What happens when the radiator fan does not turn on?
The fan is responsible for keeping the coolant at the right temperature. If the fan is failing, engine temperatures will begin to rise. While the fan should turn on as soon as the temperature reaches a certain point, it won’t. Many times, drivers aren’t aware that the engine is overheating until the temperature light goes on the dashboard.
How is the radiator fan connected to the engine?
A mechanical fan is connected to the engine directly by drive pulleys. This type of radiator fan is controlled by a thermal fan clutch that senses radiator heat. After sensing the heat temperature, the radiator fan turns on when the engine is running at a higher temperature.
What happens when a radiator relay goes bad?
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. Deprived of the helpful influx of air from the cooling fans, the radiator cannot remove as much heat as it usually does.
Where is the cooling fan located on a late model car?
The radiator cooling fan is mounted directly to the radiator. All late model vehicles are equipped with a radiator cooling fan. In some vehicles, there is more than one radiator cooling fan attached to the radiator. It’s possible to have one fail while the other continues operation.
What causes a radiator fan to stop working?
Voltage spikes, high resistances in control circuits, defective vehicle batteries, bad wiring, short circuits, moisture, corrosion, and even excessive vibration due to damage to the fan itself can all cause a fan motor to fail.
How to diagnose radiator fan problems?
Part 8 of 9: Check if the radiator cooling fan is faulty Locate the radiator cooling fan. Park your vehicle and apply the parking brake. Open the hood and locate the radiator cooling fan. Warm the engine. Start your vehicle and allow the engine to run until it begins to get hot. Check the cooling fan. When the engine starts to get above the normal operating temperature, watch the cooling fan.
Why isn’t the radiator fan working?
The biggest cause of a radiator fan not working is a broken fuse. To see if the fuse is intact and working, you’ll need to look at the fuse panel in your vehicle which will probably be under the hood. The actual location will be listed in your owner manual and will show which fuse works for which component.
Why does your radiator fan keep going on and off?
Here are some possibilities causing the fan to stay running longer. low coolant level, faulty coolant temperature sensor, PCM or ECU defective. coolant leaks from the water pump, cracked radiator, worn upper or lower radiator hoses, leaky heater core, leaky thermostat housing,