Condenser fan not running

My condenser fan isn't running, so, following the wiring diagram I started to check components. Fuse OK. Fan probably OK (not burned out, anyway). Relay ... umm ... relay? Where's the bloody relay? I can find the one for the cooling fan, but not the one for the condenser fan.

BTW - any other suggestions why it might not be running?

Ha! Found it (and the relay WAS the problem). It's on the inside of the left front fender, adjacent to the cruise vacuum controller. There are 2 relays mounted in clips. One is for the Compressor, one for the Condenser Fan.

i am having the same problem. u have a pic that u can point out the area with? and if u could go into a little more detail, it would help me a lot. thanks.

I'll try & get a pic this weekend if I have time. Meanwhile, I'm not sure what more detail you need. Stand at the left side of the car and look straight down (with the hood up!). There are 2 cylindrical objects with plastic cases mounted in clips against the inside of the fender. Those are the 2 relays.

I have a 91 Accord and think I'm having the same problem. When I turn on the AC I can hear the compressor kick in but no air thru the vents. Would that be the condenser fan? I've checked the fuse and looks good.

No - the condenser fan is behind the radiator and is used to cool the condenser.

The problem you have is likely a bad blower motor, bad fuse for the blower, or a bad blower switch.

AccordCodger

Got a similar problem in my car (93 Accord 4DR SE). Question (may sound foolish/obvious to you) is: how do one goes about testing the darned relays?

In my car, the situation is a bit more odd. The radiator turns on only whenever I turn off the car, there is no juice coming into the condenser fan (hence, it was wired from the wiper harness to be "on" whenerver the car is "on" until the situation is straightened up), there is a red cable sticking out the A/C compressor coil? (about 1-1/4 inches long) and, can not find a decent wiring diagram - Haynes could be more complete and there is no information about testing the radiator/condenser fan relays.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

BTW, only hot damp air comes out the vents whenever the A/C is turned on. An A/C tech "smelled" the lines and checked the charge and found nothing wrong with lines/charge.

Nope - not foolish or obvious. It's possible to scope out the situation with a multipmeter, but the way I would test the relay is swap it for a new one and see if that fixes the problem. If it doesn't, then return the new one!

The rad cooling fan might SEEM like it only comes on with the engine off, but that's only because of heat buildup when the motor isn't running. That's normal. If you leap out and check while idling in traffic in hot weather, you'd probably find it's running then too.

Skipping over the bit about the creative rewiring (where I couldn't comment anyway), your last paragraph makes me wonder if the compressor is even kicking in. A non-functioning condenser fan might make the A/C a bit less efficient, but it won't make it quit completely (in fact, at highway speeds, it probably has no effect at all).

You said the shop "checked the charge." Did they test the pressures while the A/C was running?

AccordCodger:

Thank you for your reply. In answering your last question, yes, the system was checked while running. Just now, a coworker who's a certified electrician checked both the rad & condenser relays. The conde's fried! The rad's, maybe. The resistor gave a reading of 103.7 ohms and no continuity (BTW, it's the factory-installed relay). I'll be going on lunch break soon so I'll get back in about 90 minutes.

Once again, thank you.