Having a bad carma (get it?) week with problems with both my Subaru and my Saturn, and now there's a problem with the MINI. After an eight minute trip, the radiator fan stayed on, running much harder than usual. After 20 minutes of waiting for it to shut off, I hooked a computer up to my OBDC and read the coolant temp as 104f and intake temp pretty close to ambient. So, seems good there.

Eventually, about 30 minutes in, I yanked relay R3 from the engine compartment fuse box. No change, but then a split second after I put it back in, the fan stopped running. This exact same behavior (fan going off after yanking and replacing R3) happened a couple nights ago, by the way.

So, what's the consensus? Bad relay? Something else?

 

I would guess either the relay is sticking or(Assuming this is how it runs), the temp sensor that tells it how long to run to cool down after getting hot is bad. I don't know if it's a stand alone sensor that tells the fan to run for X amount of time after shut down, or if it's something far more integrated.

 

I had the same problem, it was a bad temperature sensor. I suspect you have the same problem, low engine temperature data 104 F (about 40 celsius)to shows it.Mine is normal about 220 F(105 celsius).I asked subject in a garage, and I got the response that the fan is rotated as a "safety" whenever there is a temperature problem, hot or cold.....

 

Sounds like the same issue I had at 60K miles. Mine was also a bad temperature sensor. Seems like they have to remove the water pump to replace it. I also had them replace serpentine belt and change spark plugs at same time.

 

I had the coolant temp sensor replaced not too long ago, actually, because it was reading too high, which is why I checked the coolant temp via ODBC. I thought 104 was reasonable (30 minutes after an 8 minute trip from a cold start.) Wouldn't it have to reporting too high a temp for the fan to be going nuts like it was (harder than I've ever heard it go - like an industrial air conditioner)?

I've since taken two longer trips with no repeat of the problem. I'm thinking a coolant temp sensor problem would be consistent (like it was before I had it replaced.)

 

Just to complete this thread in case some other dumb sumbitch has this same problem.

It kept repeating, and I kept yanking R3 and putting it back it, whereby it would shut off. I replaced R3, but it continued to happen. In fact, it started to happen more frequently. One day, I decided to try R4 instead. Just moving R4 shut it off.

After a while, It got worse. I had to remove R4 altogether, and then once or twice, putting R4 back in would re-start the fan. I had to flip R4 over and tap it on something, then put it back in.

Finally, my replacement R4 came in the mail. I put it in and it's never happened again.

So to summarize - The radiator fan running continuously and HARD after powering off the vehicle was caused by a faulty R4 relay.

 

Glad you got it figured out. R4 looks like the stage two fan relay. After replacement of the thermostat housing to the newest version, on hot day or long runs, the fan does run a little after you stop. But I would say its not for a long time. Looks like it was the relay.



R3 is fan and R4 is fan , just the different stages it looks to be. Sometime tapping the relay will confirm that its sticking.

Looks like its the light green relay you replaced. Part number 61368373700


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/61368373700/ES169431/




Was that the part number ?

Heard of them sticking, but that was on older model MINIs.

Thanks

 

For others that are having the fan run-on symptom, the most likely culprit is the low speed fan resistor. Don't replace the fan, as some dealerships will try to convince you to do, just replace the resistor--it's a lot cheaper.

 

Curious OP, why did you have to order the relay? I know NAPA/ auto zone stock some relays, was able to get one for my grand prix when the original melted...

 

I thought that was a R50, 52, 53 issue? I haven't heard of a long or fast fan running on the 2nd gen cars like this before. Have you seen this issue cropping up with older 2nd gen cars?

 

Part#, where did you order from?

 

Does the water pump need to be removed to replace the sensor?

 

Coolant temp sensor in my case, was also having cold weather startup issues.

At ambient winter temps around 45 degrees i logged the ECT and it was coming up as 149 degrees or something around there causing it to lean out on startup and die. Same fan symptoms as well. If you have access to an obd2 reader check your ECT when the cars been off and see if its close to ambient

 

It was 61368373700. I ordered it because I wasn't in a hurry to fix it, and it was cheaper online than locally. I got it from www.autohausaz.com. Never shopped there before, but the price was good (about $10 with shipping) and they were fast and easy to deal with.
Also, this wasn't just the normal running fan after turning off the car. This was the high-speed mode you typically hear when the AC's running.

 

Thanks!

 

"It was 61368373700" That's good , just wanted to make sure you got the right relay, just like I posted above. Rear relay in the box. Glad you got things sorted.

 

I did, thanks! I went to www.realoem.com to look up the right part number, because I don't how to properly spec a car relay. I noticed R3 and R4 are different part numbers, for instance, but I couldn't tell you the difference (normally open, normally closed, voltage, amp rating, etc.) I figured I was safest ordering by exact part number.

Thanks for the help, ECS, and everyone else!

 

A big thanks to ECSTuning - the fan on my MINI Countryman (bought in 2011) developed this problem today. The fan kept running for several hours even when the engine was switched off.

The dealer wants me to bring the car in to run diagnostics and no doubt charge a fortune to replace something. But thanks to this thread the problem has been resolved with a simple tap on the R4 relay. If the problem occurs again I'll order a replacement.

Very happy!

 

Awesome, you are welcome.