What is an Air Conditioning Condenser Fan Assembly?
The air conditioning system works by changing the phase of refrigerant by altering pressure and heat at different stages as it passes through the refrigerant system. One of those stages is passing high pressure and high heat refrigerant through the condenser where it can be cooled by airflow. Since the vehicle needs to be moving at a high rate of speed for maximum airflow, a condenser cooling fan is used to pull air across the condenser, therefore providing a high rate of airflow even when the vehicle is stopped.
How do Air Conditioning Condenser Fan Assemblies work?
The air conditioner cooling fan is electrically powered on modern vehicles, and older vehicles typically use a clutch-driven fan for the radiator and air conditioning condensor. Vehicles with a dedicated air conditioning condenser fan will have two fans, a radiator cooling fan, and an air conditioning condensor cooling fan. The condenser fan is typically a smaller fan which is mounted on the radiator to pull air from the front of the vehicle through the radiator and condenser. This allows added cooling for the radiator, and rapid cooling for the condenser.
What are the symptoms of a bad Air Conditioning Condenser Fan Assembly?
Like all air conditioning refrigerant system issues, an improperly functioning or failed cooling fan will lead to decreased performance of the air conditioning system for the vehicle. When the fan stops working, the pressure and heat inside the refrigerant system will become too high and hot, so the control module will likely turn off the a/c compressor and signal the a/c button in the cabin to begin blinking. The air conditioner may blow cold air intermittently, but will always return to blowing hot air.
Can I drive with a bad Air Conditioning Condenser Fan Assembly?