02 X5 M54 Auxiliary fan/AC issues

[Bottomfeeder]

Hi All - I've got a 2002 X5 3.0. Was out and about yesterday, about 80º ambient temperature, and initially the AC was working just fine as usual. Then at one point sitting in traffic I noticed that the AC was no longer blowing cold.

I was out running errands, and for the next few stops after the car would sit for a little while and I'd get back in, AC would blow cold for maybe 5-10 minutes or so then would stop working. On my trip back home (about 60 miles) the AC stopped working altogether, even at highway speeds.

At home, I noticed that the auxiliary fan wasn't coming on and the compressor wasn't engaging. OBD-II reader showed code 7D - DME Activation Electric Fan.

I'm likely going to take the car into an indie shop for diagnosis of the AC system before doing much else, but was curious about a couple of things: (1) is there a fuse to check for the auxiliary fan? I checked the shop manual and the fusebox behind the glove compartment and didn't see it mentioned.

And (2) could an auxiliary fan not turning on somehow cause the compressor to not work?

Thanks in advance for any advice and guidance. :-)

Chris

2002 X5 3.0 (Silver)
2005 X5 3.0 (Black)