Q: can a fan motor that is going out cause enough vibration to loosen bolts securing it to frame causing fan to bite into radiator?
Just got my car back a week ago. Had radiator replaced. Drove it a couple of days. Heard a Loud pop that sounded like a belt broke. Looked under hood belts ok. Next time I drove the car I was stopped at light. Heard noise, smelled like something burning then steam. Pulled over. When I looked saw bolts supposed to secure fan unit to frame sticking out very loose and fan jamed biting into the radiator unable to turn. Fan blade and radiator broken. I believe the Fan unit was was not secured properly, allowing fan unit to flop back and forth bumping the radiator until the blades bit into the radiator jamming the fan causing it to burn up fan motor & puncturing the radiator. My question is: If the fan motor was going out could it cause enough vibration to loosen the bolts securing the fan or cause the fan to wobble enough to catch on the radiator, jam into it and break the fan blade and the radiator? Or is it more likely to have occurred In the manner i described with the fan unit loose?
My car has 176000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
The fan bolts would not loosen on their own and may not have been tightened up all the way. I have seen the fan blades come off and damage the radiator but never a fan bolts coming loose. They were not tightened when installed.
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