Even though Nissan is a reliable brand, one of the common issues many car owners face over the lifetime of the car is a broken radiator fan. The radiator fan works with the cooling system of your car to ensure the car never overheats. When it breaks, it could cause damage to the engine.
In the Nissan Maxima, you have a dashboard light, which should help to indicate when there are issues with the radiator. However, the fan is often overlooked.
The radiator fan on most cars is universal and when it comes to a broken fan, the reasons are often the same.
1. Blown Fuse
Fuses are common nowadays and they play a big role when cutting off a system when an electrical current malfunction occurs. Instead of the car having to deal with significant damage, the fuse would simply blow, and protect the unit. Unfortunately, the fuse is vital and supports a large part of the electrical current for the car.
The upside to this issue is that an electrical fuse is easily replaceable. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to find and change the fuse. Another great benefit of only the fuse blowing is that it is affordable. Once you have detected the fuse, you can simply remove it and replace it yourself. No real skill is required.
2. Wiring Issues
The wiring ties hand in hand with the fuse. Much like the fuse, the wiring is an important part of your car and ensures that everything is in working condition. The current should pass through the wires without hassle, but this is not always the case.
As with the Nissan Rogue, which was recalled between 2014 and 2016 due to a wiring harness connector that could start a fire, bad wiring is frustrating. If you are dealing with corroded or damaged wires, it is best that you visit your local mechanic to ensure it doesn’t aggravate the issue and possibly start a fire.
3. Low Levels Of Coolant
Coolant is vital to ensure your car can operate correctly. The coolant is used by the radiator and fan to ensure the engine doesn’t overheat. However, a lack of coolant could be detrimental. Without coolant, the air is let into the system. Once the air heats up, nothing cool will be there to reduce the temperature of the fan.
Blowing hot air into the engine is bad and it doesn’t help to keep it cool. Once you notice issues with the radiator, you should consider checking the coolant levels first. If the low coolant was the issue, you can easily top it back up and everything should be in working condition.
4. Temperature Sensor
Depending on your car, you might have a fan control that is integrated into the engine control unit, or you might have a separate fan control module. Both of these systems are reliant on a temperature sensor to communicate the temperatures and allow adjustments to be made. Unfortunately, these sensors are fallible.
Performing a diagnostic test to find out if it is the temperature sensor should be done by your local mechanic, but this is an affordable part to replace. However, it is often rare for this issue to arise, which means parts might not always be in stock. If you have tried checking for some of the other issues and the radiator fan still doesn’t want to work, you might need to have the temperature sensor checked.
5. Faulty or Damaged Radiator Fan
By now, you might have noticed how many electrical components are hidden throughout your Maxima. Modern cars rely heavily on electronics, which has also made the more reliable. Unfortunately, the reliability comes with higher maintenance and makes it harder to diagnose issues.
One of these issues with the radiator fan is often a faulty electrical motor. The electrical motor is a perishable item and wears out over time. Fortunately, Nissan models under the service plan and warranty should be covered for this.
Diagnosing the electrical motor should also be done by your mechanic, but you often get to hear the motor struggling to turn over. Once the motor struggles to turn over, it can take a lot of work to remove it and replace the component. Experts recommend that you take your vehicle to the dealership to enable them to fix the issue.
6. Faulty Power Relay
Obviously, the radiator is not the most energy-demanding component in your vehicle. For this reason, a relay is located from the battery unit to the fan. The electrical current travels through the relay and continues with the wiring until it reaches the fan.
Whilst highly uncommon, you might find yourself dealing with a faulty relay system. The faulty relay system could cause a lack of power and you should consider using your multimeter to check the current. Once you have determined that it doesn’t deliver the recommended current to your radiator fan, it is either the wiring or the relay.
While you can diagnose the issue at home, it will take a lot of time. It is often best to visit your local mechanic to have them go through the wiring and relay. This is also a difficult part to replace yourself and we recommend having professional assistance.