1996 Neon, Where do I go from here? How do I figure out if the problem is the fan, electrical or ????????

 

if both fans arent working, then its probally just the fan relay...thats where i would start

 

when my fans stopped working i had a CEL code 35, which was rad fan relay swapped it with another and fixed a frayed wire and it was perfect again, left the battery disconnected for a while to reset
got the part for 10 bucks at the wreckers ( the dealer was $105 CAD)lol

If you dont have the CEL, check the fuse (big green 25) change the relay anyways (its cheap), if it still doesnt work manually move the fans by hand and see if they spin freely all the way around there should be no spots that are harder to turn than others, (disconnecting the battery is the smart move of the day, unless yo have an un-dying need to shorten your fingers painfully) If they still dont work, and all the other tests pass, it could be the computer itself.

 

when i had this prob bro i discnnected the plugs (wires) from the fan , next i connected 2 leads from battery 1 + and 1-, then i directly ran them to the fan , this by passes the relay. if they turn on fans r good , if no then look at the relays and possible bad connections around the fan wiring. good luck bro. yeah its a lil dangerous so b carefull.

 

Ive gone through this twice. Once with a 96 and again with a 98. In both instances, I first checked the relay. After that wasnt the case, I disconnected the top radiator hose, and unhooked the fan/shroud assembly to remove the fan/shroud from the radiator. I then ran a hot lead from the battery to the fan(s) to see if they themselves were still in good working order. After they passed that test, I then followed the wires from where they hook to the fan motor all the way back to any grounds and the power distribution block. After all grounds were cleaned and secured, the connections checked, and the whole damn thing put back together, it worked again. They are pickey about grounds from my experience.