Radiator Fan Blues.

scorpian · 7th June 2009, 21:48

Hi guys,My zens radiator fan dosent come on like before,i just got my coolant replaced,and after that the fan dosent come on,although my needle stays put at half park,i disconnected the switch and gave the fan a dirrect supply from the battery and the fan started,but why dosent it come on autoatically,is it coz of the new coolant,the tepm being lower and hence the fan dosent kick in....
i am just abt to travel a distance of 600kms and this thing worries me,secondly every time i open the radiator cap,the coolant level is low,i removed the radiator and cleaned it and also checked it for any leaks,it shows none,nor do the any of the hose pipes,am suspecting that it heats up and the water evaporates...

what should i do..

arpandiv · 7th June 2009, 21:52

Check the fuse in the fusebox, Then check the thermostat. Does it come on when you switch on the AC ?

scorpian · 7th June 2009, 22:02

i guess ur confusing it between radiator and condensor fan,the condensor fan comes on when i switch the a.c on,but the radiator dosent come on at all,which is like abnormal....how do i check the thermostat?if i disconnect the hose to the thermostat,all my coolant drains,thats like tectaloy coolant costing some 600+ going down the drain

GTO · 8th June 2009, 11:38

If the engine stays at the optimum temp and is not overheating, I don't see any problem. No way that the engine will stay cool without the fan. The fan is probably kicking in when you're driving.

sumeethaldankar · 17th October 2009, 13:57

Hi guys,
My 800's fan stopped to work and the car started heating up.I was carefull not to overheat the engine and kept stopping the car every 5 mins
till i reached home.
Thankfully this happened close (2-3) kms from my home and i was able to cover the distance after stopping 4 times in around 1 hr.

When i opened the bonnet the 1st time there was lot of rumbling from the
coolant can like a hot tea kettle. I found the coolant boiling and hissing.I opened the coolant cap and it spurted coolant on the outside.

Tried the same with Radiator cap, just opened it a little bit and it started fuming and spewing coolant.I think if i had opened it completly it would have shot up in the air.Did singed my fingers a bit.

Now it seems i have like to get the fan fixed but i would like to know
what kind of stuff etc would i need like a thermostat switch or thermostats valve to be replaced.I hope it is because of the fan itself as i found the temp soaring only in traffic while on the highway i kept at 50-80% mark.

Let me know if i should get anything else inspected.

aaggoswami · 17th October 2009, 23:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Hi guys,
My 800's fan stopped to work and the car started heating up.I was carefull not to overheat the engine and kept stopping the car every 5 mins
till i reached home.
Thankfully this happened close (2-3) kms from my home and i was able to cover the distance after stopping 4 times in around 1 hr.

When i opened the bonnet the 1st time there was lot of rumbling from the
coolant can like a hot tea kettle. I found the coolant boiling and hissing.I opened the coolant cap and it spurted coolant on the outside.

Tried the same with Radiator cap, just opened it a little bit and it started fuming and spewing coolant.I think if i had opened it completly it would have shot up in the air.Did singed my fingers a bit.

Now it seems i have like to get the fan fixed but i would like to know
what kind of stuff etc would i need like a thermostat switch or thermostats valve to be replaced.I hope it is because of the fan itself as i found the temp soaring only in traffic while on the highway i kept at 50-80% mark.

Let me know if i should get anything else inspected.

Although OT but I think this must be posted.

Never ever touch the radiator cap when its hot. Never ever. I have learned the hard way round.

As we all know there is a lot of pressure when the water + coolant liquid in radiator is heated up.

If one opens the radiator cap, then all the hot liquid will just go up like fountain. This is very very dangerous. I have personally seen this happen when we were at a shop for replacing the M800 radiator. I was lucky to escape with just a few burns on my hands. I was standing next to mechanic when he was opening the radiator cap. The idea was to replaced the coolant along with radiator. I just about managed to save my eyes and face. The flow of hot liquid went quite up in air. This happened when I was around 11 years, but due to burns, I remember this incident.

sumeethaldankar · 18th October 2009, 12:38

Hi aggoswami,
will keep it in mind next time though i was careful not to open the cap completely but just loosened it a bit.

As for the fan , went to the mechanic today , well guess what the darn thing comes on all by itslef.The guys just checks the fuse and the wires,siwtched on the a/c and the vents and that sucker just starts to run.

