Shut the hood, I’m about to upset you! An overheated engine is capable of inflicting extensive damage in minutes. Overheating can occur due to several problems, and one of those problems is often overshadowed: an inoperative radiator fan.
Identifying bad radiator fan symptoms can make a significant difference in avoiding excess engine damage and getting back in the saddle quickly. Let’s look at those symptoms and how much it may cost to replace that bad fan.
What Does a Radiator Fan Do?
A radiator fan increases airflow across a vehicle’s radiator for better engine cooling. In return, the coolant flowing through the radiator is able to give off more heat.
This is particularly useful when ambient temperatures are at high levels. Thus, overheating can occur very quickly and the viscous cascade effect is highly probable.
Once the coolant has given the heat off to the exterior at the radiator, it is then returned to the engine block and cylinder heads via a rubber radiator hose. The coolant circulates the engine and flows back to the radiator, where the cooling cycle repeats.
A cooling fan operates at a specific temperature, which is preset by a vehicle’s manufacturer. This prevents a radiator from operating when a vehicle has not warmed to a sufficient operating temperature.
Mechanical radiator fans in older vehicles and trucks engage with a fan clutch that locks into place as silicone packing expands under high temperatures. Electrical fans engage with a direct signal from an engine’s ECM/PCM.
When there is no cooling fan operation, it severely decreases the engine’s ability to maintain system temperatures at an acceptable level. The entire system suffers each time that coolant is recirculated through the radiator until overheating occurs.
Once the heat comes into play, the entire system only worsens itself from there. The failure of different gaskets is a certainty once the thermal limitations are realized.
Symptoms of a Bad Radiator Fan
There are several other symptoms that you could have a bad radiator fan, or soon have a bad radiator fan. Identifying these symptoms can be important in repairing you vehicle as quickly as possible.
These are some of the more common symptoms that are associated with radiator fan failure.
#1. Overheating.
One of the more obvious symptoms that you have a problem with your radiator fan is overheating. Without the radiator fan working properly, it is very easy for an engine’s coolant to quickly reach elevated temperatures, which will be indicated by your vehicle’s temperature gauge.
Many of the cases where you will see this symptom will be most common during slower cruise speeds.
#2. Lack Of A/C.
Since the radiator fan also draws air across the HVAC system’s A/C condenser, a bad radiator fan will generally not provide enough cabin cooling.
This symptom, too, will most often be associated when you have a vehicle running at slower speeds, where the A/C condenser will have very little airflow.
#3.Temperature Warning Light.
The another sign of an inoperable cooling fan is when the vehicle OEM temperature warning indicator suddenly comes on. This happens because, without the radiator fan drawing air and cooling the radiator, the engine is overheating.
Consequently, the vehicles ECM/PCM senses that the radiator is not receiving sufficient airflow, and they try to alert the driver.
#4. Lack Of Noises.
Most vehicle owners that could be somewhat aware are often able to tell if their engine’s radiator is functioning properly by just a few seconds of watching the vehicle idle at a stoplight, with a reasonable level of attention to how it sounds.
In most cases, there is a distinct roar of the engine’s radiator fan, especially during the first few seconds of the fan engagement. If you do not notice the radiator fan for ten to fifteen seconds, it might be time to inspect your radiator fan soon.
#5. Steam Beneath a Car’s Hood
If a car’s radiator fan is inoperable, it takes very little time for the engine to overheat. As the engine reaches temperature, the vehicle’s coolant will begin to boil.
As coolant boils, it generates pressure, which is exhausted from the engine’s radiator cap. This is then identifiable with excessive amounts of steam pouring out from underneath a car’s hood.
What Causes Fan Failure?
The most frequent cause of radiator fan failure is worn and compromised bearings, through use and time. Once bearings start to wear, they continue to deteriorate to a point in which they often also drag or lock up the fan completely.
With vehicles using mechanical fan clutches, bearing wear occurs in the clutch assembly with failures similar to those of a free-running design.
A fan assembly electric motor, can also suffer failure intermittently due to fatigue. In any case, a radiator fan can be rendered inoperable due to road debris from below the undercarriage of a vehicle.
In some instances, a failed motor mount can cause the engine to tilt slightly during operation, causing the fan blades to make contact with surrounding objects.
Besides total fan failures, a vehicle’s radiator fan can fail for various other causes as well. The most common examples of failures of this type are blown fuses, faulty relays, and damaged wiring.
For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that you determine the cause of a radiator fan’s failure before condemning the fan itself.
Is it Safe to Drive with a Broken Radiator Fan?
While a vehicle will run without its fan; do not drive it that way. The engine is much more susceptible to problems due to excessive overheating, without which air will be continuously excluded from the radiator.
Then it is only a matter of time before the engine will again overheat and experience serious problems, and these issues may be far worse than simply not unrepaired fan blade.
Engines can and do experience catastrophic events if they overheat that can create very costly repairs, problems such as blown head gaskets, cracked cylinder heads, and cracked engine blocks are all a part of this list and all these will always need major engine repair- sometimes allowing for total engine North Albion’s completely far less costly.
In any case, avoid driving a vehicle with a radiator fan that does not work, and do it immediately if it is an existing defect! If you are not comfortable with a self-directed repair of a vehicle’s fan, then have a trusted auto-service centre book in a service for you as soon as you can!
Should a Radiator Fan Turn On When the A/C Is On?
In almost all instances, a vehicle’s radiator fan will turn on when the A/C system is put into operation. This is by design and allows for the proper A/C system pressures necessary to operate efficiently. Simply put; your vehicle’s radiator fan is designed to perform two separate functions at the same time.
A vehicle’s A/C condenser is located directly in front of its radiator and requires sufficient airflow to operate properly. The A/C condenser requires airflow to operate in the same way the radiator requires airflow. The radiator fan pulls air across this condenser in the same way it pulls air across the radiator.
If a radiator fan were not to turn on during A/C operation, you would find that the A/C system would not cool as well as expected.
Radiator Fan Replacement Cost
The labor involved with radiator fan replacement can vary quite a bit in terms of cost, from one end of the price range to the other. Given that certain vehicles have model specific parts prices, and that labor hours can affect the overall cost of a repair, it makes sense that you’ll see some variations in cost.
On average, it’s reasonable to expect to be charged between $200 and $550 (total vehicle repair price) for radiator fan replacement. Labor is where you would see the bulk of the cost, with a radiator fan typically costing between $50 and $200.