Two weeks ago, while on vacation we noticed an alarming noise from the engine bay one morning. It sounded like a rock grinder. At the time I didn't know whether it was within the engine or something else, but it quickly became obvious it was something to do with the fans, not the engine.
I contacted FnkyChkn over at LXF to see if it was feasible for a non-gearhead like myself to investigate further, or should I just take it to the dealer. He provided the following schematic diagram and procedure...
(1) RADIATOR FAN ASSEMBLY - (2) ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR - (3) UPPER RADIATOR HOSE
1. Disconnect negative battery cable.
2. Partially drain cooling system (Refer to 7 - COOLING - STANDARD PROCEDURE).
3. Remove upper radiator hose (3).
4. Disconnect cooling fan electrical connector (2).
5. Remove cooling fan mounting bolts.
6. Remove radiator cooling fan assembly (1) from vehicle.
Of course you have to remove your air intake (stock air box or CAI) back to the throttle body. You also need to move the electrical snake that crosses over the radiator up and out of the way.
I see no reason (unless your paranoid about electrical issues) to remove the battery cable. I did not. The only electrical items are the IAT sensor and the fan control cable. Both those are foolproof connectors and pose no difficulty. He also indicates to remove the top radiator hose. I also found this unnecessary. You simply need to move it out of the way.
I did this using a short bungie chord and the fuse box terminal as the anchor...
This is a good time to check inside the Tstat housing connector and down inside the radiator hose itself. When I did this I didn't particularly like the look of the Tstat housing... it looks as if it was painted internally, and of course the antifreeze does a number on paint. But what was left didn't wipe or scrape off, so I left it.
The fan control chord connector is on the fan housing, just above the low-speed fan and easy to access and disconnect once you've moved the radiator hose. Then there are only two bolts which hold the fan housing assembly in place. The first is located just under the other end of the top radiator hose... it can be accessed without removing the hose entirely. The bolt head size is either 10 mm or 8 mm... I don't recall now.
The other bolt is on the opposite side in a similar location...
I was concerned that there might be a third and fourth bolt down below, but was pleased to find that the connections on the bottom side are merely slide on positioning pins. It took a little bit of persuasion to lift the fan housing out of the engine bay. You have to work the bolt tabs and the lower positioning pin tabs past the radiator hose on the passenger side and the two small hoses on the driver's side.