I noticed the temp gauge was reading 100*. Found out that driver's side radiator fan is not working. Apparently the fan got so hot that solder was dripping from some place through the radiator grate onto the inside of my rear bumper. Anyone have an idea as to what the cause most likely is? Could it be a bad temperature sensor, bad fan, relay, or fuse?

easiest thing to check is the relay.

The relay box is in the egine compartment on the driver's side.

Just unplug the right side relay, place it where the left side relay goes. If the problem switches sides, 99% it will be a bad relay.

I hate to sound like a dummy, but I don't see a relay box in the engine bay. Is it possible that it's beneath the carbon fiber side panels in the engine bay? I do see several relays in the fuse panel.

Does anyone know if the fans themselves have a history of going bad?

what year car is yours?

Check the owner's manual. There should be a box somewhere that controls the fan switching on and off. This seems like the easiest to check and easiest to fix. The relays have a history of going bad. May not be your problem, but its worth a shot.

Mine is a '98 SV.

The relays are behind the carbon fiber panel. I've never heard of anyone replacing the fans themselves.

I just replaced the relays from "dummies" to real relays. Took all of two minutes (of course I have no carbon fiber to get in the way).

Bad news, and more bad news. After removing the panel I still can't find the relay box. So, I instead used a few test leads and a 12 volt battery to test the actual fans themselves. Upon tapping the leads to the fan terminals the passenger fan spun right up. Driver's side, nothing. Let's also not forget the melted solder that ended up on my bumper right above the fan.

Looks like a new fan is in order at the very least. After that, I'll need to figure out what caused this.

can you post pictures of the solder, and where you tested the fans?

Thanks

Removed the fan and opened it up. Sure enough the insides were totally burned up. I'm probably lucky the car didn't catch fire. The problem was caused by the rubber insulator strip that runs around the outside of the radiator somehow came loose and got caught in the fan causing it to cease. New fan on the way.