2012 Prius V Condenser Cooling Fan Issue

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Gahzoo, Oct 26, 2024.

  1. Gahzoo

    Gahzoo New Member

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    Replaced failed condenser cooling fan with aftermarket part. Connecting wire was too short on replacement part. Mechanic had to splice existing wire from failed motor to accommodate connection. Fan runs at excessive speed, and is very loud. Also, does not turn off for intermittent periods while idling as it did with the OEM fan. I do idle in this car frequently with the AC on as I drive rideshare. I am now considering to just redo the job with OEM fan motors, as I suspect the cheap aftermarket is the culprit? Any suggestions or insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
     
    #1 Gahzoo, Oct 26, 2024
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    It could just be the aftermarket fan. I'd also double-check just what splicing the mechanic did. The fans are normally wired in a way that puts them in series for a low speed and in parallel for a high speed, and I wouldn't be shocked if you found the mechanic had ended up wiring around those controls somehow.
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Oct 26, 2024
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  3. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    ^ That or they could've flipped/switched the signal with the hot lead. Good way to eventually fry your controller or new fan motors, because they're running all-out, all the time.

    Just my 2-cents....
     
    #3 BiomedO1, Oct 26, 2024
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  4. Gahzoo

    Gahzoo New Member

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    Yup, beware of some aftermarket parts.
    Just purchased the two OEM motors.
    Going to remove the aftermarket fan assembly, and reinstall the OEM as it should be.
    Expensive lesson to learn!
     
    #4 Gahzoo, Oct 26, 2024
  5. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    I vote for wired in parallel using power and ground from fan A6 jumpered to fan A5. This would run both at high speed, something that rarely happens normally.

    Running the AC always runs the fans but now you are running at high speed.
     

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    #5 rjparker, Oct 26, 2024
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2024
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  6. Gahzoo

    Gahzoo New Member

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    Not always at high speed, just far more frequent than before. ie: in idle, low speed only fir a minute, than a few minutes of speed, and repeat. Never did that before. So I'm guessing you are correct, improper wiring. Not happy. The mechanic should have informed me
     
    #6 Gahzoo, Oct 26, 2024
  7. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Check what happens without ac.

    If you are actually getting low and high speeds with both fans running, I might investigate the water pump for poor operation raising the coolant temperature enough to engage high speed fans.
     
    #7 rjparker, Oct 26, 2024
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2024
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  8. Gahzoo

    Gahzoo New Member

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    Interesting. Perhaps the thermostat is in need of replacement, so gonna' do that too, since it's a cheap replacement.
     
    #8 Gahzoo, Nov 2, 2024
  9. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    My fans rarely engage if I don’t have AC running.

    If you are not measuring temp you are guessing.

    Driving with high temps is a sure way to blow a hg on any car.
     
    #9 rjparker, Nov 2, 2024
  10. Gahzoo

    Gahzoo New Member

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    Same here. Yes, i have an obd2 temp guage. Aftermarket fan motors run high because simply stated: they are
     
    #10 Gahzoo, Nov 3, 2024
  11. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    An aftermarket fan won’t run on high in this system if low is selected. The relay logic in low runs both fans in series which reduces each fan’s voltage in half. You can see that in the schematic.
    IMG_6602.jpeg
     
    #11 rjparker, Nov 3, 2024
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2024
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