chadinark

Hi
The cooling fans took out on my 06 roadster. Checked relays, connections, fuses etc as well. Fans seemed to be the problem, no spinning even when connected to direct power. So i replaced with a new aftermarket from auto zone, which I checked before install and verified working fine. Yet they still not coming on and I’m still overheating if I have to sit still for more than about 2 minutes... as long as I’m rolling and taking in air I’m fine. Any ideas?! What about the fusible links? Way to test those? I’m stumped

thanks
Chad

chadinark

p.s. they’re supposed to come on immediately anytime AC is on as well, right? Mine don’t...

iideadeyeii

iTrader: (6)

Check wires for a short. Make sure there's power going to relays/fuses

icer5160

iTrader: (4)

If you have the AC on full blast and still no response from the fans, the usual culprit is the relay or fuse. That being said, I believe when it comes to keeping the engine cool, a temp sensor of some sort is polled to tell when to turn the fans on and off. But I would worry about that after you get the fans to operate when the AC is ON. This might sound dumb, but make sure the AC is set to the max *cold* setting to get the fans to turn on. I don't think using the heat mode on the AC will activate the fans.
-Icer

chadinark

Thanks so much, I’ll try. Yeah my AC is blowing nice and cold so they should be coming on.

eZg

iTrader: (5)

were they a direct plug in for stock wiring??

I tried to wiring my aftermarket with relays and couldn't get them to work. I had to go back to stock wiring.......

chadinark

Not sure what you mean. The aftermarket I bought has same plugs as the OEM. It’s just plug and play

masterjr33

sounds like bad fans took out the relay/controller. going to need to move up the power chain untill you find out where the power stops coming from.

chadinark

Ok so I tried moving some of those 3 relays around and tried pushing wiggling a little etc and they’ll come on intermittently so looks like either one of those relays is bad or maybe a short in that box they’re mounted in.

260DET

These sorts of problems can be easily checked with a cheap multimeter and instructions on YouTube as to how to use it.

chadinark

Understand how to use a MM. I did. Relays and connections fine. Unfortunately problem appears to be in the IPDM as it will not send a signal to fans (there’s a IPDM self check procedure in the shop manual that you can run).

My question now about that IPDM is does it have to be “reprogrammed” like a computer or if I get another from like eBay or salvage can I just install, plug everything in and it all works, or will it require some type of Nissan-proprietary programming that has to be done at dealer? (Assuming my replacement is good, of course)

thanks

masterjr33

they are a fuse/relay box. plug and play.

260DET

A rough and ready fix would be to make up a simple independent circuit with a temp switch and bypass the factory stuff completely. That's if the ECU allows you to LOL.

icer5160

iTrader: (4)

The IPDM is just a fuse/relay wiring box, nothing "smart" about it. If the relays by themselves test good using a power supply and multimeter, the only thing I can think of going on in the IPDM is corrosion. Pray you don't have rodent damage; ;little buggers love to munch on engine bay wiring in the winter!
-Icer

chadinark

Just a follow up for anyone else having this problem. It did end up being the IPDM. I tried a new relay and moving the 3 relays around etc but the fans would still only kick on intermittently and I could hear them stop sometimes when I’d hit a bump etc. So apparently my IPDM had developed a short somewhere or something for who knows what reason. Thank goodness it wasn’t some deeper issue in the wiring harness or something.

I got a used IPDM from a salvage on eBay for $80 with all the fuses and relays in it and with a 30 day wtty (compare to over $800 for a new one at dealer) and it’s working fine. Pretty easy to replace too.

Still think it’s weird that my fans actually did go bad (I’m certain of that) and IPDM goes bad at same time. Makes me wonder if fans going bad somehow shorted something out in the IPDM.