I was off-roading this weekend and submerged my electric radiator fan in a soupy mud hole for several minutes. Engine continued to run entire time. Now fan is not kicking on. If you spin it by hand, in the opposite direction, it will come on enough to stop spinning in the opposite direction, spin in the right direction for a few seconds but will not get up to speed. Does any one know of any tricks to get it working again that I can try before just replacing the stock fan? Will a thorough cleaning with WD 40 do it? Or will I have to replace? If I have to replace, any recommendations as to a good aftermarket waterproof/bulletproof fan? I am looking to avoid this in the future, so I am not opposed to replacing an old weak stock fan with a heavy duty/high performance fan, but do not want to relocate radiator and fan. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

spray the crap out of the motor with the waterhose to get as much crap out as you can then use an eletrical contact cleaner to get the water out and let it dry.

 

A good cleaning should bring it back

 

Haven't had to try this on an engine fan, but alcohol washing followed by some drying heat works good on a lot of electrical items. Alcohol doesn't hurt plastics, carries out water and grime, then evaporates. One can wash with water first, then alcohol. Used this technique a lot with electronics that have been submerged. Possible downside is washing the lube out of bearings, but that's probably not a huge negative at this point.

 

I did the same thing. Flushed the fan motor with a garden hose and spun it by hand a bit and it started working again.

 

Just don't use an open flame for your heat source!