Hopefully it was just a case of loose wires and stuff and won't repeat again.The mechanic even applied brake oil to the wire connectors and checked the fan by warming up the engine.

BTW i was told the fan will come on only when the temp guage reaches the half mark.He said in any case if the temp guage goes beyond the halfway mark then it must be looked into.

All in all i am happy that there was no expensive repair, just had to puchase a new coolant can (220) bucks and the mechanic charged 50 bucks for checking the fan,fuse etc.

sumeethaldankar · 19th October 2009, 10:29

Hi guys,
here's a tip which was told to be my mechanic as how to check the fans running ok or not.Switch on the car ignition (no need to start the car),switch on the A/c and the fan vents.If the fan is in working condition it will start even if the engine is cold.

scorpian · 19th October 2009, 21:34

Well i cant seem to srt out my radiator issue,everytime ia hit the high at high speeds,after about 100kms i stop for a break and open the hod to let the car cool,and when i do so i see a lot of coolant sprayed all over my battery,windscreen washer lid etc etc,when i open the radiator its empty and the radiator reservoir is full,i then have to transfer the fluid back in to the radiator.

This seems to happen only at high speeds,in city i drive around and when i reach home i find the radiator showing normal level.

What i want to know is,
1)If the radiator is leaking,how come it dosent do so in city runs?
2)Why is coolant being transferred from the pipe to the reservoir bottle and flowing out from there?
3)If the head gasket is faulty shouldnt it have some marking of water on the block..(i experience a loss of power after say 60kms of driving)
4)What is the problem here and what all do i need to replce or check..

I have opened the thermostatic valve and it was stuck in the open position,a small nudge with the screwdriver got iot back ad have checked it in a pan of boiling water it closes and opens normally.

On two occassion traveeling from poona to bombay on the expressway my temp level shot up to full high,do i need to change the head gasket even once if the car has shot in to the high zone??

i have cleaned the radiator with a hose pipe it runs clear.

Pls pour in your suggestions.

raju2512 · 7th November 2009, 21:49

I had similar problem in my 800 yesterday. Left my house and joined GST road near Trident (1.5 km).As I was waiting in the signal saw the temp guage at high. Pulled over and found that the fan was not running. Called MOS and the guys came after 90 mins. A quick check up of the fuses showed that fuses are OK, but the fan was not running. The service person rotated the blade with screw driver and it started running.They topped up the coolant tank with water and I decided to take the car to service center. The same problem repeated again and I did the same trick of "push starting" the fan. Reached the service centre and the damage was in the order of Rs.3000/ (fan + Labour + radiator flushing + coolant)

sumeethaldankar · 8th November 2009, 19:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by raju2512

I had similar problem in my 800 yesterday. Left my house and joined GST road near Trident (1.5 km).As I was waiting in the signal saw the temp guage at high. Pulled over and found that the fan was not running. Called MOS and the guys came after 90 mins. A quick check up of the fuses showed that fuses are OK, but the fan was not running. The service person rotated the blade with screw driver and it started running.They topped up the coolant tank with water and I decided to take the car to service center. The same problem repeated again and I did the same trick of "push starting" the fan. Reached the service centre and the damage was in the order of Rs.3000/ (fan + Labour + radiator flushing + coolant)

Hi raju,
was the fan really needed to be replaced , it could have been due to loose wiring as it was in my case.My mechanic just reopened the wire connectors , applied some brake oil,reconected the wires and checked the fan again by warming the engine up it till the temp guage rose to the halfway mark.
He just charged 50 bucks for the whole thing and yes the fuse were checked too.

raju2512 · 8th November 2009, 22:18

It was not loose wiring. The fan was not running at full speed and needed to be rotated manually to start. Most probably the fan motor was faulty and thought it fit to replace since an engine damage could be expensive.

