[knapster]

Well, well we haven't had a URO post in awhile.

My Aux fans went kaput - one had a wobbly shaft, the other had a broken fin. New fans from MB are a staggering $450 ea (x2). I needed to replace quickly and I like ordering from Autohauz but all they had to offer was U know who.

I thought gee it's just a fan with a motor. what could go wrong?

Replacing these on the 119 is pretty straightforward (and messy) but still 2-3 hr job. Put the new fans in and my wife and I went out for a drive. The car warmed up ... and warmed up ... and warmed up to like 110. Something definitely wrong and I got it back home. Fans were running hard like they should but no drop in coolant temp.

Did some research and found that the fans should spin clockwise (as you stand in front of the car). There is a sticker on the MB fan (that I didn't notice) showing this.

So I ran the new fans again and sure enough both of them are running counter clock wise. I thought damn, I plugged them in backwards. Tore it apart again to get to the fans and their connectors which live between the fan and condenser. So I finally get the fans off and the connectors are just like MB in the pic below. There is locator pin so that it can't be connected backwards.

That leaves only one other explanation - the wires were installed backwards at the URO ching/chang plant. Opened up the housings and switched the wires around. Put everything back together again and it's running correct now (we'll see how long). Thanks, fuckers, for making me do this twice.

If you're buying these aftermarket, bench test them first. I never dreamed that they'd be sent out like this.

 

[LeftCoastGeek]

there was a big batch of aftermarket in-tank fuel pumps for 80s/90s Volvos which were wired backwards. getting those pumps in is a major ugly job as Volvo buried the gas tank deep in the bowels of the car, forward of the rear axle for safety reasons. the in-tank pump is a 'transfer' pump which supplies the main high pressure pump which is under the car.

 

[tuttebenne]

Don't be so hard on the folks who made these fans. Heck, they probabry never saw a crock in their rife. In fact if there is a crock on the wall in the factory it is probabry digital. These folks don't know which way is crockwise and which is counter crockwise. Its a 50/50 chance you will get the right one. That's a lot better than the odds any other URO part will work for long.

 

[sbaert]

It is not really surprising at all when you consider Chinese is read from top right to bottom left. So to them, it probably was wired "correctly".

Similarly, I wouldn't touch a dumpling made in Germany either.

 

[ps2cho]

When it fails, just get a couple Spal HD fans as a replacement. I've been happy with mine for years now.

 

[gsxr]

Just FYI... the OE fans can be had for ~$350/ea from discount dealers. But that is still 4x aftermarket.

Anyway, URO is not the only game in town for 000-500-85-93. You can get ACM fans for ~$75 each from RM European, Importec, FCP and probably others. I've been ordering less and less from AHAZ as they do not offer brands I am willing to buy. IMO, it's inexcusable that AHAZ isn't carrying the ACM along with URO.

Side note: there is also a Febi-brand fan available at the same price, but until someone verifies what's in the box, that's another crapshoot. Could be reboxed URO.

Regardless, it's good advice to bench-test and check rotation for any fan prior to installation.

:sawzall:

 

[sbaert]

...it's inexcusable that AHAZ isn't carrying the ACM along with URO.
...

AutohausAZ used to carry ACM fans for the W124.

I tried them, and they also came wired backwards. And the overall quality was nowhere near what the original AEG units were. Even when brandnew, they already felt a bit wobbly.

 

[gsxr]

Usually, URO is priced lower than the other aftermarket stuff. The fact that ACM and Febi are priced basically the same makes me wonder if it's the same item in all three boxes. Would need some detailed photos to find out for sure if they are all coming from the same plant in China.

 

[knapster]

Agree that Autohauz should carry more of the aftermarket brands. I like using them because of the quick delivery time with free shipping. For instance, I ordered these on a Wednesday and they were on my doorstep on Friday before noon. Can't beat that with a stick. I'm in California and when I order from someone back east it's usually 4 or 5 days until I get it.

I remember buying an ACM blower motor for my coupe - it lasted about 5 years or so. I remember that the male terminals were a bit flimsy and I was worried about breaking them when I connected the wires.

 

[JC220]

I got 2x new Fans ordered from a trusted local supplier a few months back. What turned up were Trucktec brand. About $80 each IIRC. Trucktec get a bad name in forums but I was very pleased with the fans that turned up.

They had a cast metal frame like OE, felt very good quality and were wired correctly. They also fitted in without issues. So I would recommend them on this occasion.

I have pictures of the fans as unboxed if anyone is interested let me know & I'll post them later.

 

[luckymike]

Regarding fan rotation (note: this was on my 126), i ordered a factory condenser fan. I was shocked when the brown and black wires were reversed from the fan to the car's connector.

So I swapped them and drove this way for years. Recently my A/C compressor seized up dramatically. After replacing it and while at the A/C shop, they discovered the condenser fan was running in reverse! All these years. No wonder the car couldn't recover well from getting hot.

So, the colors on the factory fan were reversed but the polarity was still correct. I had to reverse them back to the way they were from the factory. Now, even though black from the fan is connected to brown at the car and vice versa, the fan runs in the correct direction. And the car cools perfectly, finally.

 

[Taurine]

So, the colors on the factory fan were reversed but the polarity was still correct.

Brown wires are typically ground in European cars. I do recall a thread where the Mercedes wiring harness for the fans was truly reversed from the factory (maybe the guy on the production line was hungover that day) and the OE fans ran backwards, so no doubt there are more like that out there.

In any case, if the fans run backwards, just cut off the little plastic pin on the connector and reverse the plug (credit to GermanCarGeorge for this ridiculously simple yet brilliant solution). Nipping off the pin is a whole lot easier than swapping wires on motors.

 

[sbaert]

No need to cut off the plastic when the connector itself comes apart as its only held together by 2 clips.

 

[Taurine]

^ Shoot, even better!

 

[PWogaman]

I grab OE at pick and pulls whenever possible. There is nothing wrong with a front end cooling fan from a backended wreck and the ~$20 price makes grabbing a couple spares worth the trip. It also gives me an excuse for a little "Lego Land" play time.