So, After completing other repairs and getting my '02 running again, the cooling fan fails, high speed won't stop. Being a cooling fan replacement expert (I've done two) and after reading all this thread again, I punted and purchased the Dorman Assembly from RockAuto for the reasonable price of $78 shipped to the house. That didn't take long and I installed it last weekend.

Doesn't run. Nadda. The MINI just sits there at temperature and never climbs above it. Even on a ride down the road, nadda. A fast ride down the expressway, nothing. Also did the A/C test setting it on LO and let it run for awhile. Nothing. No low, no high. I didn't do that long as the condenser/rad got kinda hot and I didn't want to ruin the A/C compressor. I just replaced nearly everything running on the serpentine belt except the compressor.

Checked the fuse, the relay in the fuse box, even plugged in the old unit which of course, just ran on high as long as I let sit there doing it. It's the 3-wire set up and the plugs all matched up, no prongs bent.

My next step is to find a meter and try to determine if the new unit is just bad. I'm just overjoyed about taking that MINI apart again.

Has anyone else bought the Dorman unit from RockAuto only to have it not work?

 

You wired it wrong my bet, there's not much to go wrong there. Check to make sure you have power and goins getting to the connector on the drivers side rail.

 

Hard to wire it wrong when it comes with matching/mating plugs. It has power coming to it at the plug, but I still need to confirm the cooling fan wiring.

I'm thinking a tall, pilot lit, toggle on the dashboard and the old cooling fan with high speed only reinstalled, go NASCAR. Hit the fan, hit the ignition, and let her rip. I'd never hear it whining anyway.

Wait, I'm sorry, I lost myself for a second. I'll just keep fiddling with it or the old unit.

 

It looks my car may be the latest victim of this design flaw. Ive only had the bugger for 2 weeks now, too… I noticed i want getting cold air from the A/C, so i started trouble shooting that. While checking the fuses i noticed that while A/C is on, my fan isn't spinning. It was replaced last year at a mini dealer by the previous owner, so to my knowledge it should still be under warranty, hopefully...

 

I had my fan relay replaced a week ago with the version sold by Chad at Detroit Tuned.com. Part was $53, not bad at all. My independent mechanic installed it (You still have to remove the radiator fan assembly off the car) and took about an hour to get done.

Works like a charm and the coil seems to be a different design from the defective/crappola coil used in the stock version.

BTW, I had replaced the fan assembly just 3 years ago. The stock fan relay doesn't seem to last more than a couple of year. Pure junk.

Here I am hoping the new replacement relay will last a little longer than the OEM version.

 

Get the fan relay replaced as soon as possible. With the summer now upon us, the lack of low fan speed will raise temperatures in there and eventually take/destroy your A/C compressor. Trust me, it happened to me 3 years ago and had to fork out $1600 to replace the compressor. A/C high line and the radiator fan assembly. Amazing the amount of damage a defective $50 part can make.

The stock fan relay is a terrible design that doesn't last more than a couple of years.

 

I am on my third fan. For my next replacement I am getting an OEM fan and putting the DT relay in day one. That should last the rest of Artoo's life.

///Rich

 

Unnecessary expense though - the most promising solution involves the aftermarket resistor using the body of the car as a heat sink. Keep the old fan, spend $20 on the resistor, and you will probably never have to worry about it again.

The main design flaw seems to be a lack of cooling for the resistor. Even the DT kit looks to be the same basic design with perhaps a better resistor - but that resistor is still going to get very hot, and does not have a heat sink of any kind.

I think the most elegant solution is the one posted by Vito on page 20 on this thread. When stage 1 dies on my current fan, that's what I'll be doing.

 

I have a 2003 so that is not an option for me. I have the resister and tried.

For the older units with the relay on the fan the relay goes bad too but at least that would be replaceable and with the DT unit, I may even be able to get to it without taking out the fan.

Not for 2002 or 2003s. Vito was right for the single plug units where the relay is in the panel and not on the fan.

Rich

 

I believe that the fan itself, is the designed cooling for the resistor.

Unfortunately, there seems to be an inherent suicide pack in the design too. If the fan stops spinning, the resistor dies. If the resistor dies, the fan stops spinning.

 

Ah - gotcha. Didn't realize the relay was failing too on the earlier designs. Even still, if you have the resistor, after taking a peak at the wiring diagram, there should be a way wire it in series for stage 1 even with the earlier fan:

http://wds.spaghetticoder.org/en/svg...9176.svg?m=r50

You would know better than I how practical this would be (apparently not!) having actually seen the fan though...

You could still reuse your current fan though and just install the DT relay kit. Any reason for buying a brand new one when your current relay/resistor goes out?

 

Your logic is correct but it is a TYC fan in there now. The next fan will be the last one and I am thinking OEM if I can get a removed one from my local dealer who helps me out with things like that sometimes. And with the DT kit, I should be good to go.

I do wish the external resister would have worked on mine. But alas...

 

In reply to Rich Wolfson's post WAY back on Page 20: "You have an '03 (like my Artoo) which means that you cannot use an external resister. So, your only choice is which fan to get when you replace the whole assembly. OEM or aftermarket. And who will do the install?"

That just doesn't sound right. You may not be able to do it without pulling the fan, but why couldn't you cut out the bad resistor and wire in a new one with really long wire leads and put it where you want?

 

I suppose you could do that but it would not be elegant and in my mind, if you are already taking out the fan, I would replace it. That's just me. But if I could have just wired in the resister, which I actually did and even tapped the aluminum support to take it, I would have done that.

For me it is the labor time to change the fan and not necessary the cost of the part.

Rich

 

Your welcome!


i had a guy that did this and he stopped by the shop the otherday...after his car caught fire. not sure if it was installed right or not, but be careful.

 

Ouch. That's the only mention of a fire I've seen, so I'm guessing it must have been installation error - maybe a shorted wire or he used too thin of a gauge of wire for the resistor.

 

My power resistor mod still going strong, original fan has done 66K miles.....................

 

For any just coming to this thread, ^ this solution is on page 5:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...olution-5.html

Good to hear

How hot does your resistor get?

 

I know little about electronics, my 2003 MCS has a relay installed in the fan housing and a corroded resistor. I wired 2 long wires from the old resistor terminal to accommodate a remote install of a heat sink resistor. My question is there a polarity that needs to be observe on my install? The low fan is turning on at around 209 degree f. No issue here so far but I just don't want any problem because I connected the resistor backwards as far as polarity.

 

Well it boils drops of water and burns my finger, so I guestimate about 200'C.......

 

Do you know where the resistor was installed? Bumper or Engine Support?

 

ummm, yeah...that TOO hot.

frame rail on driver side. the alum trans mount if i remember correctly.

 

No. A resister does not have polarity. It can be connected either way.

Rest easy.

///Rich

 

Wow, that's insanely hot and makes me think twice about installing the resistor mod when my current fan dies. But, your resistor is .47 ohms instead of the factory .34 ohms, right? .34 should run cooler I would think.

I wonder how hot the original design gets. Circuits is circuits - it's gotta be getting very hot too.

Maybe this mod needs a component that adds water cooling too...

 

You'd think a .47 would run about 40% cooler (.47/.33 = 1.424...) at first glance, but since a .47 in series
with a fan will flow less current but have a higher voltage drop across it than a .33, things even out somewhat
and the .47 will actually dissapate only about 10 - 15% less than the .33 resistor.
You have to plug in a value for the fan's resistance under load to get an exact number.