Radiator fan bearings.

[Mik127]

Hi all, 

out of curiosity has anybody experienced anything in relation to fan bearings going ? 
when driving it maintains a steady 90degrees in traffic the highest I’ve seen it go is 105degrees at the point the fans are embarrassingly loud. What sort of time frame have you got left until these fans essentially give up ? I have got the car booked in how ever it’s more a drive ability in the mean time or is it a case of park it up and leave it alone until they’re sorted ?
Has anybody experienced the same / similar? 
also has anybody had the conversion done to top mount the radiators ? 
 

Many thanks.  

Edited January 27, 2024 by Mik127

[Badger02]

I have the same on my 2008 Elise. Fan still works but noisy due to the bearing. Its a clam of job to swap the fan, I've left it alone and just switch engine of in stuck in traffic, which is not often.

[MrWill]

3 hours ago, Mik127 said:

Hi all, 

out of curiosity has anybody experienced anything in relation to fan bearings going ? 
when driving it maintains a steady 90degrees in traffic the highest I’ve seen it go is 105degrees at the point the fans are embarrassingly loud. What sort of time frame have you got left until these fans essentially give up ? I have got the car booked in how ever it’s more a drive ability in the mean time or is it a case of park it up and leave it alone until they’re sorted ?
Has anybody experienced the same / similar? 
also has anybody had the conversion done to top mount the radiators ? 
 

Many thanks.  

Drive and enjoy it.  It'll be fine.  Based on your max temp it suggests you have a standard radiator ?  I'd get a deeper Ali radiator fitted.  You'll be back in the 80s... temp not year 😁

[Mik127]

2 hours ago, Badger02 said:

I have the same on my 2008 Elise. Fan still works but noisy due to the bearing. Its a clam of job to swap the fan, I've left it alone and just switch engine of in stuck in traffic, which is not often.

Yeah I have been quoted quite extensively for the labour wise, just didn’t know quite the severity of how long realistically they will last. 
I do want to track it this year and travel back to Germany for a few days at the Burg hence why I’m asking the questions now. 
 

many thanks for your reply

[Mik127]

1 hour ago, MrWill said:

Drive and enjoy it.  It'll be fine.  Based on your max temp it suggests you have a standard radiator ?  I'd get a deeper Ali radiator fitted.  You'll be back in the 80s... temp not year 😁

Brilliant, thanks very much for the reply, I do believe it is an Ali radiator how ever depth wise couldn’t tell you. 
I will most certainly be looking at a deeper one this time round though. 
many thanks again. 

[MrWill]

16 hours ago, Mik127 said:

Brilliant, thanks very much for the reply, I do believe it is an Ali radiator how ever depth wise couldn’t tell you. 
I will most certainly be looking at a deeper one this time round though. 
many thanks again. 

As you've got an Ali radiator  I'd suggest yiu go for a prt kit instead. Lower cost option  generally good for the engine cooling for a number of reasons with the quicker opening ' grey'  thermostat  and you could diy fit if you like spannering. 👍https://www.eliseparts.com/shop/cooling/thermostats-sensors/pressure-relief-remote-thermostat-kit/

https://wiki.seloc.org/a/Pressure_Relief_Remote_Thermostat

Good luck

MrWill

[tobey]

As you mentioned, loud noise is often a key symptom of failing fan bearings. If the noise is accompanied by irregular fan operation, such as slower speeds or intermittent functioning, this points more directly to bearing wear. Worn Wheel bearing kit can also cause the fan to operate less effectively, which might explain why your temperature rises significantly in traffic (105°C) before the fans kick in at full speed. If the roller bearings are bad, the fan may eventually stop working altogether. How long you have before that happens can depend on the severity of the bearing wear, but it's generally wise not to push it too long before addressing the issue.

Edited January 7 by tobey