Hi Everyone. I'm replacing the radiator due to the plastic top tank cracking, 145K miles. But I also see cracks in the factory white plastic radiator fan, on the rounded hub sections between the blades, mostly just on the engine facing end, but on one section, there is cracking from the front to the rear, shorter not connecting cracks. I first noticed these cracks 30K miles ago, and they are getting worse, albeit slowly. I imagine the heat in Phoenix makes this worse.

How prevalent is this? Can this get much worse without the fan coming apart? Are they known to come apart? What damage when they do?

Is there a aftermarket brand of fan that is known to last a decent time, say 5 yrs 50K? I see a couple on Amazon, but none on RockAuto, which concerns me, as I find that Rock avoids selling products that don't last. The factory part has been revised, 21060-6P00A, and is $113 + ship.

Thanks for any and all assistance. Alan.

Has no one replaced their radiator fan?

found this for around $70 shipped
https://www.adujagostore.com/index.php? ... _id=118401

and this for $56 shipped

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Radiator ... 2044&psc=1

Some for around $30 shipped on ebay
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... =0&_sop=15

04pathse - Thank you for that Adujagostore link, best price I've seen for the OEM fan. Can I ask, do you see any cracks or abnormalities on the hub of your plastic fan?

Good call regarding Rockauto. I was just looking at O2 sensors today and noticed that they didn't carry an OEM Bosch for upstream bank 2, although they did carry the OEM for the other three locations. I looked on Amazon and found the OEM Bosch, but folks on there complained that it did not fit their Pathfinders/QX4s.

The thing that finally turned me off Amazon for auto parts, was that I'm currently working on a friend's Lexus RX 350, and needed a set of Denso Iridium plugs. I've replaced these before, and they are ~$11 a plug. I saw them on Amazon for $6, which seemed ridiculously cheap, and Googled it. First, there were fake NGK plugs, and now fake Denso Iridium, and they are being sold on Amazon.

Question answered. By the Adujagostore link above to the OEM fan: two of the photos there show an extensive metal structure inside the plastic reaching to almost the front of the hub and integral with the bracket that bolts to the clutch. Since that part is a revised part, I took a tactical flashlight to the inside of my fan and shining it upwards, I see the same metal structure. While the blades are not loose and remain fully connected to this structure, cracks in the hub between the blades, while not good, are not detrimental. I'll monitor, if cracks appear to jeopardize the blades themselves, I'll replace then, and given the complexity of this part, with OEM.

I have seen minor cracks like this on every car I have owned that was pushing 10 years old or more, including my current '02 Pathfinder. However, like you have realized, the structural integrity of the fan assembly may not necessarily be an immediate problem and may never be. Only once did I ever have to replace a fan like this but I only did it because the fan clutch in my old '89 Mustang froze up, so I replace both at the same time. Like you said, just keep an eye on it now and then.

I'm doing some Preventative Maintenance on my truck (replacing radiator with Denso, clutch fan (oem), and coolant flush (oem). Taking out the old clutch fan and radiator fan, I noticed the fan has stress cracks throughout at 165,000 miles. Based on the experience in this forum, what is the consensus on fan replacement on an R50 (Qx4/Pathfinder). Has anyone had their OEM original fan blow up on them? Any luck with aftermarket over OEM? I'm hoping to save a buck here if I can since I'm replacing the radiator, clutch fan, and also switching out the IACV valve(oem) as a first step to resolve the P0505 code. Would appreciate some advice on this. Thank you!

I had the AC fan on my Dodge Caravan break apart when I started the car up at the park.
The fragments bouncing around also pierced my radiator.

Personally I think Nissan built those fans very well, but heat / cold, flex forces , and time can certainly progress a crack into a fracture.

I ended up marking the cracks with a black sharpie. I'm going to re-use the radiator fan and will replace him I see things get worse. Thank you

When I first got my Pathfinder i too noticed the cracked fan resolved mine with this:
A-Premium Engine Radiator Cooling Fan Blade for Nissan Pathfinder 2001-2004 V6 3.5L Infiniti Q45 QX4 FX45 210606P00A https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071CJCDW7/re ... MEb3N9C20X

I did this while replacing my belts and pulleys. The cracked fan still felt very strong, like it would not break, so yeah, maybe just monitor. But it wasn’t a terribly difficult job, maybe 2 hours if you’re slow like me.

I checked yesterday and I found a couple of cracks, so will see where this ends up.

https://i.imgur.com/zXxlxSJ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YkBvJen.jpg

I’m not much help but I did replace my fan when doing a radiator replacement. I saw all of the cracks in the fan and luckily the dealership near me had a replacement. It was expensive but I don’t remember how much.

I have a spare radiator that’s brand new. bought one from rock auto and thought the first one I installed had a leak, but it doesn’t leak. now they won’t let me return the new one that i haven’t opened. ping me if anyone is interested. $60 PNW

I have a spare radiator that’s brand new. bought one from rock auto and thought the first one I installed had a leak, but it doesn’t leak. now they won’t let me return the new one that i haven’t opened. ping me if anyone is interested. $60 PNW