Can anyone help please?
I have a R21 Savanna ('93L/1995 cc petrol non turbo) which I have recently acquired.Recently after the usual 15 mile run to work including a high speed run down the A1 (late as usual) I noticed on parking up that neither of the electric fans were running, which they invariably were on my previous Audi.On examination one fan was seized completely and the other was showing signs of heat damage around the casing and wiring/fuse and was non operational also.This has never been a problem practically as there has never been any signs of over heating but now I know the fans aren't running I've noticed the temp gauge rise towards the high side whilst crawling along in slow moving traffic.
My question is this if I replace the 2 fan units what is to say they are not going to burn out again?There must be some sort of thermal protector that has perhaps stopped working if so where is it and can it be checked easily?Was this a common problem on this model?
Any tips and advice in general on this matter?
Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to read this and if possible helping me out.
R21 Savanna Cooling Fan Problem
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alan s
- RIP 2010
- Posts: 2542
- Joined: 26 Jan 2001, 15:53
- x 6
Speaking on fans in general, they are a very reliable piece of equipment when you consider the environment they are in & the flogging they get.
Strangely enough, unlike 240 volt stuff, 12 volt motors seem to withstand water ingress quite well from an electrical viewpoint, in fact I was once at a model racing club meet one day when a competitor complained about dirt & grit in his motor & proceeded to dunk it in a bucket of water & operate it to clean it out.
Starter motors run in similar circumstances when you think about it & again don't suffer from water contamination although they only operate for a short space of time during any days operation.
I would suggest that there is possibly water contamination of the bearings of the fan motor which has caused them to seize partially or almost totally and this in itself places a load on the fan motor. As they don't draw a real lot of current, they can tend to burn out slowly & progressively over a period of time.
One of my CXs actually cooked one once as I was driving slowly through a relocatable home park; quite spectacular it was....great ball of smoke poured out from behind the grille much to the dismay of some old dear who was standing with that "I'll call the fire brigade" look on her face. I simply replaced the fan & no further problems. They should be connected to a fuse or a circuit breaker but don't always blow it when they cook so don't worry on that score.
I'd suggest replacing the fan ASAP as fans whilst not cheap are better than the other option; a motor or head.
Regarding the weaknesses, I don't know that they really have all that many apart from the occasional gearbox problem & as I find normally if you do regular oil changes & drive them as a nice interesting sedan & not a competitor in a Grand Prix, they seem to last pretty well.
They are a very nice piece of machinery.
Alan S
Strangely enough, unlike 240 volt stuff, 12 volt motors seem to withstand water ingress quite well from an electrical viewpoint, in fact I was once at a model racing club meet one day when a competitor complained about dirt & grit in his motor & proceeded to dunk it in a bucket of water & operate it to clean it out.
Starter motors run in similar circumstances when you think about it & again don't suffer from water contamination although they only operate for a short space of time during any days operation.
I would suggest that there is possibly water contamination of the bearings of the fan motor which has caused them to seize partially or almost totally and this in itself places a load on the fan motor. As they don't draw a real lot of current, they can tend to burn out slowly & progressively over a period of time.
One of my CXs actually cooked one once as I was driving slowly through a relocatable home park; quite spectacular it was....great ball of smoke poured out from behind the grille much to the dismay of some old dear who was standing with that "I'll call the fire brigade" look on her face. I simply replaced the fan & no further problems. They should be connected to a fuse or a circuit breaker but don't always blow it when they cook so don't worry on that score.
I'd suggest replacing the fan ASAP as fans whilst not cheap are better than the other option; a motor or head.
Regarding the weaknesses, I don't know that they really have all that many apart from the occasional gearbox problem & as I find normally if you do regular oil changes & drive them as a nice interesting sedan & not a competitor in a Grand Prix, they seem to last pretty well.
They are a very nice piece of machinery.
Alan S
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MAD
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 09 Apr 2003, 00:33
because the fans are open to the elements at the front of the car they will sieze after a period of time.As Alan suggested a fusable link can be placed in line,Renault used to supply these but they might have to check their technical notes to find the part number.The only problem with this fuse was the terminals used to corrode,so you would need plenty of grease (non conducting) to protect it.You might already have one fitted,as it was a recall when the car was new.It could be that the fuse is corroded causing the fans not to work properly,which they then would sieze