[b.gerber]

Hi there - I recently moved up to a high elevation ski town with my 1998 Land Cruiser (with 340k miles on it!). It gets very cold here, and obviously it's important to be able to use the heater to warm up the car, but more importantly to defrost the windshield. Unfortunately, when it gets too cold (usually below 20F), the fan won't turn on - it's like it's frozen or something. Can anyone help me figure out why this is happening and what I might be able to do about it? Thank you!

 

[RollaJoe]

I'd say it's time to replace the fan motor. I haven't done it on Land Cruisers so I suggest getting a Service Manual. What I've found on other vehicles is the motor bearings get gummy after many years and hours of running so that very cold weather makes for sticky lube the motor has a hard time overcoming. If a new motor is not obtainable, I have been able to figure a way to disassemble them, clean the bearings and apply a couple drops of sewing machine oil. That at least will give me many years of extended life.