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03 frontier, is there a condenser fan

10K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  64sprint 
#1 ·
I bought my truck used from a crappy little car lot, The A/C blows cold while moving and hot when the car idles at a stop for too long.

It's been suggested that the Condenser fan may not be working, well I don't have a condenser fan....and I'm wanting someone else to confirm whether these trucks come with one or not? If so is yours mounted in front of the condenser or between the condenser and the radiator?

I found a nissan condenser fan part number 92120-9Z400 however I'm wondering due to the mounting points not matching anything on my truck that perhaps that only comes on the s/c or 4x4 models?
 
#2 ·
I bought my truck used from a crappy little car lot...
Not relevant to anything here



The A/C blows cold while moving and hot when the car idles at a stop for too long.

Most likely you need a new fan clutch. Those are classic symptoms. You have a belt-driven fan/fan clutch, that's what my '98 and 2004 Frontiers have. And fan clutches do go bad.
 
#7 ·
Ok so here's the question

I went out to look at things...after about 10 minutes the compressor clutch kicked off and the air immediately goes hot.

How many reasons are there for the compressor clutch to disengage while at idle, or is that a symptom of a bad clutch in and of itself.
 
#8 ·
1) swap out the compressor relay with another, could be the relay going out.

2) low refrigerant can also cause the compressor to shut off, have the system checked. can be done diy with a self-recharging kit available at any auto parts store.

3) thermistor issue, common on these nissans.
 
#14 ·
My 2000 has the same cooling fan in front of the condenser (as shown above), but it does not come on when the A/C compressor is engaged. I assume it's a secondary cooling fan that comes on under high coolant temps, but I can't find any info on it in my factory service manual.
 
#15 ·
DIY kits are junk. All it can do is add the r134a if there's a vacuum. If you have zero vacuum it will show tht the charge is full. Cusser is right . You would need to vacuum the system completely , check for leaks, and how that's done is you create the vacuum and watch the gauges on the vacuum lines. If they re solid for 10-15 minutes, no leaks. Then you would add the r-134a. New or reused it's all the same. Sealant additive are dangerous to AC systems. Haha I love having access to tools like the vacuum pump and all the gauges. It's expensive to try to own it on your own. Shops can do what we explained for not very much. But I would try to have them evacuate the system then use new r134 just in case the sealant stuff has been added.
 
#16 ·
An auxiliary electric fan might be part of some factory tow package, also indicates that cooling system was slightly under-engineered.


Aftermarket electric fans are available at auto parts stores if one really feels they want to add one.

That diagram shown above is a "Pusher" fan. A fan mounted between radiator and an engine would be a "puller" fan.
 
#18 ·
My (early model) 01 CC, SE 4X4 came with the Radiator cooling fan. It will come on in the summer here in sunny Florida during prolonged periods of idle, then shut off when the vehicle is driven. I'm sure it has a coolant temp range that it operates in. It was my understanding that Nissan decided sometime during the 2001 Frontier model year that it was not necessary and deleted it.


My truck does not have any kind of factory towing package. If it did, I would think it would be a transmission cooler.

In any case, it has nothing to do with the air conditioner not working. I had to replace the thermo control amp (thermister) for the same basic reason the OP was complaining about. He could buy one and just plug it in to the harness for testing before opening the box up and doing all that stand on your head stuff.
 
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