2010 Volvo XC60 Fan Controller Replacement

[xc60sailor]

Hi -

I just changed my 2010 Volvo XC60 Fan Controller today. I used this site as a reference, I took some photos as I went along.

Here was my process:
1. Diagnosed the problem based on various posts and assumed for $32 it was the controller.
2. Located the controller on the internet.
Amazon: Radiator Cooling Fan Control Module For Volvo S60 S80 V70 XC80 XC60 7T438C609BA 7G919A819AA

ControllerTop.JPG (36.59 KiB) Viewed 17432 times

3. Took two days to get it. Driving the car around by disconnecting battery at long stops and for the night.
4. Tested removing the lower connectors, they came off easily, there is a catch you must press to remove the connectors.
5. Took pictures of all the connectors so I knew where they go back and don't cross wires (not sure if the connectors are keyed).

LeftRightConnectors.JPG (36.32 KiB) Viewed 17432 times

6. Removed lower connectors.
7. Clipped the wire tie holding top connector and then removed top connector.

ControllerFanView.JPG (90.18 KiB) Viewed 17432 times

8. The screw which holds the controller to the fan assembly is a pain to undo, so plan to use a small ratchet with a screw driver to remove. (You will need a Philips or cross head)

toughScrew.JPG (33.09 KiB) Viewed 17432 times

9. After that screw comes out, the controller is held with two tabs and the controller comes right out. (see clips below)

ControllerBottomShowingClips.JPG (64.81 KiB) Viewed 17432 times

10. Replaced the controller, put screw back in and then put wires on. (screw with wires will be a pain)
11. Tested, saw working, put a new wire tie back.
12. Tools away and posting this for you all.

Glad to find your site. This took me no more than 15 minutes.

Michael

[earthworm]

Thanks for an excellent tutorial.
Your Volvo must be a whole lot easier to work on than my '03 !
After the '03 S60 fan stopped working on a reliable basis, I replaced the entire assembly - not knowing exactly what was ''dead''. I suppose I could have bypassed the controller and tested the fan - out of the car , on a workbench.

[xc60sailor]

earthworm, thx...
before I toss the old broken controller, I am capturing the barcode: (8/4/10 was the build date.)

barcode.JPG (30.4 KiB) Viewed 17421 times

and the upper connector view

UpperTopConnector.JPG (33.39 KiB) Viewed 17421 times

and the lower connectors view (warning that you could put the connectors in reversed, so make sure you record which goes to which side).

lowerConnectors.JPG (22.86 KiB) Viewed 17421 times

I may bust it open to see what is inside. I expect a relay or two... might see why it failed.

[jimmy57]

It is transistorized with two big caps under the hump on left and right as viewed in the first pic. The fans are parallel as best I can tell so I know of no problem with reversing connectors other than the RH fan(smaller fan) requires a little bit of stretch to reach to the further connector. I think the weakness of these controllers is that they do not stage the fans. I have replaced a few controllers and had to replace them again, not due to run continuous, but due to fault code and shutting down fans completely. In that case I unplug RH fan and the controller will work the LH fan with no issue and engine does not run hot and a/c is OK but does not cool as well idling on a 100F day. I check current draw and the fans on the cars are OK. Each fan will have a surge of about 25 amps to start which drops to 17A for bigger fan and 15.5A for smaller. A brand new Volvo parts fan has those numbers. I am unsure why Volvo quit selling controller only. I have not checked but I wonder if Land Rover uses the same and sells it separately. I know the controller is applicable to several Ford, LR, and Jag models in Europe.
EDIT: LR2 dual fan shows same part number for Gates as XC60 but The only genuine LR part I found was almost $300.

[xc60sailor]

jimmy57... interesting... when I googled the part number, I did see Land Rover uses the same part. Thanks for letting us know the fans go in parallel. I will tell you I worked for a big car company and they sourced the parts from many vendors. If you asked them which parts went into each car, they couldn't tell you immediately or even both. The build sheets which went into the car get stored, but there was no index or importance to putting the list of parts which went into your car into a database. So three vendors could be sourcing the same part and you'd never be able to get the warranty from the correct vendor.

[gloryhallelujah8]

Repair shop wants to charge me $700 to replace my broken fan controller. Is it accessible from the top? I saw Genuine replacement part on Ebay for $164 but am wondering whether I can do it myself since I don't normally repair my cars.

[jimmy57]

It is accessible from the top. It is not hard to do. The screw below is the hard part. Get a mirror and look at it first to get the position identified well.

[lebronef]

Long time listener, first time caller, thanks for having me on the show. Had the same issues as others. Started off with no ac, and then that evolved to the radiator fan always on. I purchased the inexpensive module off of @m@zon, which lasted approximately one day. I purchased another inexpensive module from Wally World, and the fan seems to be operating, but no climate control. Anyone have luck with the expensive module when the el-cheapo one didn’t work, or am I likely to end up replacing the whole fan unit. Comments? Concerns? Thanks in advance.

[Twhite68]

Thank you to the group. My 2010 XC-60 was over heating. I initially took it to my local Firestone for diagnosis. They couldn’t determine the exact issue but did replicate the over heating problem. What they did observe was that the cooling fans did not function while it was running but would activate after turning it off. They identified it as a possible electrical issue beyond their capability and recommended taking to the dealer. I took it to the Volvo dealer and they recommended replacing the entire fan assembly at a cost of $1,400. I read this post and deduced the following. 1) The fans are operational; 2) the control module has been known to fail as discussed in this blog post. Hence, I purchased a new control module from Amazon ($30) and the small ratchet recommended ($10). I changed the module at my on base auto skills facility. The fans work as designed and the overheating issue is no more.

Total cost:
Firestone diagnosis fee: $0
Volvo diagnosis fee: $150
Fan control assembly: $32 w/ shipping
Small ratchet tool: $10
Bay rental: $3.50

Total: $195.50

Savings: $1,204.50

Thanks to all for the information and instructions.

[rcg66]

Thank you so much for this! The fans on my 2010 XC60 just went into "permanent on" status and I found this thread and this fix seems to have worked. Couple notes: I crawled underneath the car to unhook/hook the lower connections (very easy access), and I bought a ratchet wrench at the big orange store that was perfect for working the screw. Search for Klein Tools 1/4 in. Drive Electrician's Mini Ratchet. Also, when I put the screw back into place, I used a piece of blue painter's tape to attach it to the driver. Once the screw was tightened, the tape all came off still attached to the wrench.