Can someone help ID this fan noise?

Yesterday my girlfriend's 2003 Golf TDI started making a noise that seems to be coming from the driver's side radiator fan once it gets up to normal operating speed.

I posted an MP3 recording to DropBox; the noise is most audible after she shuts the car off at about 3 seconds:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/o8ssarv084j1qnh/AAB-EJDs7UDZjBYT3fHHrJAxa?dl=0

Anyone have an idea of what might be the cause?

Could be a bad fan motor, sounds like the bearing is noisy and you hear it spinning down after the car is shut off.

Here is a way to narrow it down.

Open the hood.
Turn ignition on, but do not start the car.
Turn the HVAC fan knob to position 1.
Press the AC button to turn on the AC (AC light comes on).
At this point, both coolant fans should come on slow speed.

This will allow you to hear the fans without all the engine noise.
If it appears to be the drivers side fan, you could unplug that fan then run the above test again. If the noise goes away, then you've found the problem.

Note that the two fans run together - whether on high or low speed. If only one fan is coming on, then that fan need to be replaced.

This thread has a like to a PDF file with plenty of info on diagnosing fan issues: forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=242699

Thanks for the info. I've located the driver side fan connection from above, thanks to one of the PDFs you suggested I look at; ought I be able to disconnect it from this angle, without removing anything above it (such as battery tray, etc.)?

Disregard last question; it appears I'm going to have to remove the battery to comfortable get in there, right?

I'm pretty certain it is only the driver side fan, at any rate, which sounds like an easy enough job to fix. I'll peruse those links for removal instructions.

The electrical connections for both fans are easily accessed from underneath. Put the front of the car up on jackstands or a ramp. Remove belly pan. You'll see the connectors on the drivers side at the bottom of the radiator. A bit of a pain to get your hands in there, but doable.

As for replacing the fans, here is one thread showing how to get the fans out: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=286603

It's a pain to get the fan out of the radiator shroud, there's lots of stuff in the way.

The easiest way is to put the core support into the "service position". This is a method to pull the whole core support/rad/condenser forwards a few inches. This made getting the fans in and out of the radiator shroud much easier.
I made a PDF showing how to make some cheap "service position" tools. See this thread: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=387508
The intent of the PDF was to show how to replace the radiator mounts, you'll only need the sections that show putting the core support into the service position.

Thanks much. I've got the car up on jacks and the belly pan down. Access to the connectors seems awkward indeed, but I'll give it another shot.

Can I assume I need not replace both fans if only one is causing the issue?

I came across another thread -- it might have come by way of the original thread you suggested I visit -- where someone was able to remove the driver side fan without apparently putting everything into service position. He did indicate it took a bit of wrestling around the hoses. Is this a risky approach in your experience?

EDIT: Ah, the very poster you pointed me to is who I am referencing. Quote: "heres the path out. you may need to bend and push some hoses out of the way, but it will come out."

Todd, that is a very well written document. Thankyou for the effort, and hopefully it becomes a how-to stickie if it hasn't already.

jmblodgett said:

Thanks much. I've got the car up on jacks and the belly pan down. Access to the connectors seems awkward indeed, but I'll give it another shot.

Can I assume I need not replace both fans if only one is causing the issue?

I came across another thread -- it might have come by way of the original thread you suggested I visit -- where someone was able to remove the driver side fan without apparently putting everything into service position. He did indicate it took a bit of wrestling around the hoses. Is this a risky approach in your experience?

EDIT: Ah, the very poster you pointed me to is who I am referencing. Quote: "heres the path out. you may need to bend and push some hoses out of the way, but it will come out."

Click to expand...

Yep, getting the connectors apart and getting them out of the brackets on the shroud is a pain. Remember the connectors have the usual VW "locking tab" that need to be unlocked before they'll come apart.

No need to replace a fan if it isn't making noise.

I've replaced both fans in my car. The passenger one was dead, the driver's side was making noises.

I did the driver's side without doing the service position. Total pain. I ended up unbolting the fan from the mounting ring, removing the mounting ring, then pulling the fan out. Put new fan in position, then maneuvered the mounting ring into position and bolted everything together.
When I did the passenger side fan several months later, I did the service position and it makes getting the fan assembly in and out much easier.

Thanks again for your help. If I can put up with today's cold mountain air, I'm going to proceed.

RacerTodd said:

Yep, getting the connectors apart and getting them out of the brackets on the shroud is a pain. Remember the connectors have the usual VW "locking tab" that need to be unlocked before they'll come apart.

No need to replace a fan if it isn't making noise.

I've replaced both fans in my car. The passenger one was dead, the driver's side was making noises.

I did the driver's side without doing the service position. Total pain. I ended up unbolting the fan from the mounting ring, removing the mounting ring, then pulling the fan out. Put new fan in position, then maneuvered the mounting ring into position and bolted everything together.
When I did the passenger side fan several months later, I did the service position and it makes getting the fan assembly in and out much easier.

Click to expand...

Thanks again for all your help in diagnosing the problem and guiding me along. In the end, I decided not to go the service position route, and while it wasn't a cinch to get the fan in and out I managed OK.

I have one final question: at http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=286603, he mentions not to forget disconnecting and reconnecting a vacuum hose from the engine cover. I found no such hose; might the difference be that he was referring to a 2002 and ours is a 2003?

jmblodgett said:

I have one final question: at http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=286603, he mentions not to forget disconnecting and reconnecting a vacuum hose from the engine cover. I found no such hose; might the difference be that he was referring to a 2002 and ours is a 2003?

Click to expand...

The hose he is referring to goes to the EGR valve. It is clipped into a small clip on the back side of the engine cover immediately to the right of the EGR valve. You want to pull the hose out of the clip it before pulling the engine cover off.

Your car (and all ALH engines) have that hose (unless the EGR valve has been removed). Your hose may not have been clipped into the engine cover or the clip is broken off.

RacerTodd said:

The hose he is referring to goes to the EGR valve. It is clipped into a small clip on the back side of the engine cover immediately to the right of the EGR valve. You want to pull the hose out of the clip it before pulling the engine cover off.

Your car (and all ALH engines) have that hose (unless the EGR valve has been removed). Your hose may not have been clipped into the engine cover or the clip is broken off.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing the hose wasn't connected and/or the clip has broken off, for nothing appeared to have been connected when I removed the cover. I assume I would have noticed.

EDIT: I just confirmed the hose wasn't connected to begin with.