The radiator fan assembly, on the 2001-2006 2.4L DOHC Chrysler Sebring and 2.4L DOHC Dodge Stratus, is made up of two fan motors. Both can be easily tested and in this tutorial I'm gonna' show you how.
All the test steps are explained in detail. With your test results you'll be able to find out if one or both fan motors are bad.
Contents of this tutorial at a glance:
- Radiator Fan Motor Test Basics.
- Where To Buy The Radiator Fan Assembly And Save.
- TEST 1: Testing The Amperage Draw Of The Low Speed Radiator Fan Motor.
- TEST 2: Testing The Amperage Draw Of The High Speed Radiator Fan Motor.
- TEST 3: Making Sure Both Fan Motor Relays Are Getting 12 Volts.
- TEST 4: Bypassing The Low Speed Fan Motor Relay.
- TEST 5: Bypassing The High Speed Fan Motor Relay.
- TEST 6: Making Sure The Radiator Fan Assembly Is Getting Power From The Low Speed Relay.
- TEST 7: Making Sure The Radiator Fan Assembly Is Getting Power From The High Speed Relay.
- TEST 8: Making Sure Ground Is Present At Female Terminal #1.
- TEST 9: Making Sure Ground Is Present At Female Terminal #2.
- More 2.4L Chrysler And Dodge Tutorials.
APPLIES TO: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:
- 2001-2006 2.4L DOHC Chrysler Sebring 4-door sedan.
- 2002-2006 2.4L DOHC Chrysler Sebring Convertible.
- 2001-2006 2.4L DOHC Dodge Stratus 4-door sedan.
WIRING DIAGRAM: You can find the wiring diagram for the radiator fan assembly here: Radiator Fan Circuit Wiring Diagram (2001-2006 2.4L DOHC Chrysler Sebring And Dodge Stratus).
Radiator Fan Motor Test Basics
The radiator fan assembly has two fan motors. Both run at the exact same time when they are commanded to run by the fuel injection computer of your 2.4L DOHC Chrysler Sebring or Dodge Stratus.
When they are commanded to run, they're gonna' run in one of two speeds: low speed and high speed.
The amperage draw of both radiator fan motors, whether they're running in low speed or high speed, is under 40 Amps. Eventually wear and tear will cause the fan motors to use more than 40 Amps. By this point one or both fan motors will stop running.
So the very first test we're gonna' do in this tutorial is to check the amperage draw of the fan motors with a multimeter and Ohm's Law (Ohms Law: Amps=Volts ÷ Ohms).
Right of the bat, the amperage draw test, will let you know if there's a problem with the fan motors.
If the fan motors pass the amperage draw tests (TEST 1 and TEST 2) then the next step is to apply battery power to the fan motors by bypassing the low and high speed radiator fan relays (TEST 3 and TEST 4).
If necessary, we'll also make sure that the 4-wire radiator fan assembly connector is actually supplying battery power and Ground to the fan motors (TEST 7 and TEST 8).
Where To Buy The Radiator Fan Assembly And Save
The following links will help you comparison shop for the radiator fan assembly and save you a few bucks:
TEST 1: Testing The Amperage Draw Of The Low Speed Radiator Fan Motor
The first thing we're gonna' do is to calculate the amperage draw of the low speed circuit of both radiator fan motors with a multimeter and Ohms Law.
To be a bit more specific: We'll measure the resistance of the fan motors and then divide 12.5 by that resistance value (12.5 is the battery voltage value).
The result of this calculation is the amount of current the fan motors are using in low speed.
If the amperage draw is over 40 Amps or if your digital multimeter shows an over the limit (OL) value, then we can immediately conclude that the fan motor assembly has to be replaced.
NOTE: This test is done on the 4-wire connector with male spade terminals.
These are the test steps:
- 1
Disconnect the 4-wire radiator assembly connector.
- 2
Place your multimeter in Ohms mode.
- 3
Connect the black multimeter test lead to the battery negative (-) access point (located on the driver side strut tower).
- 4
Probe the male terminal labeled with the number 3 with the red multimeter test lead.
- 5
Write down the resistance value your multimeter registers.
- 6
Divide 12.5 by the resistance value (12.5 is the battery voltage).
The calculation should look like this 12.5 ÷ your resistance value = amperage draw - 7
The result of this calculation is the amount of amperage the fan motor is using.
To be a bit more specific: Let's say that the resistance reading was 0.4 Ohms. This is what the math would look like: 12.5 ÷ 0.4 = 31.25 and this would translate to 31.25 Amps.
Let's analyze your test result:
CASE 1: The amperage draw is under 40 Amps. This is the correct and expected test result.
The next step is to test the amperage draw of the high speed radiator fan motor. For this test go to: TEST 2: Testing The Amperage Draw Of The High Speed Radiator Fan Motor.
CASE 2: The amperage draw is over 40 Amps. This lets you know that the low speed radiator fan motor has failed due to excessive wear and tear. Replace the radiator fan assembly.
