Chevrolet Repair: Cooling fan motor, radiator fan motor, chev cavalier

Question
Hi there,

I recently bought a 2003 Chev Cavalier.  I came home on a winter road and there was some overflow on the river.  The next day my engine light went on, took it into the shop, they changed the cooling fan motor and a 30 fuse.  I am not to sure what this means.  Well, I got it back from the dealer and the light was off and all was running well.  Low and behold I went thru some overflow and again the engine light came on.  My question is what is the cooling fan motor?  What does it do?  Can I still drive my car? Do I have to replace the motor right away?   Can I get a local mechanice to change the fan motor?  Is this part pricey?
I hope you can help me out, thank you for your time.  

Answer
Hi Paul, The cooling fan motor is the radiator fan motor. This is what cools the coolant in the radiator when the engine temp gets above 228 deg.  Anything below 228 deg the fan doesn't come on unless your using the A/C. You can drive your car just don't stop and let it idle for long periods. Keep a eye on the temp gauge, if it looks like it's getting hot turn the heater on high to cool it off. If you just had this repaired (with in a couple of months) I would go back to the dealer to make sure that the work they did before is all good. If it's not you don't have to pay again. The code this time might not be the same, but if it is be sure that you get it repaired at NO COST to you.

Let me know how you make out

Mark