I think the mystery of the fan has been located and rectified. I pulled the unit out of the car and put it on my bench. With the 12 volt transformer I was able to get the fan to run but intermittently. Then I spotted this when I pulled the inline fuse connector out of the car too.
With the cracked case, the glass fuse was not making full contact with the connection on one end of the inline fuse. This has been replaced now.
The question still remains should I be recharging outside in the 90+ degree heat or can I recharge the system in a temperature controlled shop. At this point, it is a moot point since I have to establish a vacuum again.