Help with replacement of Radiator Fan

[JAYISK]

Hey Guys,
My first request for help

I have owned my MK2 for about 3 weeks and noticed that the radiator fan did not spin freely. I have now managed to get a new fan and am ready to replace it.

From what I can see it should be a pretty easy process but there are 2 refrigerant lines which seem to be in the way. So I just want to know if it is safe for me to disconnect them.

I have circled them in red.

I'm quite worried that if the fan is not working correctly then i'm going to cook the engine!

Any tips?

[Umai Naa!!]

Unbolt the fan from the shroud, and push it inwards to give you enough room to get the whole thing out.

Maybe put some cardboard in there to protect the radiator. They're a bit hard to get hold of.

[JAYISK]

Arh excellent idea! Thanks for that.
I think the tricky bolt on the fan shroud will be the one at the bottom in the centre.

Great tip for with the card board as well.

I'll try to document the process when I have a go and put it up as a mini guide.

[JAYISK]

Unbolt the fan from the shroud, and push it inwards to give you enough room to get the whole thing out.

Maybe put some cardboard in there to protect the radiator. They're a bit hard to get hold of.

Hey I was so excited that I might have had a fix, I rush outside not thinking about the swarm of mozzies around me. Unfortunately I don't think your tip will it will work in my case
I might be able to get the top 2 bots off, be there is no chance of getting to the bottom one. I also found that when I removed one of the top bolts, the fan seems to be bonded, maybe due to age, to the shroud.

Back to trying to remove the whole shroud again... Does anyone know if I can disconnect those 2 aircon lines?

[Umai Naa!!]

No, don't disconnect the lines.

Pull the grille out, and take the top radiator support off, so you can tilt the radiator forward.

[JAYISK]

Is there a guide or link for removing the grill?

Sorry just starting to learn about the new toy

[sports racer]

The grill is held on with 2 screws on the top and a couple of slots on the bottom that slide into the bodywork. Undo the 2 screws and tilt the grill forward and up. Watch out for the wiring that goes to the driving lights. Once you do that you'll realise it doesn't help you get the radiator or shroud off so put the grill back.

The plumbing you want to undo is for the air conditioning. If the aircon doesn't work then it's ok to remove the pipes. These cars are so old the coolant in the system would have leaked out years ago.

Why can't you undo the bottom bolts for the shroud? Should be easy to get to.

It's probably easier to remove the radiator with the shroud attached, it's only held on with 2 bolts at the top.

What colour is your car? I thought I knew all the ones in Canberra but none of them sold recently.

Cheers

Paul

[sports racer]

And post some pictures of your car!

[JAYISK]

Hi Paul,
thanks for your instructions for the grill removal. I was actually planing on doing it anyway as I wanted to try to clean the fog lights as per this tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-IPw-g8bA

The aircon works but isn't cold. I was thinking about trying to get it regassed soon. I was worried if I removed the lines then I would damage the condenser

I can get to the bottom bolts of the shroud. Its the 3rd lower bolt on the fan that Umai Naa!! suggest to remove, that is the one I couldn't get to.

Should I post pics of my car here or in another section? Sorry new to the whole forum world

[JAYISK]

Would anyone know if I can disconnect those Air con lines without damaging the condenser? Sorry guys, just trying to get back on the road with the MK2 again

[sports racer]

You can disconnect just as long as there isn't any gas in the lines. Undo one of the connections and listen for a hissing sound. If it hisses you'll need to take it to an aircon place for them to collect the gas as it's illegal to release into the atmosphere.

Mine were disconnected at the pump and at the firewall.

Start a new thread for the pictures and use that thread to post progress as you work on it. Sometimes it's good to go back over your old build thread to see how far the car has changed over the time you've had it.

Cheers

Paul

[JAYISK]

Awesome thank you for the tip.

I'll wait till it cools down outside then i'll give it a go

I'll start a new thread with the pictures so far.

[JAYISK]

With all the tips I have taken the plunge and started to remove the air con lines and as I suspected there was no hissing sound at all!

I disconnected both lines and gently moved them out of the way:


With these out of the way it was smooth sailing! I was able to lift the shoud out and remove the old fan. I then installed the new one and did everything in reverse order. I triple checked all the connectors and even had my wife come have a look too, just in case the old eyes where playing tricks on me

Fanless shroud

Old fan on the left the new on the right.

New fan installed. Isn't she a beauty!

More angles:

Everything put back in place and working like a champ!!


Notes:
I found removing the battery gave me extra space to work with.
Be careful when cutting the old cable ties.

Time taken:
About 45mins

Things I would do differently:
Pick a cooler day or do it in the shade. I found a large Mexican hat helps

[JAYISK]

Now I just have to go get the car regassed

[sports racer]

Congrats, nice to see all the photos as you went. I know using an original fan as a replacement is an easy way to do it but why didn't you take the opportunity to fit a modern slimline fan?

Cheers

Paul

PS. Love the hat