are my radiator fans acting up?
#1
05-09-2009 | 08:18 PM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,667
Likes: 1
From: Houston, TX
are my radiator fans acting up?
I performed some tests when my car engine is on but idling (parked). I wanted to test to see if my radiator fans are working. I turned the a/c on and fan up, and looked and i am not sure if this is normal, but at times only 1 fan kicks in while the other fan is off, and sometimes both fans are running. I tried pushing the fan's fin manually to see if anything would happen and it spun up when i pushed it. Very strange. So i then turned off the a/c. Let the engine run for about 40 minutes. every now n then the fan would turn on and off. Sometimes one fan goes on sometimes both.
Is this normal behaviour?
Is this normal behaviour?
#3
05-13-2009 | 07:02 AM
The fans have a thermostat on them. The little one is to cool the radiator with the AC on and off. The big one is to pull air through the engine compartment only when the AC is on AND when a certain temprature is reached.
With your AC OFF, the little fan is the only one that is used. It will only come on when the water temp reaches a certain range. With the AC ON the little fan cames on and stays on as long as your AC is on. And the big fan kicks on when the water reaches a certain temprature.
Start your car in the heat, and turn on your AC. You can clearly hear the big fan kick on and off as the underhood temps rise. This is why i always keep my air on when sitting in traffic on a hot day. The big fan does a really good job of getting that heat out of the engine compartment. I've felt it blowing through the rear wheel well when putting gas in before!!
In closing, your fans are running like they should be.
With your AC OFF, the little fan is the only one that is used. It will only come on when the water temp reaches a certain range. With the AC ON the little fan cames on and stays on as long as your AC is on. And the big fan kicks on when the water reaches a certain temprature.
Start your car in the heat, and turn on your AC. You can clearly hear the big fan kick on and off as the underhood temps rise. This is why i always keep my air on when sitting in traffic on a hot day. The big fan does a really good job of getting that heat out of the engine compartment. I've felt it blowing through the rear wheel well when putting gas in before!!
In closing, your fans are running like they should be.
Last edited by halfass872; 05-13-2009 at 07:07 AM.
#4
05-20-2009 | 04:37 PM
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,667
Likes: 1
From: Houston, TX
if this is the case, how come my car's thermometer start to rise when i'm idling. I drove it the other day and the needle was at 50%, while waiting in a drive thru at a fast food place, i noticed my needle at the 75% mark. So I took off and drove the car and then the temperature went back down to 50%. It seems to only overheat when the hood is closed. I've done numerous tests at home with the car running in my garage with the hood open and no issues. I am not sure what the exact problem is.
#5
05-20-2009 | 04:42 PM
if this is the case, how come my car's thermometer start to rise when i'm idling. I drove it the other day and the needle was at 50%, while waiting in a drive thru at a fast food place, i noticed my needle at the 75% mark. So I took off and drove the car and then the temperature went back down to 50%. It seems to only overheat when the hood is closed. I've done numerous tests at home with the car running in my garage with the hood open and no issues. I am not sure what the exact problem is.
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