Does anyone else hear their cooling fan go on and off very often. It seems as though mine turns on for just a second or two and then off, and then repeat. This is of course when my car is sitting idling with the AC on or off.

 

I noticed mine did it very offten when i needed to replace my spark plugs , don't know why it just did .
Good luck .

 

i think thats normal, but you can call the dealership and ask them

 

Well they of course say it is normal... The car has 20k miles and is about to be one year old. It has been doing it for a while now. Also it takes a few minutes no matter what temperature it is outside for the car to warm up. It sits at 2k RPMS or so until it finally gets down to a normal idle.

I am thinking there might be a problem with the coolant.. maybe not a good mix from the factory. The car doesn't overheat or anything and always has a steady temperature after warm up.

 

Make sure your coolant is full.

 

It is.. perfectly full in the reservoir tank.

 

Is the radiator also topped off?

 

I will check. Isn't the tank supposed to empty into the radiator?

 

No. It's the other way around. If your radiator gets too low the liquid will boil and act funny at the Thermostat.

 

You guys humour me. Honestly are any of you knowledgeable about cars or just try to seem that way? Cooling fan and spark plugs? Bad cooling mix from factory will make the fan come on? Low coolant will act funny at the thermostat and boil?

Honestly please don't try next time... sorry but that was awesome.

You engine ECU turns on the cooling fan for two reasons, 1 - the temperature sensor in the engine requests a fan on. 2 - The pressure sensor in the a/c system rises and requests a fan on.

Does you car's fan do this when cold? Or does it do it when at operating temp?

It is normal for the fan to come on every minute or so when at a stop and the car is at operating temp. It is a very small cooling system and without natural air flow through the rad, it must create it with the fan.

 

It happens whether the car is warmed up or not, and a lot more than once a minute. More like on/off/on/off. Constantly.

 

Sounds like a bad relay or ECU, even could be a wire rubbed through... if it is happening all the time then take it to the dealer. Why even bother trying to figure it out yourself...let that warranty work for you

 

The dealer loves the answer that is normal. I feel that it is not normal and wanted a second opinion from the forums so that when I make the 40 minute trip to the dealer I don't feel as bad.

 

Well, if what you are saying is happening, the fan on for 2 second then off and then repeats. If this is happening all the time, cold, hot, a/c, no a/c. Then it is a problem. I am inter-provincial certified commercial transport mechanic, although its not automotive, I still know its not normal. I am guessing you don't have another dealer nearby other than just one. You may get lucky having a small independent shop having a quick look at it for free to give you a second opinion as well to help back your case.

Also you can always ask the dealer over the phone about your situation and see their answer. Then you can argue over the phone that it is not normal rather than taking a 40 mins drive.
Good luck

 

Thanks man.