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The radiator fan (or fans) pulls cooling air through the car’s radiator. Positioned between the radiator and engine, cooling fans are particularly helpful when the car is stationary or moving at speeds too slow to force air through the grille. A failed cooling fan can result in an engine overheating.
What is the main function of cooling fan?
The primary function of a radiator cooling fan is to take away excessive heat absorbed from the engine. The coolant absorbs the heat and goes into the radiator where the heat is blown away. The system is functional when the engine is stationary, where air can’t move through the grille.
How do I know if my cooling fan is bad?
These are the most common signs of a faulty radiator fan assembly in need of replacement: Engine Overheating. When the radiator fan isn’t functioning properly, it is not able to adequately cool down the car’s engine. Air Conditioner Function Diminished. Loud Noise Coming From Radiator Fan.
What happens when a cooling fan goes bad?
If the cooling fan motor fails, the blades don’t spin and they don’t generate air flow. At that point, the engine temperature continues to climb until your engine overheats. Once your engine overheats, you get other warning lights to come on indicating the problem.
How does a cooling fan work?
Cooling fans are driven by the engine’s crankshaft or by an electric motor. They provide airflow through the radiator fins, transferring heat from the engine’s coolant to the outside air. The radiator does not operate effectively without proper airflow. These fans often have a fan clutch to control airflow.
How important is a radiator fan?
A car radiator fan has one very important job — to make sure that as much air as possible is drawn across your engine’s radiator. This helps to ensure that your motor is able to maintain a safe and stable temperature no matter how fast you’re driving or how hot external temperatures get.
Does radiator fan affect AC?
A lousy radiator fan can create car air-condition (AC) issues. This is because the radiator cooling fan creates double the amount of air that the condenser fan. The radiator fan pulls air through the condenser, which removes the heat vapor of the refrigerant inside.
Can you drive a car if the radiator fan is not working?
As such, you should never drive your vehicle if the cooling fan isn’t working even though you can. If the radiator does not have cool air blowing on it constantly, it will overheat eventually, so you’d need the perfect combination of weather and traffic to drive effectively without a radiator fan.
Can cooling fan cause check engine light?
Intermittent aside, if your check engine light comes on while you’re driving, it could mean your cooling fan switch is failing. Even if that isn’t the problem, it’s crucial to bring your vehicle in right away for a diagnostic check, as the check engine light means something is wrong no matter what.
Should my radiator fan always be on?
The engine temperature should trigger the fan to turn on. It will also turn the fan off once the engine has cooled to under 200 degrees.
Can fan cause car to overheat?
Faulty Fan If the fan is barely working or not working at all, the engine coolant will be recirculated through the engine before it’s cooled down. This will cause your engine to overheat. Listen for the fan as your temperature gauge rises. If you don’t hear it, it’s bad.
How much does it cost to fix a cooling fan?
The average cost for a replacement fan is between $634 and $789. Labor costs are between $102 and $130 while parts are between $532 and $659. Taxes and fees are not included in the estimate.
How much does it cost to replace a cooling fan?
The average radiator fan replacement cost is typically between $550 and $650. In many cases, the radiator fan will cost around $400 to $450, while the labor adds $150 to $200. However, some vehicles can be more expensive, depending on the design.
Do fans actually cool a room?
Unlike air-conditioning, a ceiling fan doesn’t actually make the air in a room or space cooler. Instead, the fan cools the occupants in it. Because a ceiling fan cools occupants but not spaces, it makes sense to turn off a fan in an empty room, unless air circulation is required for reasons other than comfort.
When should the cooling fan come on?
Most fans should come on when the coolant reaches about 200 to 230 degrees. If the fan does not come on, something in the control circuit is defective.
Why do cars have two cooling fans?
The cooling fan in the engine compartment should turn on to pull air through the radiator and A/C condenser. On many vehicles, there may be two fans: a main cooling fan for the radiator, and a second fan for the condenser. Both fans should come on when the A/C is on. The engine may also run hot and overheat, too.
Why does my car sound like a loud fan?
Mechanical clutch driven fans are more likely to produce excessive fan noise, usually due to a worn clutch inside the fan assembly. Worn bearings, bent or broken blades, and unbalanced rotating assemblies can cause a fan to screech, howl, or otherwise make noises it shouldn’t.
How can I tell if my radiator fan is working?
A simple way to check if the radiator fan is working is to start your engine and turn the air-conditioning system (A/C) to the maximum speed. If the fan is spinning, then it means that the fan motor, fuse, wiring, and relay are all working properly.
Can low coolant cause fan to not work?
What causes the radiator to stop working? The most common reasons a radiator fan is not working are luckily due to a blown fuse, bad relay, or a broken wire. It can also be caused by a faulty coolant temp sensor, low coolant level or the fan itself can be damaged.