ElantraGT · 8th November 2009, 22:51

I had this issue on my Zen once. Fortunately for me it was a blown fuse. Got it fixed for Rs.25. One of my Friends Sumo had this problem on the highway. We manually starteed the fan with a push on the fan using a spanner
(thats the only tool availble in the sumo then). Near Trichy we decided to show it to a local mechanic. It was on Sunday night when we were returning to chennai and there were no A.S.S were open. He replced the fan and showed us that over a period of time the Fans bearings goes for a task. The cost of fan replaement was Rs.700 including labour. The brand he used was called Jaguar.

sumeethaldankar · 14th November 2009, 14:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by raju2512

It was not loose wiring. The fan was not running at full speed and needed to be rotated manually to start. Most probably the fan motor was faulty and thought it fit to replace since an engine damage could be expensive.

Dear Raju,
guess what ! my fan died again today in the morning,fortunately it happened when i was in my building compound , noticed the temp guage had gone past half way mark.Popped open the bonnet and lo behold the
fan was happily stationary.

Used a piece of metal and pushed it and it sparng back to life.Stopped the car and started again and found the fan was not rotating.Nudged it again
and it started to turn.

Decided to show it to the mechanic who recommended changing the fan.
The Damage - 1650 bucks for the fan (Denso) and 150 for labour

.

sudharma · 14th November 2009, 20:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Dear Raju,
guess what ! my fan died again today in the morning,fortunately it happened when i was in my building compound , noticed the temp guage had gone past half way mark.Popped open the bonnet and lo behold the
fan was happily stationary.

Used a piece of metal and pushed it and it sparng back to life.Stopped the car and started again and found the fan was not rotating.Nudged it again
and it started to turn.

Decided to show it to the mechanic who recommended changing the fan.
The Damage - 1650 bucks for the fan (Denso) and 150 for labour

.

The problem appears to be the worn out Carbon brushs of the fan. There is no need to replace the fan. Just replace the brushes.

7th June 2009, 21:48	#1
scorpian BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: GOA Posts: 843 Thanked: 1,269 Times View My Garage	Radiator Fan Blues. Hi guys,My zens radiator fan dosent come on like before,i just got my coolant replaced,and after that the fan dosent come on,although my needle stays put at half park,i disconnected the switch and gave the fan a dirrect supply from the battery and the fan started,but why dosent it come on autoatically,is it coz of the new coolant,the tepm being lower and hence the fan dosent kick in.... i am just abt to travel a distance of 600kms and this thing worries me,secondly every time i open the radiator cap,the coolant level is low,i removed the radiator and cleaned it and also checked it for any leaks,it shows none,nor do the any of the hose pipes,am suspecting that it heats up and the water evaporates... what should i do..
	() Thanks

7th June 2009, 21:52	#2
arpandiv BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 445 Thanked: 61 Times View My Garage	Check the fuse in the fusebox, Then check the thermostat. Does it come on when you switch on the AC ?
	() Thanks

7th June 2009, 22:02	#3
scorpian BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: GOA Posts: 843 Thanked: 1,269 Times View My Garage	i guess ur confusing it between radiator and condensor fan,the condensor fan comes on when i switch the a.c on,but the radiator dosent come on at all,which is like abnormal....how do i check the thermostat?if i disconnect the hose to the thermostat,all my coolant drains,thats like tectaloy coolant costing some 600+ going down the drain
	() Thanks

8th June 2009, 11:38	#4
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,506 Thanked: 309,480 Times View My Garage	If the engine stays at the optimum temp and is not overheating, I don't see any problem. No way that the engine will stay cool without the fan. The fan is probably kicking in when you're driving.
	() Thanks

17th October 2009, 13:57	#5
sumeethaldankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,989 Thanked: 3,444 Times View My Garage	Hi guys, My 800's fan stopped to work and the car started heating up.I was carefull not to overheat the engine and kept stopping the car every 5 mins till i reached home. Thankfully this happened close (2-3) kms from my home and i was able to cover the distance after stopping 4 times in around 1 hr. When i opened the bonnet the 1st time there was lot of rumbling from the coolant can like a hot tea kettle. I found the coolant boiling and hissing.I opened the coolant cap and it spurted coolant on the outside. Tried the same with Radiator cap, just opened it a little bit and it started fuming and spewing coolant.I think if i had opened it completly it would have shot up in the air.Did singed my fingers a bit. Now it seems i have like to get the fan fixed but i would like to know what kind of stuff etc would i need like a thermostat switch or thermostats valve to be replaced.I hope it is because of the fan itself as i found the temp soaring only in traffic while on the highway i kept at 50-80% mark. Let me know if i should get anything else inspected.
	() Thanks

