Odd radiator fan behaviour (6C GTi 1.8TSi)

Chat about your 6R/6C model Polos here!
amer6R
Platinum Member
Posts: 1108
Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2020 7:57 am
Drives: Polo 6R 2010 1.6 TDI
Location: budget build

Re: Odd radiator fan behaviour (6C GTi 1.8TSi)

Post by amer6R »

Did you try to access it via linux? You can run a live version off usb to test it out.
User avatar
ciclo
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 7804
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2013 10:20 am
Drives: 6R'13/G7.5'19
Location: Earth ♥, sPAIN, Magiclands (Mordor).
Contact:

Re: Odd radiator fan behaviour (6C GTi 1.8TSi)

Post by ciclo »

It seems that the 970 EVO PLUS with S/N S6P7NG0R / S6P7NF0T are also affected by a firmware problem. As seen in the image, mine is S6P7NG0R ... manufactured on 2021 07.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DbJq7IpuRw
https://nascompares.com/2023/02/02/sams ... ow-so-far/

I have a backup but it is from a year ago and I am going to lose a huge amount of information ($$$$$$$$), I never thought that an SSD would die so quickly.
Bepis
Silver Member
Posts: 324
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:19 pm
Drives: 2017 6C GTi Manual
Location: Cheshire

Re: Odd radiator fan behaviour (6C GTi 1.8TSi)

Post by Bepis »

Yeah, it's very odd to have an SSD die in a couple of years, especially a Samsung one. Although they do get quite warm and I can't see if that enclosure at least has a passive heatsink. If it's a firmware issue then likely it's the controller which is causing issues so the data is technically still on the NAND flash itself so could be read off directly by someone with the means to do so or be flashed to another working version. However, the data will be spread out due to wear leveling and the controller is what knows where all the data is, so reflashing or reading the data directly off might not be possible or feasible.

Have you tried putting it in another system directly into an M.2 slot as that will give you a definitive answer?

Edit: Just realised I have that exact drive for my PC's boot drive :shock:
Bepis
Silver Member
Posts: 324
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:19 pm
Drives: 2017 6C GTi Manual
Location: Cheshire

Re: Odd radiator fan behaviour (6C GTi 1.8TSi)

Post by Bepis »

I attempted to remove and replace the main fan over the weekend but was unable to do so as the turbo to intercooler boost pipe has a clip which one of the main engine harnesses is tied to. It protrudes just enough to get caught on the hub of the primary fan making it pretty much impossible to get out without risking damage to the radiator. Probably no more than 1cm of plastic :x

As for getting the fan pack off of the radiator it's probably the easiest part of the job. Push the tab on the radiator in and pull up on the pack and it just pops out. There does seem to be a sequence to it as the driver's side wouldn't come out until the passenger side was unclipped.
Video for an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df7k9U5 ... bW92YWw%3D
Workshop manual diagram:
Radiator clip.PNG
Radiator clip.PNG (448.43 KiB) Viewed 444 times
I imagine for those without the 1.8TSi this job would be much easier as it seems they used water to air charge coolers instead of intercoolers for the likes of the CJZD 1.2TSi so no intercooler pipes to get in the way :)

For the 1.8TSi If you can get the turbo to intercooler pipe off then you won't have any issues. Or if you take the front end off and put the front clip into the service position, but that's a lot of work unless you're taking the front off already.

