How To Change The Jeep Grand Cherokee Fan Control Relay

On the 2001 Jeep grand cherokee replacing the fan control relay can be easy if you know where it is.

Here is a picture of my jeep. The passenger side headlight has to be removed first.

To remove the headlight first remove this bolt, it is 7mm.

Now gently pull on the headlight. It is only held in with the one bolt and a set of ball joints that will need to be overpowered.

Once the headlight is out you will have to make a decision. The manual will tell you to remove the bumper and grill to get to this part. Instead of that I opted to make a small cut into the plastic cowling that the headlight sits in. Be careful not to cut below the shape in the molded plastic becuase there is material below.

As you can see once you have made the cut the relay is easily accessable. Remove the top and bottom bolts (8mm) holding it in place and pull it up out of the hole so you can get ahold of it.

Remove the red clip with pliers and the relay should slide right out of place. Insert the new relay into place and work the clip back in (this is one of the hardest parts of the process). Once you have the clip in screw the relay back into place and replace the headlight following the reverse of the removal instructions.

WARNING! If you decide to test the relay before reassmeblying the piece DO NOT TOUCH IT! This thing gets very hot and will burn your hand if you let it run for even a short period of time. I recommend at least screwing it back into place before you test it out.

Again if you replace the relay you should also consider replacing the fan. It is a little harder to remove and costs about $100 but the relay probably burned out becuase the electrical load on the fan has increased as it has deteriorated. Good luck!