Radiator fan

[Starter986]

Originally Posted by Seal1968

I bought similar resistors and replaced both of my old heat-soaked and worn out factory ones. (only 1 was malfunctioning)

Total cost was under $20, and 15 minutes installation including soldering and heat shrink. Didn't have to remove the inner fender either, access is easy from underneath.

They do not look like a hack job either, they look like an upgrade. You can search, I posted up my DIY a year or so ago.

BTW...If you're buying 1 new fan, why not do both with all new resistors? Then you don't have to go through this again...and it will likely happen. The factory resistors are prone to failure as they get old, and given their location.

Enjoy!

If I buy new it won't be OEM. What do you think of these?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Cooling-Fan-Assemblies-Set-of-2-Driver-Passenger-Side-99662413500-Pair-/233370430326

I'm considering buying used from a local (75 miles out)... but they have 100K on them. However... I thought I might buy the used... and replace the resistors (like you did).

What would you do?

Buy those aftermarket pair for $110 or buy a used pair... I'm thinking I could get the pair for ~$75?

Thanks, and

[piper6909]

If I were in your shoes I'd go with used OE.

Check out Nationwide Auto Recycling and see if they will ship. They have a pair from a 2004 for $49 each, or Euroline Auto Recycling. They also have a pair from a 2004, and they're a little closer which may save you a bit on shipping.

https://www.car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?userSearch=int&userPID=1000&userLocation=All+States&userIMS=&userInterchange=BECAD&userSide=&userDate=2001&userDate2=2001&dbModel=62.11.1.1&userModel=Porsche%20Boxster&dbPart=674.1&userPart=Cooling%20Fan%20(Rad%20and%20Con%20mtd.)&sessionID=13000000103626776&sURL=www.car-part.com&userPreference=year&userZip=92262&userLat=33.8563000&userLong=-116.5712000&userIntSelect=1984064&userUID=0&userBroker=&userPage=1&iKey=


Click on the pic of the car on the Nationwide listing and you'll see that the car has 66K miles on it, while the Euroline has ones have 107K

[Starter986]

Originally Posted by piper6909

If I were in your shoes I'd go with used OE.

Check out Nationwide Auto Recycling and see if they will ship. They have a pair from a 2004 for $49 each, or Euroline Auto Recycling. They also have a pair from a 2004, and they're a little closer which may save you a bit on shipping.

https://www.car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?userSearch=int&userPID=1000&userLocation=All+States&userIMS=&userInterchange=BECAD&userSide=&userDate=2001&userDate2=2001&dbModel=62.11.1.1&userModel=Porsche%20Boxster&dbPart=674.1&userPart=Cooling%20Fan%20(Rad%20and%20Con%20mtd.)&sessionID=13000000103626776&sURL=www.car-part.com&userPreference=year&userZip=92262&userLat=33.8563000&userLong=-116.5712000&userIntSelect=1984064&userUID=0&userBroker=&userPage=1&iKey=


Click on the pic of the car on the Nationwide listing and you'll see that the car has 66K miles on it, while the Euroline has ones have 107K

Thank you, Pipe. I'm going to give them a call... check out the pair with shipping.

Cheers!

[Seal1968]

I wouldn't buy any electrical part used, but that's me.

You may be fine for a year or two, but it's still an electrical part that is @ 20 years old..."tail-light warranty". lol

My resistors may not be OEM, but they are certainly equivalent in quality and function.

I relocated them up and out of harm's way as well...the factory location sets them up for splashes and failure. (ergo...hot resistor + water from puddle = damage and ultimate failure)

To each his own.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by Seal1968

I wouldn't buy any electrical part used, but that's me.

You may be fine for a year or two, but it's still an electrical part that is @ 20 years old..."tail-light warranty". lol

My resistors may not be OEM, but they are certainly equivalent in quality and function.

I relocated them up and out of harm's way as well...the factory location sets them up for splashes and failure. (ergo...hot resistor + water from puddle = damage and ultimate failure)

To each his own.

