Review on Efficient Replacement Cooling Fan Assembly: TYC 623760 by Bob Souza

After about 140,000 miles our 2013 Infiniti JX started making a rattling/knocking noise which was intermittent at first and then within a week the knocking got louder and repeated every time the fan kicked . When I was in Texas in August, with weeks of temperatures hovering around 100F, this fan was always on and noisy. I've attached a video of the noise you can see, as well as the fan flapping, which is said to be due to bearing failure. This is a known issue on 2013 JX35 (later renamed QX60 from 2014) and Nissan Pathfinders. I watched a few YouTube videos on replacing this fan and some commented that the process wasn't that bad while most said it was difficult to pull out the old fan and install the new one. I didn't have much motivation to do it. I work alone, but when I called the Infiniti dealership and they said $1,200 for parts and labor, I was suddenly motivated. I advise you to check out the most complete video I found on YouTube of Auto Fix Pal. I actually printed the step by step process with timings in his video as a guide. I placed my laptop on the engine cover and found it helpful to know when to check certain steps. The item arrived safely and well packaged. There was extra padding around the cooling fan control module. I wanted to make sure I had the undamaged part before beginning the exchange. It should be noted that you must remove the cooling fan control module on the existing unit before attempting to remove the old cooling fan assembly. The new box has its own fan control module (while the new box in the youtube video doesn't have a fan control module), so just plug the power supply into the new box. I was a little apprehensive about this connection to the stock power harness, but it fitted perfectly. Admittedly, I didn't remove as many engine compartment components as in the YouTube video mentioned above. I removed the battery but not the battery compartment. I removed the connections to the engine control module but I didn't completely remove the ECM itself, instead I removed the 2 screws that hold the ECM bracket in place and removed a 13mm screw from the rear center of the battery compartment which also held in the slotted bracket. With the ECM connections disconnected and the ECM bracket screws removed, I was able to slide these components back and out of the way just enough to pry out the existing/faulty fan assembly. I didn't shoot the airbox. I'll admit that trying to pull this broken unit out barely cleared the battery compartment and for about 2 minutes I wished I had removed that battery compartment. When the old block came out I was a little worried about getting the new block in without breaking or cracking anything. But it went through the battery compartment with a few gentle swipes from my palm. One problem I have is when you pull out the old fan assembly make sure the 3 bushings/hub bases that are along the base of the fan assembly also come out. The new block comes with its own brand new rubber bushings. Make sure they stay on during all of your maneuvers. I had a new block sitting inside (I thought). The T30 Torx screw on the driver's side went in without any problems. However, the T30 Torx screw on the passenger side was misaligned. It deflected about 5mm, requiring me to tug on the entire assembly to align the bolt. I reached down (and you can imagine that too) and made sure the rubber bushings on the driver's side and center were in place, but the passenger's side bushing kind of fell off and landed on the floor. I can only imagine if I hadn't discovered this and put everything back together. If this happens to you, you will have to send this bushing back. After doing this, before screwing the two Torx 30 screws back in, I checked visually and by touch that all 3 were in place. When they are all in place, the assembly will fit like a glove and be secure. The two Torx T30 screws should line up perfectly without any persuasion. Using my checklist, I went backwards from that point and made sure everything I had unplugged or unplugged was back in place. The fan works well and turns on and off although of course I can't comment on durability as I only installed the part 2 days ago. As some have reported that the OEM part fails at 30-40k miles I have not received the OEM part. However, the Infiniti website now "replaces" part 214813JA0E with 214813JA2E, so the part may have been updated (?) and not failing. I have no idea and didn't call the dealer to confirm. Regardless, MSRP is $514.03 so I wouldn't consider it anyway if this piece of Revain aftermarket is rated 4+ for a third of the cost. For now I'm giving it 5 stars but will consider downgrading the rating due to durability. This is a very doable fix if you're semi-mechanically inclined. Just make sure you take your time with it. Do your homework first. Remember to wear long sleeves and gloves as you will be working in a very limited space. Install adequate lighting. If you have a friend to help you, by all means do it. Much luck.