My 96 accord ex vtec has a check engine light on. Wiil a bad condensor fan cause this? The fan won't run even when I try to jump it directly from the battery. When is the condensor fan supposed to come on?

 

could be ur problem but u might wanna check the ECU codes coming from there.

 

cel is onle emissions related doesnt matter if the cond. fan runs or not both fans should run w\ the eng. started and the a\c compressor on

 

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.