f355 gts fan problem

The right side fan is controlled by the Motronic ECU. It gets the signal from the water temp sender located by the oil filter. Has a gray or blue Amp connector plug. BUT, if that water temp sender is not working, you should be getting a "check engine" light as the Motronic should detect a problem if the sender is bad. You may want to replace it anyway, as they are not terribly expensive, perhaps $25 from the dealer.

Check the back of the fuse panel, it is not unheard of to have issues with the fans (as they age) drawing excessive current causing not only the fuses to blow all the time, but also damage to the fuse panel itself.

 

@f355spider :

Thank you for your fantastic post about the SPAL fan replacements. I just purchased a 1995 F355 Spider, and I believe that the RH (Passenger) side fan is not working. I check the fuses, and I found that the previous owner had installed 40A fuses -- likely due to the higher amperage draw per your fan thread. Both fuses appear fine... I'm going to go ahead and order some SPAL '50 fans to replace the OE '13 versions, and hope that solves the issue, but do you think that the problem could be tied to the water temp sender? I am not getting any "check engine " lights, but wasn't sure if it's related to the car being 2.7 vs 5.2.

Thank you for any input your could provide.

 

Left and right fans operate independently. If right side is not working, you need to check the fuse, relay, fan motor and temp sensor. Are you getting power to the right fan at all? That would be my first diagnostic step after checking the fuse and relay.

Good idea to swap fans and get 30amp fuses back in there. Not unheard of to damage your fuse box from the 40amp current draw melting things.

 

Thanks for the reply. The only thing I have done so far is check the fuse - have not swapped the relays. I figured I would change the fans either way and go with the sealed units. I don't like the idea of using higher amperage fuses.

I may be mistaken, but it seems like the SPAL 30102050 fans may be discontinued. I can find the '49 version, but no one sees to have the '50.

Thank you for your reply.

 

Call SPAL USA tomorrow morning and report back
https://www.spalusa.com/customer_service
(800) 454-7725 tech support

If they are not available, it is not a huge deal to splice the plug from your old fans onto the new. Just an extra 15 minutes of work to solder the wires and heatshink tubing/insulation for each. That is what I did, as I was unaware at the time the version with the correct plug was offered.

 

As stated earlier, the first step should be to see if there is power to the fan.

 

Looking at the temperature Vs resistance chart in the workshop manual, I believe a 100 ohm resistor placed across the pins of the right hand temperature sensor electrical connector should trigger the fan. I use the word "sensor" as the term "sender" usually refers to the device which is used for the gauge. Spending a few *cents* on a resistor is a good investment as it can be used in faultfinding on a number of different systems.

You can inspect things like fan motor bushes and rings with the fan in-situ. Just remove the respective wheel and plastic wheel arch liners and then the plastic motor cover.

I don't know if temperature sensor faults are monitored or not, but you may not be getting a check engine light because the sensor is just out of tolerance, not completely broken.

 

Just an update on SPAL 30102050 fans. They are still available, but custom order from SPAL. Apparently they are made for John Deere tractors.

I just order a set from "the-fan-man", and paid $117 / piece!