Steps (For those with left-hand drive polos swap the driver and passenger sides :)):
Disconnect the battery or pull the 50A fuse for the fan power(1.8TSi has it in the engine bay fuse box, fuse 18)
Remove airbox and ducting. Lift straight up and make sure all 4 pegs are released. Then rotate to get free of ducting.
Lift car and remove undertray
Disconnect radiator fan connector (left-hand bottom corner if laying under the car)
In the engine bay, disconnect soft boost hose from turbo to intercooler boost pipe, leave connected to the turbo
Underneath disconnect soft boost hose from the other end of the same hard pipe, leave connected to intercooler, or remove for more room.
Cut 5 cable ties holding wiring harnesses to boost pipe from underneath, then in engine bay cut cable tie holding the same harness to the same boost pipe and unhook
Undo 2x T30 screws holding boost pipe to block, one in engine bay, one on the front of the block underneath
Remove the hard boost pipe if possible or maneuver into a position that gives enough clearance (I couldn't :()
Disconnect dogbone/pendulum engine mount. The three bolts holding it to the gearbox were easiest
Hook ratchet strap through the hole at the front of the gearbox and place the other hook into a hole in the subframe near the dogbone/pendulum mount. Do not wrap over the subframe to avoid damaging the steering rack
Rotate the engine backwards as far as possible. I got 3-4 clicks out of my ratchet before it wouldn't move any further
Unclip radiator fan pack from above. Passenger side first then rest on edge of bumper
Remove fan pack from under the car, avoiding the thermal sensor, coolant hose and damaging the radiator itself

For those wishing to attempt, some observations:
The soft boost hoses are very reluctant to come off, so leave the hard pipe bolted to the block when you try to slip them off and fix the boost pipes back to the block when replacing them
The airbox mounting pegs are very easy to snap. I of course broke one needed to mount the likes of the racing line intake adding £100 to that job :(
The T30s holding the boost pipe to the block seem quite easy to strip and or cross-thread so be careful
Might just be my car but whenever I moved the fan pack or boost hose near the intercooler I got a face full of s**t
The lower passenger side peg for the fan pack was somewhat blocked by the clip for the lower radiator hose and required some work to get free of
When replacing the fan pack having two people is pretty much required. The bottom pegs need to be lined up first and the top of the driver's side of the pack is somewhat obstructed by the metal frame of the front clip. All pegs need to be lined up at once as there isn't enough movement once one side is clipped in
Only the top pegs have retaining clips
Have some extra long cable ties for fixing the harness back to the boost pipe as the extra length made it much easier to wrap around the harness and pull tight.

Sorry for the lack of pictures but after spending 4 hours on what seemed like an easy enough job and putting it all back together no better off I wasn't in the best of moods.

I'll see if it is possible to remove the boost pipe without removing the radiator hoses, if so will attempt again but it's looking like another job for my mechanic at the moment :(

Hopefully, this thread helps someone with their fan troubles :). Once the Primary fan and module is replaced I'll report back if that fixed my issue or not.
User avatar
ciclo
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 7804
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2013 10:20 am
Drives: 6R'13/G7.5'19
Location: Earth ♥, sPAIN, Magiclands (Mordor).
Contact:

Re: Odd radiator fan behaviour (6C GTi 1.8TSi)

Post by ciclo »

Thanks for such a detailed explanation and advice.

I leave here a PDF for the 2.0 turbo engine that is installed in the 6R WRC, maybe it will help due to some similarities.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1soTlWI ... sp=sharing

Let's hope everything has a happy ending, good luck with the end result.
Bepis
Silver Member
Posts: 324
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:19 pm
Drives: 2017 6C GTi Manual
Location: Cheshire

Re: Odd radiator fan behaviour (6C GTi 1.8TSi)

Post by Bepis »

Got the primary fan with the fan module contained within replaced today and all seems to be sorted :) Will give it a few days to make sure but so far so good.

Fans no longer come on as soon as the ECU has power and come on and off with the aircon.

My mechanic had to put the front clip into the service position in order to get the fans out so that seems to be the approach needed for GTi's at least.
User avatar
ciclo
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 7804
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2013 10:20 am
Drives: 6R'13/G7.5'19
Location: Earth ♥, sPAIN, Magiclands (Mordor).
Contact:

Re: Odd radiator fan behaviour (6C GTi 1.8TSi)

Post by ciclo »

8)
Thanks for the report!
Bepis
Silver Member
Posts: 324
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:19 pm
Drives: 2017 6C GTi Manual
Location: Cheshire

Re: Odd radiator fan behaviour (6C GTi 1.8TSi)

Post by Bepis »

Thanks for the help :D
Post Reply