So, my 98, 4 cyl. EX has been heating up now that the weather is reaching 90ish degrees. I noticed that with the AC on, only the drivers side fan is spinning.

I disconnected the passenger side fan (AC condenser fan) and used my voltmeter to confirm that I am getting 12v (actually 14?) there.

So, can I get away with just getting a replacement "condenser fan motor", or should I go ahead and get an entire fan replacement assembly? Relative ease of installing either? It seems the motor is about $50 while the entire assembly seems to be about double that.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can give me!
-Kevin

 

Also, I forgot to add. The fan blades do spin freely when the car is off if I push them by hand...

 

Still no responses. And I really can't wait anymore to get one these things on its way to me. So, since it doesn't make sense to try to save $50 between the two when warping the block will be a very expensive mistake, can anyone give me an accurate part number for the passenger side fan replacement assembly? The ones I'm seeing online don't differentiate between the drivers side and the passenger side, and they are clearly different...

 

Added sig.

 

You can replace either motor or entire fan assy. There are good prices available on aftermarket parts. Check forum sponsors, rockauto, amazon, ebay for options.

good luck

 

Thanks for the response. Can you help me on the difference between the passenger side and the drivers side issue?

Edit: nevermind. Rockauto made the difference between an AC compressor fan and a radiator fan pretty obvious (different categories)

oddly enough, it was cheaper to buy the entire assembly, including the motor - compared to just buying the motor by itself. One fan assembly on its way to me.

Thanks for the rockauto referral!

 

Passenger side is called condensor fan and driver's side is called radiator fan. Motors are different for clearance from exhaust manifold on driver's side.

You need the passenger side condensor fan or fan assy.

You need to access underside to loosen (not remove) the retaining bolts. Fan assy will lift out w/ connectors and attached wiring removed.

good luck

 

Here's what I found out. Maybe the 98 is different from other years?

Drivers side fan is the one that has a retaining bolt on the bottom (so, 3 connection points). Rock auto has this one listed as the "A/C Condenser Fan Assembly".

The Passenger side fan is the one that doesn't have a retaining bolt on the bottom, but has two holes for pegs to insert into on the bottom (so, 4 connection points). Rock auto has this one listed as the "Radiator Fan Assembly".

Note that this is the REVERSE of what was stated above.

Whatever I did, I ordered the wrong one first. So, I ordered the other one. This time, the right one came in the mail. :-)

It took about 10 minutes to replace the passenger side fan (which is the one that needed replacing) Mostly because I didn't want to remove the top radiator hose. I was able to get it to side out to the left (when facing the car) of the upper rad hose after pulling out the overflow reservoir.

At that point, I decided to replace the drivers side fan anyway, since I had it sitting there, and the car is over 15 years old anyway...Might as well. That one takes a total of about 2 minutes. Loosen bottom bolt, remove top two bolts, remove old one, drop in new one (there is a clip that needs to be released with a flat head screw driver on the right side of this one). Done. Both fans working.

Not bad for a total cost of about $110 shipped... I was quoted $350 to replace one fan...Hah!

 

Feels good to save money

Which fan is which, well that gets confusing.....Then add that Honda has switched the "direction" of the engine starting with the 7th gen (03 and up) doesn't help.

From my days of "selling parts for a living" here is a tip. The fan that is by the ac compressor is the condenser fan. The other will be the radiator fan.

I always have to stop and think - which way is the engine "pointing" in this gen Accord.

 

Ah, yes... those images make it very clear...wish I had seen them earlier!

:-)

Oh well, I'm not too upset at having them both replaced, even though only one had stopped working...