I just installed a new fan clutch assembly to rid myself of the constant ticking at idle...was getting tired of people asking if my Rover was diesel powered. All went fairly smoothly once the left hand threads on the clutch mounting nut was confirmed. Before the swap I ran codes to see what were popping up and nothing out of the ordinary was presented.

However, after replacement of the fan clutch, a new scan indicates a fault in the PCM....P0480-13 Fan 1 control circuit, Permanent. I also now get a dash warning telling me "Restricted Performance". Clearing the code does not seem to help as it returns on the next scan.

Any thoughts on what might be wrong? My first inclination is to suspect the new fan clutch may be faulty...

Brock

 

Is the new clutch plugged in properly?

 

Yes, it is plugged in correctly and I did perform a check by unplugging it and plugging it back in then rechecking codes....however, I now see that the old one had a plug at the sensor end just in front of the viscous clutch and that one I did not check. Tomorrow I will run some continuity checks to see if I have any open circuits.

 

Update: the new fan clutch unit was defective. Resistance values on the new sensor unit did not match the old one and caused the codes to set. Plugged in the old clutch and all went back to normal.

New unit being returned and ordered up another, this time OEM.

 

This is common with non-OEM parts, which is why we don't let customer's bring their own parts. Hope this resolves your issue.

 

Well that sucks. Good thing you tested it out. All too often a new part can be bad or go bad after a short while. People tend to exclude the part as the problem since its new.

 

It just so happens that I just received a diagnostic scanner purchased because I wasn't entirely sure that my clicking noise was due to a bad fan clutch and could be a dreaded timing chain/ tensioner failure. So in that regard, the scanner was invaluable in helping to diagnose problems with the new part and testing was incidental. But yes, installing a new part that is bad from the get go does suck and am fortunate that in this instance R&R of the fan clutch is only a 15-20 minute endeavor.

So yes, I tried to save a few bucks going aftermarket. The part appeared to be well made but had an uneasy feeling when I noted that the wires were clearly not OEM colors. Who knows, I may have received a part meant for a different vehicle altogether because resistance between a couple of the terminals was WAY off from the old unit.. 2.5 M ohm vs 9 ohm.

Brock