MK4 jettta engine advice

[ryukin2000]

Hi guys, looking for some car advice. For starters, I drive a 2000 MK4 2.0 Jetta Auto. Yesterday my car started having a burning smell when I was running the A/C. Turned it off and it went away. It was a short drive. Today after work i cranked on the A/C and within a few mins the smell was there again. On top of that i noticed smoke coming from the front end of my car. I immediately turned of the fan and A/C. The smoke and smell went away after 5 mins. I looked at the cluster and engine temp was at normal operating temp throughout the drive. Once i got home i popped the hood and saw some remnant smoke coming from the driver side Rad fan. I turned on the car and ran the A/C and saw that the passenger rad fan was running but not the driver side leading me to conclude that it has seized and the motor is burning up. Running the fan without the A/C didn’t turn on the right rad fan.
1) Can i drive the vehicle for now until i get it fixed with the A/C off or does the car run the radiator fan regardless of A/C?
2) Don’t drive it until i get the radiator fan replaced?
Any advice would be grateful. Thanks.

[kujiwara]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

You should get the fan fix ASAP just in case if the car gets very hot one day. You can still drive it just keep an eye on your coolant temp. If the fan doesn't work and dont serve any good just remove it and try to unseize it.

[tirerub]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

As far as I know the small fan is intended for the a/c, as long as you don't see the car getting hot I'd drive it, just don't use a/c. But get that fan fixed their fairly cheap and should only take about 20 min.

[Bucky]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

I would maybe unplug the large fan. I had a dead rad fan and my 2L never overheated , but definitly get that replaced soon. It's not bad to change, one plug and 3 bolts.

Best of luck

[ryukin2000]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

thanks guys. I'll play it on the safe side and park the car until i can get the fan in. the diys i have seen so far look simple. one of them suggested removing the oil filter to remove the assembly from the bottom. anyone do this before and have removed it from the top?

[martin13]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

If it is just your a/c fan, I don't think you are going to do any harm by driving the car. That fan only operates when the a/c compressor clutch is activated. You should be fine as long as you keep the a/c turned off. If you feel like it's unsafe, just unplug that fan until you can get it replaced.

[MechEngg]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

The small fan is purely for the A/C system as stated above.
Didn't Lance have a fan for sale for like $5?

[ryukin2000]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

The small fan is purely for the A/C system as stated above.
Didn't Lance have a fan for sale for like $5?

Yes i saw his ad yesterday. its for an AVH engine. i wasn't sure if it would work for an AEG? plus it had a broken tab but for 5 bucks i guess i can try and make it work.

[MechEngg]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

Rad fans were all the same for the 4 cylinder gas engines, well at least they were for the AEG/AWP. I would be almost certain that its the same for all mk4's inclusive. And for $5 i bet you could make it work somehow

[Stonewall]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

I should have a fan for a AEG as my parts car is a 2L.

[resolute]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

"I looked at the cluster and engine temp was at normal operating temp throughout the drive."

I have a related question. I've been told that the Mk4 (and Mk5) temperature gauge is damped somehow. Does anyone know for sure? I've always wondered about that, because in two Mk4 2l gas cars the needle just sits on 90 all the time. Yet I've suspected one is running a bit hot sometimes. On my old Mk2, the needle would actually move around a bit depending on the climate and how hard it was working.

EDIT: Oh yeah, here's one place I saw it, although for a TDI:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=266071
"That dash guage is computer controlled and is set up to mask ALL normal variations. It will read dead center from 162 to 225 F or so."

[MechEngg]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

Yes i will attest to that, used my vagcom and the needle read "90" all the way from 72 til at least 106

[Geobmx4life]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

I can't remember who was doing it here, but there is a way to code the gauge, usin vag-com, to read actual temperature. Anyone?

[martin13]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

You can do it but it's not done using vagcom, you have to use VCDS pro I think. Same software you use for doing the remote windows up.

[ryukin2000]

Re: MK4 jettta engine advice

I should have a fan for a AEG as my parts car is a 2L.

hey stonewall, i would be interested if you do have it. let me know. thanks.