I've been watching this thread for a while because my 986 (2004 550 SE, ~102K miles) has been popping 40 A fuses for the left side fan.
A couple weekends ago I finally pulled the fan and tested it with a bench power supply... it ran, worked at both low and high speeds, but it seemed like it didn't spin as freely by hand as I expected (had no reference at the time to compare). 16 years of service in a car that AFAICT has always lived in Phoenix, maybe bearings are tired.
$500+ for a new P-brand fan was not a place I was ready to go, and the review at Pelican for an alternative for ~$110 was not good. By no means do I claim superior understanding or experience to others who have posted on this thread their aversion to off-brand replacement parts, but I took a flyer on a ~$75 (shipped) new off-brand fan.
Looking it over, the motor case may well have been built from the same tooling (or it is a more faithful knockoff than is probably necessary). The plastic fan is different in that on the old unit it is secured with 3 torx screws, and on the new a single hex nut in the middle.
Running it on the bench, I found it pulled significantly less current at both low and high speeds than the old part while moving at least as much air, as far as I could tell.
Regarding balance, it *may* be more vibe-y than the original (perhaps only because I'm now paying closer attention, it's hard to say), but it's not bad. It certainly was not shaky when I tested it on the bench.
Mechanical fit and connector compatibility were perfect. Wire color scheme is different.
Just got back from a 600 mile road trip including some remote (and glorious) twisty stages in the mountains. The fan (and its fuse) have been exercised and held up so far. We'll see how it does over time.
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