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Radiator fan keeps running

19K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  RiverMCK  
#1 ·
My Wife's 2003 WJ (4.0 I6) has been having some radiator fan issues recently.
She's been running the A/C recently and after shutting off the Rig, the fan stays on. I understand it's supposed to stay on until the block reaches as safe temp since coolant isn't passing through. But the fan keep running, so much that it killed the battery. I hooked the charger up and the fan came on immediately. Found and pulled the correct fuse so the battery can charge, but I need to fix this issue as we now have a little one and she can't be stranded with a dead battery. From old posts I gather that I need to swap out the fan relay or check the fan wiring harness, but where is the relay located and how much for a new relay. Is it a major PITA, or something I can do in the driveway? :confused:
 
#2 · (Edited)
#3 ·
I had the same problem in my 03 jeep grand cherokee.I am no mechanic but i did it myself.It is under the passenger side headlight.but there is a plastic gaurd under the headlight so instead of removing the the feder and the bumber i just drilled a couple of holes in the plastic and snapped the rest of the plastic with a pair of chanel locks.you should be able to see the relay it is held on by two bolts.it was easy to do.I was a bit leary of snapping the plastic cover though i talked to a couple of mechanic and the said the usually hit it with an air hammer. I did almost 3 years ago and havent had any problems with that relay since.Good luck
 
#4 ·
Picked up a new relay for the wife's WJ from NAPA for $60:thumbdown:but it was the only outfit in town that had one in stock. Based on previous threads, this seemed like a pretty easy job. Instead of using a hole saw or snapping plastic, I used a torch and heated up a knife to slice through the header panel. Clean cuts, no shavings or cracked plastic anywhere. It worked so well that I was able to reuse the piece I cut out, and refastened it with some 90 degree brackets that I flattened with a hammer. A little bead of silicone around the cut out and no she's sealed pretty good (slight cob-job in technique, but hey, whatever works!) Other than that, My father-in-law, who is a long time marine mechanic guru and all-around handy fellow, advised me to put something called "heat-sink compound" on the bottom of the new relay before installing. It's pretty ingenious stuff...Takes the heat from the realy and passes through the compound into the frame metal, all while insulating the relay. I guess this is how the relay usually fails -- to much heat. Anyway thanks for the advice all! She now has her Rig back on the road, and toting our newborn around town safely again.:thumbsup: