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Smart car radiator fan


sclord2002

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OK guys, Our Smart car A/C blows warm air when in stop and go traffic......at speed it works great.  When is the radiator fan supposed to come on.....should it be on any time the A/C is on ?  I assume it is also controlled by a cooling-water thermostat. It seems that I used to hear the fan at engine start but i'm not sure.  Pretty sure the fan is shot but wanted to get some more info before I start using a can opener to get to it. If bad, I will probably try an aftermarket fan in front of the a/c condenser and radiator ??  Any words of wisdom ?   Thanks in advance for any shared knowledge or tips.   Charlie

Don't ever tell a soldier that he doesn't understand the cost of war.

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Charlie,

If you do need an aftermarket contact Jim (Jim&Wilma) for the one he used and how he mounted.

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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I think on very hot days and high load(stop and go) they shed the load to protect the engine, ours has always done that.

Driving at a steady speed away from the city  full blast cooling returns

2005 volvo 670 freedomline singled
Newmar Torrey Pine 34rsks
woot woot

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Here is a problem. I am on a big job. Thousands of us. Takes me thirty minutes to get on highway. This is stop and idle time. I literally sweat on a hot day with ac full blast. But it is all I can carry on my setup. 

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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Here's some details on how we "replaced" the fan on our 2013 smart.

The fan bearing was starting to squeal and assumed it was just a matter of time before it failed.  We abandoned the original fan and rewired to a new fan installed in front of the condenser and radiator.  Ran the smart another 15K miles like this without an issue.  The fan is Flex-A-Lite 394 S-Blade 14"  mounted with a couple brackets as shown.

 

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IMG_3217a.jpg.c718bc170600aa5ce52e515511d83cb7.jpg

Jim & Wilma

2006 Travel Supreme 36RLQSO

2009 Volvo VNL730, D13, I-shift, ET, Herrin Hauler bed, "Ruby"

2017 Smart

Class of 2017

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OK, i checked the A/C charge and it is good, Checked the fuses and they are good. The fan is kaput, so I'm going to follow Jim's advice and add the same fan he used. There are cheaper 14 inch fans out there but I trust Jim's judgement and ordered the more expensive Flex A Lite fan from Amazon for just under 100 bucks with tax.  Thanks to all for your replies. I will let you know the results when i get a chance to add the new fan.  Are the folks on this forum great, or what.......                                            Charlie

Don't ever tell a soldier that he doesn't understand the cost of war.

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The a/c is still going to shut off when idling. Turn the windshield wipers on constant and watch them slow down at every intersection while you are stopped. Makes me wonder how big the alternator is. 

Jim, that is what I was planning except my smart is still under warranty...I let Mercedes put a new one in :)

MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.
~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~

2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission
singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin
2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 

2014 smart Fortwo

 

 
 
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1 hour ago, sclord2002 said:

Are the folks on this forum great, or what.......                                            Charlie

Reminds me of a pretty resourceful guy at ECR a few years ago demonstrating a tester for trailer lights and brakes he made.  I shamelessly stole the idea and it's one of my favorite gadgets.  Never got around to thanking him.

. . . . thanks

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IMG_3217a.jpg.c718bc170600aa5ce52e515511d83cb7.jpg

Jim & Wilma

2006 Travel Supreme 36RLQSO

2009 Volvo VNL730, D13, I-shift, ET, Herrin Hauler bed, "Ruby"

2017 Smart

Class of 2017

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You're welcome, Jim.  That little light and brake tester has been used way more than I thought it would. It may be one of the best of my hare-brained ideas. Thank you for the pictures of your fan mod.      Charlie

Don't ever tell a soldier that he doesn't understand the cost of war.

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I just replaced the fan in my Smart. The replacement fan was less than $90 and the install was fairly easy. The process to replace the fan looks worse than it really is. The front body clip has to come off, fenders, facia, grill, etc. That's all one piece and  not too bad to remove. I went ahead and replaced the AC condenser as well. When my AC is on, the fan is on.  

IMG_2224.JPG

2006 Freightliner M2-112 Sportchassis
2015 Keystone Raptor 412-TS
Lots of motorcycles and toys

Murfreesboro, TN.

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OK EVERYBODY....we are all meeting at Chuck's house to watch him fix Charlie's smart car. What's a good time? 9am ish? 

Ok, it's agreed...next Saturday at 9am in Murfreesboro. 

Chuck, should we bring anything? Extra tools? Dr. Pepper? Hamburger buns? Anything? :)

MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.
~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~

2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission
singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin
2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 

2014 smart Fortwo

 

 
 
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Phil, that's an excellent idea.  I see by his signature line that he has motorbikes and toys for us to abuse, er, enjoy.

KW T-680, POPEMOBILE
Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN
Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row
Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer.
contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net

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Heck, it was simple. I watched a couple of You Tube videos and tore the little car apart. But y'all can still come over. I'm working on the Sport Chassis, my Kicker amplifier crapped out, the new Kenwood amp needs a direct cable to run the subwoofer. Gotta pull a new cable through the dash and body sides to the amp behind the rear seat. Diet Dr. Pepper for me :) 

2006 Freightliner M2-112 Sportchassis
2015 Keystone Raptor 412-TS
Lots of motorcycles and toys

Murfreesboro, TN.

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All three of our smarts have exhibited the same behavior in stopped traffic.

The thing to keep in mind is that in the US the AC is designed to keep the interior of the car cool. In Europe it is designed to keep the interior from becoming too hot! May be tongue in cheek, but as I recall my old Saab and both of my Jaguar XJS's ('86 & '90) were the same way.

Dennis & Nancy
Tucson, AZ in winter, on the road in summer.

1999 Volvo 610 "Bud" 425 HP Volvo, Super 10 spd.
2005 Mountain Aire 35 BLKS
2013 smart fortwo CityFlame riding on Bud
(Replaced '05 smart first loaded in '06

and '11 smart that gave it's life to save me!)
Our Travel Blog

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On 7/14/2018 at 11:11 PM, Chuck Williams said:

Heck, it was simple. I watched a couple of You Tube videos and tore the little car apart. But y'all can still come over. I'm working on the Sport Chassis, my Kicker amplifier crapped out, the new Kenwood amp needs a direct cable to run the subwoofer. Gotta pull a new cable through the dash and body sides to the amp behind the rear seat. Diet Dr. Pepper for me :) 

On 7/14/2018 at 9:12 AM, Chuck Williams said:

I just replaced the fan in my Smart. The replacement fan was less than $90 and the install was fairly easy. The process to replace the fan looks worse than it really is. The front body clip has to come off, fenders, facia, grill, etc. That's all one piece and  not too bad to remove. I went ahead and replaced the AC condenser as well. When my AC is on, the fan is on.  

IMG_2224.JPG

Chuck I certainly wish I would have known about this and your talents about 3 years ago when mine was replaced. It was a pricey deal but way beyond my smart car abilities. When I was told the front end had to come off and the AC purged and removed I quit at that point and had it fixed. Next time we will come and find you.

Brad

Brad and Jacolyn
Tucker the Wonder dog and Brynn the Norfolk Terrier
2009 Smart "Joy"
2004 VNL630 "Vonda the Volvo"
2008 Hitch Hiker 35 CK Champagne Edition
VED12 465 HP, Freedomline, 3.73 ratio, WB 218"
Fulltiming and loving it.

