? In any event, I would not worry about a free spinning fan anyway. It sounds as if the bearing are in good condition and could well last the life of the car.

With regards to your specific question, I've never serviced the motors in our Jaguar but I have done other JLR cars and the process has always involved a degree of drilling out of rivets and the rebuilding with epoxy so, in general, they are not really designed to be serviced but it can be done if you have the skills and patience.

 

Richard,
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, I am sure it is freewheeling. As you said, normal is "a few seconds" after turning off the ignition. Not only can I see the fan spinning, but hear it as well with the ignition off. I timed it one day and it took nearly 30 seconds to come to a stop.

I kind of figured the fan motor would be tough to service, if at all. With most things made to be disposable these days....

Thanks again for the info.

Ken

 

When an engine is shut off, it gets hotter before it starts to cool. So the fan staying on for 30 seconds longer, seems to be a smart move in the programming.

 

Sony2000,

I know, but that is not what I am describing here.

Let me clarify, when i say the fan is "free wheeling" what I mean by that is that the fan continues to spin for 30 secs after power is removed from its electric motor that powers it.

That time seems a bit long and in my experience that would generally indicate bearings worn to some extent as there should be a little drag on the motor shaft with good bearings and lube to slow it down faster than 30 secs.

I was asking to see if the bearings/bushings could be lubed or replaced easily or will need to replace the whole electric motor.

Ken

 

If it's not making any noise I'd leave it. When I had mine out they are "bronze" "self" lubricating bearings by the looks of it. I did add some thin oil on the shafts and let it soak "down". It's bee fine. As I usually have my fan on the lowest setting I don't noticed if it's "free wheeling"

 

It's the radiator fan so I don't think that one can change the setting.

 

Ya, I was thinking of the inside blower - lol.