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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.
What happens when radiator fan doesn’t work?
What happens if the cooling fan stops working? If your cooling fan stops working, your engine could overheat. This could cause damage to your engine parts. It’s a serious issue and needs to be looked at by a garage.
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.
How do I check 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.
Why has my car fan stopped working?
Defective temperature switch, coolant sensor or other sensor. Engine thermostat is stuck OPEN (engine never gets hot enough to turn on the fan) Faulty fan relay. A wiring problem (blown fuse, loose or corroded connector, shorts, opens, etc.).
How do I know if my radiator fan fuse 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.
Should radiator fan turn on when AC is on?
When the AC compressor is activated, it is actually expected that the radiator fan runs. For instance, the radiator fan is needed when the temperature sensor of the cooling fluid in the lower tank reaches approximately 212F.
Should radiator fan come on when car starts?
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. You may have heard of a part called the radiator fan switch or temperature fan switch.
How do I know if my radiator fan motor is bad?
What are the signs of a bad radiator fan? Fan not coming on. The most common bad cooling fan relay symptom is that the cooling fan will not come on. Blown radiator fan fuse. Temperature warning light. Poor A/C performance. Vehicle Overheating. A loud whirring Noise. FAQs.
How long do radiator fans last?
Your car fan will run for a few minutes after you turn off the car then turn it off. This is normal in many vehicles, such as BMW or Mercedes-Benz. The radiator fan may run up to five minutes and sometimes longer. Unless there is an electrical issue, it may stay on all the time until it drains the battery.
Where is the fuse for the radiator fan?
If you don’t see one that says fan or cooling fan, you will need to find the cabin fuse box. This is located in different places, again dependent on the manufacturer and model. Some times it is located behind the glove compartment, sometimes on the lower, left end of the dash board.
How long does it take for a car fan to turn on?
But, on a normal 70–80 degree day you should hear the fan run, I would guess, after about 15 to 20 minutes of idling from a cold start. When the electric cooling fan operates is purely a function of the setting of the temperature switch used to control power to the fan.
What if the radiator fan turns on only when the AC is on but overheats when is off?
Most likely the temperature sensor that operates the fan under normal circumstances is faulty. The AC controls may operate the fan from a place in the control circuit after the normal temp sensor so everything is OK when the AC is on. Also the Fan may be on continuously when the AC is operating.
Which relay is for radiator fan?
The cooling fan relay is normally located in either the underhood fuse and relay center or mounted to the electric fan assembly behind the radiator.
Where is the fuse for the fan motor?
Under the instrument panel, look under the glove box. On the right side of the fender wall you will find another fuse box. The blower motor fuse is easy to replace.
Where is the cooling fan relay located?
The fan relay is usually located near the bottom of the engine compartment on a metal frame member. The metal acts as a heat sink to keep the fan relay cool. So, unplug the connector at the relay and repeat the check for power. If you get power, you’ve got a bum relay.
Does temperature sensor turn on fan?
The temperature that’s being given off by the thermostat is what the sensor works on. The on-board control system gets the temperature. The cooling fan may be turned on or off when the control system receives the temperature from the CTS.
How do you test a radiator fan control module?
To test a fan motor, unplug the electrical connector at the motor and use fused jumper wires to connect battery power and ground directly to the fan. If the fan does not operate, replace the motor. 2. If the motor tests OK, check the cooling fan thermo switch, located at the bottom of the radiator on the driver’s side.
