My car- 2006 S with 55k on it.

OK- I have searched threads, etc. read all of the ones about the fan hi speed and low speed going out. I still cannot find my answer. My question is, is if my radiator fan is in good working order.

My power steering fan works fine. I have never heard (HEARD) my radiator fan kick in without the AC on. I have read posts about the fan running after car is off, draining battery, etc. That has not happened to me.

Basically, when I turn the AC on and the car is sitting, the hi speed fan will kick in for about 10 seconds, then cycle to the low speed, then back to the hi, then back to the low. I thought this was abnormal, so I asked a guy at the shop I was at a week back. He said its normal because the car is getting warmer and the high has to kick in when the AC is on when the car is sitting to keep the car cooler. He also said when the car is running you have air flying through the radiator thus preventing the high from kicking in right away because that air is keeping it cool.

OK- so then took the next step. Went to the mini dealer and saw a 2006 S for sale just like mine, and turned the AC on and let it sit. Does the same thing as mine, so I presume it is normal. I have had zero issues with car overheating, or fan running after car is off, etc., so I may be overanalyzing this.

I am taking a 1,200 mile road trip in 2 weeks and will be needing the AC so just making sure this is normal. Anyone have any insight on this?

 

When you were at the dealer did it cross your mind just to ask the service advisor ?

 

Nope, didn't think of it at the time since I had already talked to someone.

I also figured if a certified pre owned vehicle that they were selling did the same thing as mine, then it had been thoroughly inspected and passed. Who knows

 

So both the low and high speed fans kick on at minimum temps. I cant recall what they are off the top of my head but a good fan won't come on at low speed until the radiator temp gets to a certain level. so neither should come on on a cold car.

The high speed kicks on at a higher level and will cycle off when it drops the temp by something like 7 degrees.

I never noticed a problem with mine running either. I bought my 05 in November and until the weather warmed up it was fine. Once summer was here I was overheating if I left the AC off and got stuck stopped in traffic. If I kept the AC on I could keep the car from overheating.

you can test the fans pretty easy. There are 3 wires on the harness for the fan. One for ground, one for low and one for high. If you disconnect the harness and use the leads from a voltmeter you can connect one to ground and one to low. Touch the other end of the ground lead to the body and the hot lead to the positive on the battery. If the fan spins then the fan is good.

Check both low and high leads. The fans spin is different.

All this tells you is the fan is ok and if it is not working it is in the resistor for the low speed or the relay or the fuse.

 

Why are you worried?
Sounds like it works fine....
Heck poking around will/may cause harm....
If you are OCD over this item, spend some $$ and get it inspected by the dealer....

 

Just a note, Whether or not the car is cold or hot will not change the fact that the AC causes the fan to kick on.

Producing cool/cold air produces an equal amount of warm/hot air. The ECU knows this, and cycles the fan to cool the condenser radiator.

 

I believe that the ambient temperature has an effect too whether the fans turn on wiht a/c and at what speed.

 

Well I guess I won't bother with it, sounds like it's fine..