Auto Parts: Car overheats, radiator fan off, radiator fan motor, car overheats

Question
I just bought a used 2007 Ford Focus zx5 automatic. It seems to be overheating when I'm suck in idle (i.e. traffic, lots of stoplights) especially with the a/c on. The temp gauge goes into the red in these situations but the engine doesn't smoke or anything. The antifreeze level & color seem fine & I don't see any leaks. Upon further review, it's seems that the radiator fan isn't working. The a/c works & puts out cool air but will contribute to the temp rise. I don't know much about cars. What's the best way to approach this aside from paying an arm & a leg through a repair shop? Also, I was caught driving throw a downpour one day. That seemed to be when this all started. My car actually smoked & overheated that day. Tips I've been heard are checking the connections or replacing the resistors.

Answer
    If I had to guess, based on what you told me, I'd say that the radiator fan motor is bad.  The fan is turned on and off by a relay.  It's designed to come on when the coolant reaches a certain temperature.  It should also come on whenever the A/C is on, even if the engine is stone cold.  Since it's not doing either, I have to believe that the fan assembly is bad.  Rock Auto offers an aftermarket fan assembly that is actually cheaper than just buying the fan motor, only $125.  I can't find any listing for the fan relay or controller, so I'm not sure about that.  If it was my car I would remove the fan assembly and bench test it with a couple of test leads and a car battery.  If it runs on the bench it should run on the car.  I've got a feeling that the rain storm must have been really heavy and that fighting all of that water just burned out the fan motor.  While you're at it, though, give the front of the motor a good looking over.  Make sure that none of the belts or accessories was damaged in that incident.