I recently started having problems with my '00 Beetle overheating and have noticed that niether of the cooling fans run whether the car is running or not, no matter how hot the engine gets. The water pump is working fine and the serpentine belt is brand new and tensioned correctly. The fans both operate when connected directly to the battery so I have narrowed the problem down to one of three potential problems.
The Thermal Fan Switch (Cooling fan switch), Cooling fan controller, or the fan control relays (these last two may be the same thing, I haven't checked far into that particular course of action yet since it's far more expensive). If it is, indeed, the thermal fan switch, I already have a replacement, but I am unable to locate it under the hood.
Could anyone help me (with an illustration or photo preferably) find it so that I can test it before replacing it. Also, in the event that the switch is fine, my next item to test is the fan controller which I also was unable to locate.
Unfortunately, there is not a manual available at any auto parts store in my area for my model year without paying two additional fees for shipping to hawaii as well as an additional fee for ordering a discontinuedproduct for all of the stores I've gone to.
I would appreciate any help I can get and I thank everyone in advance for their assistance.

 

check the fuses on top of the battery the left one runs the fans
pull it out and check the plug the fuse goes into they like to melt out

 

the fan controller is under the battery
two big plugs on it

 

Alright, checked all fuses in the car that I could find, both under the hood and in the dash, and all are good, as well as the correct rating as far as the owner's manual says they should be.
Also, I have not checked the fan thermal switch yet (and I want to check it before moving on to the fan controller) because I can not find it still. I did find the fan controller, but don't want to go through the trouble of removing the battery or lifting the front end of the car if I don't have to so I would like to test the part I have a replacement for first.
Thank you for the additional fuse suggestion though.

 

do the fans come on with the ac turnd on??
if not then it is more than likely the controller
you need to pull out the far left fuse on the battery and check conections the fuse will look good on top but sometimes the blade part goes bad on it

 

Come on now. When I said I checked every fuse in the car, I didn't mean I only looked at them without pulling them out. I actually removed every single fuse, one at a time, and checked each one individually, then checked the mounting they plug into for damage as well.

Also, no, neither fan comes on when the AC is turned on whether the car is running, cold, hot, or otherwise. I will look into the fan controller just as soon as I can find the fan switch (again, which I already have a replacement for) so I can remove it from the car and test it outside the system itself.

 

This just happened to me just two weeks ago and they told me that the water pumps in my car there is one electrically and one regular. I had to get the regular one replaced I am not sure if this is the same problem but it seems the same if the fan isnt working and the coolent is going down frequently. Hope this helps sorry if I am wrong.

 

just checking
sometimes people say they check them and to find out they only look at the fuse part to see if it is burnt

 

Checked the thermostat operation when I checked that the water pump was working correctly and it, too, was working fine. I don't think I know what you're talking about as far as a coolant sensor goes. I've checked everything mechanical in the coolant system and nothing is wrong with the mechanics of the system which is why I've moved to checking electrical problems.

Again, all fuses are good &the fans do work with power applied directly. The temperature sensor works enough to alert the driver when the coolant is too hot (but by then, the fans should have turned on long ago). The only things I have left to check in the electrical circuit are the coolant fan (thermal) switch OR the fan controller unit.

I felt that I had madeit pretty clear, and I appreciate all the helpful suggestions, but what I really wanted when I posted this original question was the location of coolant fan (thermal) switch, that's all. I know where all the other components are and have checked them (except the switch and the fan controller, which I will check AFTER I find the fan switch).

Thanks again, though, to everyone.

 

fan switch is above the lower hose on the radiator