The fan is supposed to be switched based on coolant temperature. Fan switch is in the thermostat housing, with a 2-wire connector. Some earlier years have a 2nd fan switch & a timer module somewhere. I'm not sure whether '96 has the older system...

But I bet the CEL is not related to the bad fan motor. But autoparts chain stores usually will read OBD-2 error codes for free. Get the actual code number 'cause sometimes they get creative with their explanations.