Engine getting too hot?

nst68 · 21 Jul 2006 at 15:14

Advice needed please.

The cooling fan on my car (406 diesel) isnt kicking in till the temp is about 75% of the way up on the guage (which sometimes means that its nearly touching the red before the fan starts to do the business).

Is this normal, should the fan cut in sooner?

Ta.

Nelly

big_white_dog84 · 21 Jul 2006 at 15:15

Sounds OK to me. I wouldn't worry about it until it is reaching the red.

agw_01 · 21 Jul 2006 at 15:20

Depends on the car really.

I'd look in the handbook if you have one to check when the fan should cut in.

It also depends on how sensitive the temp sensors are. Jumping up to 75% on the gauge in your car may only show 50% on the gauge in another car (if you get me).

My gauge doesn't ever move, even up to the point when the fan cuts in.

Bill101 · 21 Jul 2006 at 15:22

Does that temp drop radidly once the fans start? if so there is no problem.In 10 years of driving a TD Golf the fans only ever came on once.

agw_01 · 21 Jul 2006 at 15:33

Bill101 said:
In 10 years of driving a TD Golf the fans only ever came on once.

Everytime the woman next door pulls into our estate in her 55 plate Focus TDCi, the cooling fans are running.

:confused:

Mine don't even come on sitting in slow traffic on the way home, and there's no traffic after you get off the main road leading to my house (about a mile away from the main road).

Simon · 21 Jul 2006 at 15:36

If the aircon is on then the cooling fan comes on with it to cool the condensor.

agw_01 · 21 Jul 2006 at 15:38

Ahhhhh. After posting, I just thought that it could be the aircon.

Nathan · 21 Jul 2006 at 15:40

Its fine. My GTI is the same, you get worried dont you lol

nst68 · 21 Jul 2006 at 17:58

Thanks for the replies.

Managed to speak to my mechanic and he said basically the same as agw_01, with regard to diff sensors across diff cars.
Main thing is that it is working.

Cheers.

Nelly

L Plate · 21 Jul 2006 at 18:02

just to add, some cars take the temperature reading for the guage from a different sensor to that which supplies the switching for the fan too

by that i mean that the temp guage may takes its signal from a thermostatic switch in the thermostat housing/area which is always going to read hotter than the radiator switch which controls the fan in a lot of cases, due to the direct cooling that the radiator receives.

not always as straight forward, but there are plenty of engines out there that run that sort of configuration