Have you noticed your car running warmer than usual? Are there grinding or rattling sounds coming from the front end when your fans are on? Cooling fan failures crop up in a variety of ways; sometimes they just stop spinning, other times their bearings fail and they can make contact with your radiator causing horrendous noises. Whatever the issue, Charles (HumbleMechanic) Sanville guides us through diagnosing, removing and replacing cooling fans on your MK5 Golf GTI.
Tools needed to replace your cooling fans:
Parts needed to replace your cooling fans:
Steps to replace your cooling fans:
Step 1: Diagnose the Issue
Before disassembling anything, start with the most simple possible solution. If your fan or fans simply aren't running, check your fuses both under the hood and under the dash. Next, use a code scanner to look for any faults. Once you establish that these aren't your issues, move on to disassembly.
Step 2: Remove Fan Shroud
There are four T30 Torx screws that hold the fan shroud in place. Two are accessed from the top, and two from below. To access the two lower screws, you have to remove the belly pan by undoing the T30 Torx screws. Through images it's tough to discern the location of the four screws. I recommend referencing the full video below.
When working underneath your car, use safe jacking practices. Use jack stands and extra blocks along with your jack to ensure your safety.
Step 3: Remove the Cooling Fan Assembly and Remove the Cooling Fans from the Shroud
Now that your four screws are removed, you can disconnect the one power cable from the fan shroud. This will loosen the entire assembly and allow you to wiggle it out from below. It helps greatly if you have your car jacked up as high as your stands allow.
Once that is removed, there are three 10mm nuts that hold each fan in place. Once you remove the nuts, the electrical connectors, and the loom straps, the fans should lift off the shroud.
Step 4: Install New Fans
The new fans are direct drop in replacements for the old ones. Reverse the steps and take care not to over-tighten the screws. Occasionally the wiring loom straps will be broken, and in that case, zip-ties are sufficient.
Step 5: Reassembly!
Finally, it's time to just put everything back together. The only thing to note here is to remember to connect the fan assembly power connector under the car. If you forget to do this, you'll have to go through the jacking process a second time.
With new fans your car should be running cool and quiet for a long time to come. If anything should happen to these new fans (ever have a hose or cable come loose and detonate your fan?) remember that you now have the Lifetime Replacement Guarantee.
Be sure to check the video below on HumbleMechanic's YouTube page, and don't forget to subscribe to get all new videos pushed right to your inbox.
