Cooling Fan replacement

[tim]

Hi - I am trying to do some research. One of the two cooling fans on the outside of the radiator of my 300E has stopped working, and the car is running at about 80-90C, a it higher than normal. Dealer tested the power to the fan and found that something internal to the fan is causing or has a short. Dealer says to replace the fan, the A/C system has to be drained, four hours of labor, etc. Is this really the case? The job appears to be rather straightforward to my tyro eyes. What am I missing? Thanks for any information.

-tim-

[Napoleon Hodges]

AFIK there is no connection between the fans and the fluid/gas in the A/C system. The fans are electrical and mounted to the body in front of the condenser. The brushes in the fan motor are probably worn down. I smell rip off.

[Robert Goodwin]

Actually, the book says there is an A/C line blocking removal of the fan/s. Test the fan yourself, pull the connector wires coming out of the pressure switch on the reciever drier. Short the 2 pins on the connector together with a paper clip or something similar. Turn on the ignition switch, don't start the engine. If good, the motor should be turning. If not, check continuity of the motor at the motor. If good, the problem is elsewhere, including the pressure switch. I have not tried this, but see if you can exchange plugs between the 2 fans. Retest using the above procedure.

[tim]

Thanks to all who provided input. It turned out that the fan was bad (140,000 + miles). They ended up doing it a little faster than promised. Best,

-tim-