I bought a 98 accord LX 4 cylinders. It doesn't overheat or anything. I would say the AC was 10% cold, so I decided to let my friend check it out. He tried adding freon and noticed that the high side gauge is going higher, the compressor is engaged but none of the fans are on. After we added the freon the AC became cold. We checked the fuses and relays they were good. He used a test light to make sure power is reaching both fans, and he found that both have + and - going to them. So, both fans or both fan motors are bad. One maybe went bad a while back and then the second followed. Car has 137K. Does that sound about right? I checked around and the cheapest I found is $45-50. What if I purchased the motor alone? Any websites you guys suggest?

 

To double-check I would apply direct battery power to the fan motors. If they are good they should spin relatively fast and strong. I am not sure on your car; but if it is like the 5th gen Accord, the motor electrical plug for the A/C condenser fan is easy to get to, while the motor electrical plug for the radiator fan is under the car and may have the plastic splash shield in the way.

Even some local part stores sell aftermarket motors for around $50. You might have to do a little modification to mount the motor on the fan shroud. However, Rockauto should sell the motors.

 

Well, that's what my friend did. He attached the test light to the battery and then to the fans plugs. Both showed positive and negative Ok.

 

Did your friend test the plug supplying power to the motor? Because that is what it sounded like to me. A test light wouldn't necessarily mean there was 12 volts going there, it just means power is going there. A voltmeter or multimeter can tell what was the voltage.

I was referring to the plug directly on the motor, not the plug that supplies power to the motor. By supplying battery power directly to the motor to see if it spins, rules out something else in the middle that may be causing the fans not to work properly.

 

Oh, that's actually a good idea. Will it be ok to run a couple of wires straight from the battery, + and -? I am always scared to do that thinking it might not be a good idea. This is easy to do actually. And both fans' plugs are up, nothing on the bottom. Will try that tomorrow. Thanks

 

It's okay as long as you are careful. For myself, I have a 12 volt lantern battery with wires and alligator clips to test motors. It's safer and easier for me that way.