 

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Chuck, I may need to avail myself of your expertise. I got the front clip off and hotwired the old fan....it ran, slowly and noisily and drew one heck of a lot of current from my battery charger.  The wires got hot after about 15 seconds !!  I Installed and hotwired the new fan and it runs great, when hotwired......doesnt run at all when a/c is on. I haven't run the engine enough to see if it comes on when coolant temp calls for it.  Fuses and relays look good. I'm afraid that the high current draw may have fried something in the SAM [fusebox assembly] . The 40 amp fuse is good...it powers the rear window defroster as well and that works . The output for the fan supposedly comes from N11-10-3 from the Sam but I an hesitant to tear into it for fear of messing up something else. If all else fails, I may install a switch, fuse and relay to manually control the fan. Do you have access to , or know wher I can get an electrical schematic for my Smart ?  It is a 2013 Passion Cabriolet. I suppose it could be a sensor or sensors or even wiring but a wiring diagram could help find the problem.  In my former life, we had  Principles of Operation Manuals and really good wiring diagrams but violations of ohms law and/or chasing the wrong thing could still humble me......much as this problem has.       Charlie

Don't ever tell a soldier that he doesn't understand the cost of war.

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12 hours ago, sclord2002 said:

Chuck, I may need to avail myself of your expertise. I got the front clip off and hotwired the old fan....it ran, slowly and noisily and drew one heck of a lot of current from my battery charger.  The wires got hot after about 15 seconds !!  I Installed and hotwired the new fan and it runs great, when hotwired......doesnt run at all when a/c is on. I haven't run the engine enough to see if it comes on when coolant temp calls for it.  Fuses and relays look good. I'm afraid that the high current draw may have fried something in the SAM [fusebox assembly] . The 40 amp fuse is good...it powers the rear window defroster as well and that works . The output for the fan supposedly comes from N11-10-3 from the Sam but I an hesitant to tear into it for fear of messing up something else. If all else fails, I may install a switch, fuse and relay to manually control the fan. Do you have access to , or know wher I can get an electrical schematic for my Smart ?  It is a 2013 Passion Cabriolet. I suppose it could be a sensor or sensors or even wiring but a wiring diagram could help find the problem.  In my former life, we had  Principles of Operation Manuals and really good wiring diagrams but violations of ohms law and/or chasing the wrong thing could still humble me......much as this problem has.       Charlie

Charlie,

Have you tried Evilution or whatever that British website is?

Found it:  https://www.evilution.co.uk/

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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Charlie,

I use AllData manuals most of the time but they don't list the smart as being available. However, Mitchel's does (I use them as well) and they do have the wiring diagrams included. Try signing up at http://eautorepair.net/Marketing/default.asp?VID=&Count=Y they offer several versions ranging from $19.95 to $44.95 depending on the term you want the service (6 months to 4 years)

Edit: The hardest thing for me in getting the front clip off was they stupid lower side panels. The rest was fairly easy.

 

2017 Kenworth T680
2015 DRV 38RSSA Elite Suites
2016 Smart Prime

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WOO HOO...Joy in Mudville !! Realizing that I had no real wiring diagram and no idea where the signal to the fan from the coolant temp and A/C on signal came from, I called Christian Brothers Automotive and they said they had access to to wiring data and a compatible diagnostic computer but they had not worked on a Smart before.  I asked about their labor rates and they said $105.00/hour.  I made an appointment for 14:00 today and took the Smart in with no front clip or lower panels in case they had to get to some internal thingamajig.  I explained to the nice young technician the previous symptoms and what I had done up to this point.  Surprisingly, he didn't say anything bad and listened intently and asked if the car had overheated.....I told him no.  He hooked up his diagnostic computer and after some button pushing, the new fan came on and it was even running in the right direction !!  The problem was that the high current draw that I had alluded to earlier, had triggered a cooling fan shorted fault and disabled the signal to the fan. I gave the nice young technician a nice tip and happily paid the  $31.00 bill.  Needless to say, I was one happy and relieved camper. I guess ther is some truth to the old adage about what to do when in over your head....quit digging and get help.  Thanks to all for the suggestions and support. If I could dance, I would do a happy dance !!   Again, thanks to all.    Charlie

Don't ever tell a soldier that he doesn't understand the cost of war.

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Congrats Charlie so now your place is the smart repair shop?

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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