I've never had good luck long-term with aftermarket parts. Be it a water pump, fan, fuel pump, etc. They just don't last as long as the OE used parts I put in. Fans, in particular, tend to be poorly-balanced so you may even feel vibrations when they come on.

For critical parts, I either good used OE, or new OEM.

Starter's car is a 98, which means they lasted 22 years and I don't know how many miles. The ones I showed him are from a 2004 with 60K miles. That makes them 16 years old. So if his OE fans lasted 22 years, there's no reason they shouldn't give him 6 good years or more.

[Starter986]

Yeah. My 98 has ~130K. The donor car ~60K. For ~$50 per fan, used, I'll take the chance.

Pipe is correct... and I do want to mitigate balancing or noise issues. Thus, used.

[itsnotanova]

Resistor aside, the fans on these cars are very stout and I think you'll be happy buying one used. Anything relying on a plastic piece to operate,(like a window regulator) you want to buy new if you can.

[Starter986]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

Resistor aside, the fans on these cars are very stout and I think you'll be happy buying one used. Anything relying on a plastic piece to operate,(like a window regulator) you want to buy new if you can.

You wouldn't happen to have a pair of low mileage fans... would you?

Thanks!

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by piper6909

I've never had good luck long-term with aftermarket parts. Be it a water pump, fan, fuel pump, etc. They just don't last as long as the OE used parts I put in. Fans, in particular, tend to be poorly-balanced so you may even feel vibrations when they come on. For critical parts, I either good used OE, or new OEM.

+ 1 on OEM parts

I prefer installing a used OEM spare than a new mickey mouse brand, I had bitter experiences, specially with the Volvo non OEM spares
.

[mhowellaz]

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.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by mhowellaz

We'll see how it does over time.

And those are the operative words right there. I wish you the best with it and thanks for posting your experience.

[Starter986]

First off... two shout outs.

One to Piper for referring me to Nationwide Auto Parts. I did my research and found Nationwide to be the go-to in this instance. Piper was on the money. Thanks, Pipe.

Second shout out to Nationwide. They had the fans off a 04' 911 with 64K miles. $49.77 each. Shipping $45. I was expecting only the fan and motor... but it came in the whole piece... plug and play. Their packaging was great. Parts arrived on time and in great shape.

Late this morning I buttoned everything back up. Fans work great with AC running. Took the car for a spin... let it get to temperature... both fans kicked on. Will have to wait to see if the high speeds kick on (they did when relays were jumped).

I did remove the European plate I had plastered to the front. We'll see if that doesn't improve things... for it kind of hung on each side of the front vents.

Mr. Howell, I shared the same concerns about balance and wobbly which is what drove me to the original part. Everything I read about aftermarkets/knockoffs steered me away. This is not a job I want to do again any time soon... nor do I want to be driving to aqn annoying fan wobble. Hopevully, ymmv.

Cheers!

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by Starter986

First off... two shout outs.

One to Piper for referring me to Nationwide Auto Parts. I did my research and found Nationwide to be the go-to in this instance. Piper was on the money. Thanks, Pipe.

Second shout out to Nationwide. They had the fans off a 04' 911 with 64K miles. $49.77 each. Shipping $45. I was expecting only the fan and motor... but it came in the whole piece... plug and play. Their packaging was great. Parts arrived on time and in great shape.

Late this morning I buttoned everything back up. Fans work great with AC running. Took the car for a spin... let it get to temperature... both fans kicked on. Will have to wait to see if the high speeds kick on (they did when relays were jumped).

I did remove the European plate I had plastered to the front. We'll see if that doesn't improve things... for it kind of hung on each side of the front vents.

Mr. Howell, I shared the same concerns about balance and wobbly which is what drove me to the original part. Everything I read about aftermarkets/knockoffs steered me away. This is not a job I want to do again any time soon... nor do I want to be driving to aqn annoying fan wobble. Hopevully, ymmv.

Cheers!

You're welcome, bud! Glad it worked out!