My electric fan squeals really badly when the A/C is on. What is the best way to remove and replace it? There is no space to pull it out from under the car. And it is too tight to pull up without getting sandwiched between the engine.

I assume that lots of you have had to replace it, so it should be know what the best way is to get the thing out. I am trying to find out if it is best to remove the radiator, or remove the front top cross bar (with the hood lock), or if removing the timing belt cover is enough. Hopefully someone can give a detailed explanation of what they did to get it out and in.

Thanks in advance,
Kashasea
A4 avant 1.8t 5sp

 

search "service position"

 

for space, may be easier for you to put it in service position, which isn't very hard at all, but not neccessary.

 

Just drain and remove radiator.

 

Thanks to whoever did the writeup<ul><li><a href="http://home.nycap.rr.com/elbrecht/audi/audifan.htm">Link</a></li></ul>

 

Hi Audi World,

I just purchased a 2000 1.8t and the fan was screeching so the owner lowered the price $50 cheaper and said that the fan cost around $25 used. Or course I did not believe him but since I was already getting the car for a good deal I decided to purchase the car anyway.

Well today after a good hour trip to and from a friends house the fan stayed on about 20 seconds after the ignition was off.

I searched around but couldnt find much so what do you guys think is the culprit? It is the Passenger side fan. I'm assuming I need to change the fan. How expensive is this part, what's the part number and what's it called? Any links or thoughts on where I could purchase it as it's probably not $25.

Also after reading somewhat on here I hear people getting the EFK, would this be for me at this point?

Also the link that was provided at the beginning of this thread is not working anymore.

I plan to help others out as well as I go through this process that maybe some of you have gone through already. I have some experiences wrenching Japanese cars and am ready for the European challenge. Hope to get some help from those gurus out there. Thanks in advance.

 

Also today it started to snow so I wont be using AC much for the next few months so would replacing this part be necessary right away? (Is it for AC only) Because I tried to start the car and the fan does not run so I'm assuming that since the fan is not belt driven then it only turns on through a sensor of some sort?

 

Ok so I ran the car for about 30 minutes and the fan started after about 5 minutes after I turned the heat on so obviously it turns on with AC or heat. I drove the rest of the way without heat for fear of the fan breaking off or something.

When I got home I did try spinning the fan to see if there was anything stuck to it but there was not though I did see that the fan had a fair amount of play in it. I was able to wiggle the fan about 1/2 inch back and forth. So I'm now sure that I need to replace this fan. Can anyone please provide this part number as well as possible links to the proper way to replace this part. I would greatly appreciate it thanks.

 

Shoteck (might have spelled that wrong, sorry)

The aux fan makes your AC work when you are not moving. Without it, your AC will work REALLY POORLY. It will be fine through the winter, but as soon as it gets warm (say 65 degrees), your AC will be misserable. So fix it soon.

My car is a 2000, which is one generation older, so I can't help with some specifics, but the basics still hold. The fan comes on with the AC, so simple test, AC off (turn the whole climate control off) and there should be no noise. Turn the defroster on and the squeal should be there.

Then trace the cable from that fan back to where it connects. In mine, it was clipped around the fan, went across the car behind the bumper, and up towards the power steering reservoir, and was in a group with about 6 connectors. I disconnected it and voila, no noise when the defrost was on. But, FIX IT or you will be unhappy.

The fan is about $300 from the dealer, maybe more. They are now also offering discount ones for about $200, china copies of the original (european brand). You can buy the after market ones for about $80, so forget the dealer. And I would not buy a used one as they seem to fail regularly. I bought one that was made in Taiwan (really does say that), I forgot from who. It works just fine.

The kicker is this, it is a pain in the A** to replace, in my model year at least. There is not enough space to pull it out without removing the cars front panel (ie, get it into service position. email me (dankasha at yahoo dot com) and I can send you a doc I printed for my car on how to do this (found on this site, but forgot where). The dealer wanted $800 to do the work with the new fan. So I partially loosened the front panel, and took of the timing belt cover and just got enough space to pull the old one out. Good news was that the after market one was about 0.5 inches thinner, so it fit in much easier. Took me an hour to get it out and an hour to get it in. Again, your model year might be easier or harder.

It has been working great since. I never use non audi parts (especially brake pads). But this time I am glad I did.

You mentioned something about a light, is that a check engine light? Not related to the fan if it is. Chances are, your MAF is failing. They don't do well after about 6 years. Buy an original audi one for $200 and stick it in (easy job) if you have doubts. Get someone with vagcom (you should have it yourself, can't own a VW product without the vagcom software and pc and cable) to check, the trim values will tell you what is going on (google maf and trim and you should find a link). Nice thing about audi/vw is that your problem is not only yours, lots of others had the same one.
I hope this helps,
Dan