Fan switches and fuses going haywire, help!!

[orca417]

Hi, I have a 98 new beetle. A few days ago my Heater A/C switch wouldn't turn, now it turns but the fan is stuck on low all the time. I have a new switch and am installing it, but my car overheated yesterday. I figured out my radiator fan fuse was blown (on top of the battery) and replaced it, but it had melted some of the plastic. When I put the new fuse in the fan started running. Now, however, I don't think the fan is coming on at all and the fuse doesn't appear to be blown again. Are these problems linked? What could cause the radiator fan fuse to blow? Any suggestions? Help please!

[orienteer]

The fuse cluster on top of the battery is a known weak spot and can cause strange electrical goings on!! I don't know how much it costs to replace.

If your car is overheating is the warning light on the instrument cluster coming on?

As your car heats up check the water hoses at top then bottom to see if you have even temperature. If you don't the water pump may have broken up or the thermostat may be stuck closed.

The radiator fan won't come on until the engine is hot so you would need to let the car idle for a while and let the engine get hot to see if it will come on automatically.

Good luck , Ian

[orca417]

The warning light did come on when it overheated. We replaced the temperature sensor and the water pump when we changed the timing belt, so I don't think those are malfunctioning.

I replaced both the A/C heater switch and the radiator fan fuse over the weekend. Let my car sit and run, and the radiator fan kicked on and ran fine, no overheating. My inside switch works great too.

When I had my oil changed today the VW mechanic said things looked fine and were working good. So I guess it's fixed. Thanks for your input!

[XCman]

Just to let you know, your Red light will come on when you start the carand I believe it flashes 3 times. Then it means you need to add more coolant to your overflow resevoir. It looks like you already replaced stuff. so surely you checked this.

I know I felt silly when I found out thats what it was on my car! :P and it was only a fraction of a inch below cold. Sensitive bugger! lol

[orca417]

Yeah, I had a coolant leak a while back, so that was the first thing I checked! Thanks! The warning lights are super sensitive!