Mk4 Polo - Cooling fan not working

the fan switch is either in the edge of the radiator somewhere (reasonably certain that on yours is at the bottom of the rad), or on one of the hoses /housings at the engine. it will not be on the inner wing, the control module is on the inner wing (if you have one ). Some vehicles switch the fan by the ECU, but I don't think yours does.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I found the fan switch on the radiator. I pulled off the plug and linked the 12V pin to each of the other two in turn. One connection drew ~6A but the fan did not turn, the other drew

0A. So I guess the motor is faulty. I hoped to be able to replace it myself, but its so cramped around the fan mounting bracket bolts that I think its beyond my capabilities. Any further advice welcomed.

David

while powering the fan have you given it a spin? sometimes if you coax it into life it will keep going, it may have got stiff to turn over the cooler months when it will rarely come on, if at all depending on your driving patterns. can't help with thinner arms and hands.

Take the whole fan & radiator cowl assembly out as one & then you can swap the motor out easily, doing it in situ will be a bugger.

Thanks for your replies. I'm mystified on two counts:

Firstly, my comment about testing the motor above was wrong - I was using my multimeter incorrectly. I now find that linking the 12V pin on the fan switch connector to one of the other pins does indeed cause the motor to spin. However, connecting 12V to the other pin causes no spinning. Assuming this really is a two speed fan (which Haynes suggests it is) that can only mean a wire in the harness is broken or the resistor in the motor has blown. However, when I reconnect the plug and run the engine until the temperature is 90C, the fan does not come on at all (which is why I find it overheats on a run). So this implies that the fan switch is faulty. But surely the switch and the motor resistor are unlikely to both be faulty? It seems to me that the motor is really only single speed and the fan switch is faulty. Any thoughts please?

Secondly, I think I would need minute hands to get the motor fan cowling off. Is it possible that I should remove the battery and battery shelf to do this?

Advice appreciated! Trying to avoid a high dealer bill.

David

Golf IV fan resistors are famed for blowing so that speed 1 fails.

This page:

suggests the resistor is in the motor, and lists a module that will do the same job.

2 speed fans are usually only fitted with aircon IIRC. Does your Polo have it?

No, my Polo doesn't have aircon. I guess that explains that then.

So I suspect the thermo switch is the problem. Any tips on replacing it?

Thanks.

David

If the switch has been faulty for a bit then the resistor tends to die. Polos have had two speed motors since the 70's, change the switch & see if it's happy.

My memory could be vague here, but you unbolt the front valance, disconnect the hoses & lift the radiator, cowl & fan out as one.