18th October 2009, 12:38	#7
sumeethaldankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,989 Thanked: 3,444 Times View My Garage	Hi aggoswami, will keep it in mind next time though i was careful not to open the cap completely but just loosened it a bit. As for the fan , went to the mechanic today , well guess what the darn thing comes on all by itslef.The guys just checks the fuse and the wires,siwtched on the a/c and the vents and that sucker just starts to run. Hopefully it was just a case of loose wires and stuff and won't repeat again.The mechanic even applied brake oil to the wire connectors and checked the fan by warming up the engine. BTW i was told the fan will come on only when the temp guage reaches the half mark.He said in any case if the temp guage goes beyond the halfway mark then it must be looked into. All in all i am happy that there was no expensive repair, just had to puchase a new coolant can (220) bucks and the mechanic charged 50 bucks for checking the fan,fuse etc.
	() Thanks

19th October 2009, 10:29	#8
sumeethaldankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,989 Thanked: 3,444 Times View My Garage	Checking if fan is ok Hi guys, here's a tip which was told to be my mechanic as how to check the fans running ok or not.Switch on the car ignition (no need to start the car),switch on the A/c and the fan vents.If the fan is in working condition it will start even if the engine is cold.
	() Thanks

19th October 2009, 21:34	#9
scorpian BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: GOA Posts: 843 Thanked: 1,269 Times View My Garage	Well i cant seem to srt out my radiator issue,everytime ia hit the high at high speeds,after about 100kms i stop for a break and open the hod to let the car cool,and when i do so i see a lot of coolant sprayed all over my battery,windscreen washer lid etc etc,when i open the radiator its empty and the radiator reservoir is full,i then have to transfer the fluid back in to the radiator. This seems to happen only at high speeds,in city i drive around and when i reach home i find the radiator showing normal level. What i want to know is, 1)If the radiator is leaking,how come it dosent do so in city runs? 2)Why is coolant being transferred from the pipe to the reservoir bottle and flowing out from there? 3)If the head gasket is faulty shouldnt it have some marking of water on the block..(i experience a loss of power after say 60kms of driving) 4)What is the problem here and what all do i need to replce or check.. I have opened the thermostatic valve and it was stuck in the open position,a small nudge with the screwdriver got iot back ad have checked it in a pan of boiling water it closes and opens normally. On two occassion traveeling from poona to bombay on the expressway my temp level shot up to full high,do i need to change the head gasket even once if the car has shot in to the high zone?? i have cleaned the radiator with a hose pipe it runs clear. Pls pour in your suggestions.
	() Thanks

7th November 2009, 21:49	#10
raju2512 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 325 Thanked: 144 Times	I had similar problem in my 800 yesterday. Left my house and joined GST road near Trident (1.5 km).As I was waiting in the signal saw the temp guage at high. Pulled over and found that the fan was not running. Called MOS and the guys came after 90 mins. A quick check up of the fuses showed that fuses are OK, but the fan was not running. The service person rotated the blade with screw driver and it started running.They topped up the coolant tank with water and I decided to take the car to service center. The same problem repeated again and I did the same trick of "push starting" the fan. Reached the service centre and the damage was in the order of Rs.3000/ (fan + Labour + radiator flushing + coolant)
	() Thanks

8th November 2009, 22:18	#12
raju2512 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 325 Thanked: 144 Times	It was not loose wiring. The fan was not running at full speed and needed to be rotated manually to start. Most probably the fan motor was faulty and thought it fit to replace since an engine damage could be expensive.
	() Thanks

8th November 2009, 22:51	#13
ElantraGT BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 441 Thanked: 12 Times	I had this issue on my Zen once. Fortunately for me it was a blown fuse. Got it fixed for Rs.25. One of my Friends Sumo had this problem on the highway. We manually starteed the fan with a push on the fan using a spanner (thats the only tool availble in the sumo then). Near Trichy we decided to show it to a local mechanic. It was on Sunday night when we were returning to chennai and there were no A.S.S were open. He replced the fan and showed us that over a period of time the Fans bearings goes for a task. The cost of fan replaement was Rs.700 including labour. The brand he used was called Jaguar. Last edited by ElantraGT : 8th November 2009 at 22:52.
	() Thanks