Easy tips

What are the symptoms of a bad cooling fan motor?

What are the symptoms of a bad cooling fan motor?

Cooling fans do not come on The most common symptom of a faulty cooling fan motor are cooling fans that do not come on. If the cooling fan motors burn out or fail, the cooling fans will be disabled. The cooling fan motors work together with the cooling fan blades to pull air through the radiator.

Where are the cooling fans on a car?

The cooling fans are mounted on the radiator and work to pull air through the radiator fans to keep the engine cool, especially during idle and low speeds, where air flow through the radiator is significantly less than at road speeds.

What to do if your cooling fan is bad?

For this reason, if you suspect that your cooling fan motors may be having an issue, have the vehicle inspected by a professional technician, such as one from YourMechanic. They will be able to look over your vehicle and replace your cooling fan motor. The most popular service booked by readers of this article is Vehicle Engine Cooling Inspection.

What happens if the fan on my radiator fails?

The most common symptom of a faulty cooling fan motor are cooling fans that do not come on. If the cooling fan motors burn out or fail, the cooling fans will be disabled. The cooling fan motors work together with the cooling fan blades to pull air through the radiator. If the motor fails the blades will not be able to spin or generate air flow.

Why are the cooling fans not working on my car?

Many other issues can cause the engine to run hot or overheat. Rather than uncommonly high engine temps, the driver may notice that the cooling fans have stopped running. A faulty or broken relay cannot deliver power to the cooling fans. In turn, the unpowered fans won’t run, leaving the radiator to its own devices.

What should I do if my radiator fan stops working?

Turn the air conditioning to the maximum setting – this should spark the cooling fan to immediately come on. In older cars, this typically takes about 15-20 minutes for the engine to reach the right temperature. If there’s a problem with the engine’s temperature, then this can damage the radiator.

What causes a cooling fan relay to stop working?

Cooling fan relays can stop working for any number of reasons. Common causes for relays going bad include: There are several ways to tell if a bad cooling fan relay is to blame for an overheated engine. The easiest method is to start the engine and then turn on the air conditioning.

Can a car cool with the engine off?

There probably would be nothing wrong with letting the engine cool “by itself” (which is what happens if the design removes power from the fan when the ignition is off), but since the normal operation of most cars is to run the fan when the water temperature exceeds a set threshold, it does so even with the engine off.

Is the electric motor on a cooling fan replaceable?

The electric motors found on many cooling fans are not much different than regular industrial use electric motors, and are often a serviceable or replaceable component of the cooling fan assembly.

Is it OK to leave the cooling fan on when the engine is turned off?

Car Fan Still On When Engine is Turned Off You park your car, turn off the ignition and start walking away. Then you notice the engine cooling fan is still running even though the car is turned off. It is ok for the engine cooling fan to keep running for a few minutes after turning off the car.

When to troubleshoot an electric car cooling fan?

On a warm engine, the fan may come on even if the engine is not running. When working on a hot engine or an engine that is running, keep your hands and tools away from the fan blades and moving components. Troubleshooting a cooling fan that doesn’t work can be a relatively straightforward task at times.

What are the symptoms of a bad cooling fan relay?

1. Engine running hot One of the first symptoms commonly associated with a bad or failing cooling fan relay is an engine that runs hot or overheats. If you notice that your engine is running at higher temperatures than normal, that may be a sign that the relay is not functioning properly.

Why are my cooling fans running at all times?

3. Cooling fans stay on at all times. If the cooling fans are staying on at all times, this is another (less common) symptom of a possible problem with the cooling fan relay. If the relay shorts internally, it may cause power to be permanently switched on, which will cause the fans to run at all times.

Why does my car fan come on when the engine is not running?

Consult your vehicle repair manual to check the required sensors and switches. On a warm engine, the fan may come on even if the engine is not running. When working on a hot engine or an engine that is running, keep your hands and tools away from the fan blades and moving components.

What to do if your car cooling fan is not working?

The cooling fan motors are an important component to any cooling fan assembly, and play a key role in keeping the car at safe temperatures during idle and low speeds. For this reason, if you suspect that your cooling fan motors may be having an issue, have the vehicle inspected by a professional technician, such as one from YourMechanic.

Author Image
Ruth Doyle