[alfa] Re: 146TI radiator fan motor problem

[Joe Elliott <jelliott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

That's *very* odd, at least to someone who doesn't have direct 
experience with the 146.  An ECU can't really supply too much 
current.  Too much voltage, perhaps, but I would be surprised if the 
cooling fan was actually powered directly by the ECU in that fasion. 
Excessive engine compartment temperatures would take more than 24 
hours to kill a fan, I would think.  The only heat-related thing I 
can think of is perhaps a missing heat shield on the exhaust 
manifold, but that's still a stretch.  Are you sure you don't have 
any bent brackets or something that would allow the fan to rub on the 
shroud or the radiator?  I suppose it would be easy enough to measure 
the voltage being delivered to the fan, but I can't imagine that 
there's even any voltage in the car (outside of the ignition system) 
that would be too much for the fan.  Without seeing the car in 
person, I'm stumped.

Good luck,
Joe


At 4:43 PM +0000 7/23/04, alfa-digest wrote:

> Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 03:22:24 -0700 (PDT)
> From: "William Corke" <william@domain.elided>
> Subject: [alfa] 146TI radiator fan motor problem
>
> Dear Group,
>
> My daily driver is a 1997 146TI that has unfortunately developed an growing
> taste for consuming radiator fans.  When I bought the car from its first owner
> a year ago I had a new fan fitted which lasted until the end of May, before
> blowing its 40A fuse and needing to be replaced with new fan motor unit.  The
> second replacement lasted only 4 weeks before the same thing happened; and the
> third lasted 24 hours!  My local main dealer in Guildford, Surrey tested the
> system through before they fitted the 3rd one, pronounced everything fine, and
> replaced a couple of relays "just in case".
>
> Has anyone encountered a similar problem?  Someone has suggested to me that
> the ECU might be delivering too much current.  The Alfa dealer has speculated
> that the radiator might be a bit clogged (technical term!) and so the engine
> is running how, creative excessive underbonnet temperatures, and causing the
> insulation to melt on the fan motor.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
> William Corke
> UK
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