Radiator Fan keeps running, even after the ignition is off!

newcoolgadgets · 28th July 2008, 22:02

Yesterday a strange thing happened with my 2006 Zen VXi. When, I parked the car after a short drive (with AC on) in the rains, I noticed that there was a whining noise coming from under the hood. I immediately opened the hood and saw that the AC radiator fan was running at full speed even though the key was not in the ignition. I tried to turn the ignition on and off to turn off the fan, but to no avail.

Finally, I restarted the engine, turned on the AC, turned the AC off and then the ignition. This time the AC radiator fan finally stopped. The problem went away, until this evening, again when I parked the car, the AC radiator fan kept whirring. I had to repeat the above described procedure to turn the fan off. Can anyone throw light on what's happening? Is there a problem with the AC relay? I am worried that the fan may come on anytime and drain the battery.

Please help!

Lukeskywalker · 28th July 2008, 22:09

Hi Newcoolgadgets, I think that it is quite normal for the radiator fan to run even after switching off the engine, AFAIK it is dependant on the engine temperature and the fan turns off and on by itself in most modern cars.
I have noticed this in my brother's Palio too, even after switching off the engine and getting out of the car, the car keeps humming like a plane whose engine is winding down.I would not worry if I were you.
Cheers.
Hari.

dinar · 28th July 2008, 22:11

the rely for the compressor has to be changed, but get all the relays in the ac and radiator fan circuit changed, this problem is common with cars, cause we have a tendency of switching off the compressor quit often for pickup on road.

newcoolgadgets · 28th July 2008, 22:19

Thanks for the quick replys. LSW and dinar. I use the AC 90% of the time and haven't ever seen the AC fan running after the ignition is turned off. So this is definitely not normal for a Zen. I will definitely get the relay checked tomorrow.

vikram_d · 28th July 2008, 22:26

@luke - that happens in the palio but not in the suzukis.

clevermax · 28th July 2008, 22:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikram_d

@luke - that happens in the palio but not in the suzukis.

Thats correct. The fan will shut down on its own will, in Palios. But I have noticed in a Zen that the fan works for few more seconds after the ignition is off, when it is really hot.

vikram_d · 28th July 2008, 23:02

Strange have never seen this happen in the zen that I owned.

hkanitkar · 28th July 2008, 23:13

@luke - In palio, the radiator fan works for a few seconds ( if not, minutes ) if the engine is hot, after you turn the engine off. There is a definite time delay associated with it - only that i dont know the exact period.
Same is not the case with any Maruti vehicle. May be one of the experts on engine- wengine stuff will know about that.

@newcoolgadgets - i dont think the fan would start off on its own when the engine is not started/ key is not in the ignition. Maruti cars are not that intelligent :P
Better get it checked at a good mechanic/ service station to avoid the nuisance.

newcoolgadgets · 28th July 2008, 23:20

I sure do hope the fan does not start by itself...lol! Still, how does the radiator fan receive power from the battery when the ignition is off? Is the fan connected to the battery without going to the ignition?

vikram_d · 29th July 2008, 08:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by newcoolgadgets

Still, how does the radiator fan receive power from the battery when the ignition is off? Is the fan connected to the battery without going to the ignition?

In the Palio the radiator fan is directly connected to the battery. So it stays on till the desired cooling down has occured.

ssjr0498 · 29th July 2008, 10:06

Hi,
I have observed this phenomenon off late on my OHC Vtec as well. Although never experienced the same on the Zen but guys can you please throw some light as to why this is happening and what makes this happen.

Even after removal of the key from the ignition,the fan's (2) on my vtec keep running for a while and then shut off automatically.

I was under the impression that if I had kept the ignition on (position 2), as in keeping the key in the position just before the cranking of the engine with the check light's on the dash glowing, the fan would run if the engine were hot. But if I were to remove the key from the ignition, the fan ought to stop as the electrical connection to the sensor should go.

But this recent phenomenon as left me surprised!

Cheers
Shrey

jayguar · 29th July 2008, 11:03

I have experienced the same in my Santro Zip Plus (now sold). The fan did not stop even after 15 minutes. A service advisor at the Hyundai service centre said it was an electrical problem. I don't remember much as this happened more than 3 years back.

aaggoswami · 29th July 2008, 20:15

This is strange. It must be an electrical issue.
We dont have such problems in Baleno even after 120-140kmph 900kms drive.

vnabhi · 29th July 2008, 20:20

I think it is normal. I've had this on my brand new Fiesta last year, and the service advisor told me it was normal for the engine to run for a minute or so after the ignition is switced off. I've faced this only for a couple of times so far.

snaronikar · 29th July 2008, 20:46

Have you checked the radiator coolant level? I had the same experience in Ikon a few months back. I topped up the radiator coolant and this problem stopped. The root cause was traced as the leakage in the coupling. Replaced it and the problem got arrested.

28th July 2008, 22:02	#1
newcoolgadgets BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Nagpur Posts: 183 Thanked: 17 Times View My Garage	Radiator Fan keeps running, even after the ignition is off! Yesterday a strange thing happened with my 2006 Zen VXi. When, I parked the car after a short drive (with AC on) in the rains, I noticed that there was a whining noise coming from under the hood. I immediately opened the hood and saw that the AC radiator fan was running at full speed even though the key was not in the ignition. I tried to turn the ignition on and off to turn off the fan, but to no avail. Finally, I restarted the engine, turned on the AC, turned the AC off and then the ignition. This time the AC radiator fan finally stopped. The problem went away, until this evening, again when I parked the car, the AC radiator fan kept whirring. I had to repeat the above described procedure to turn the fan off. Can anyone throw light on what's happening? Is there a problem with the AC relay? I am worried that the fan may come on anytime and drain the battery. Please help!
	() Thanks

28th July 2008, 22:09	#2
Lukeskywalker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,396 Thanked: 1,243 Times View My Garage	Hi Newcoolgadgets, I think that it is quite normal for the radiator fan to run even after switching off the engine, AFAIK it is dependant on the engine temperature and the fan turns off and on by itself in most modern cars. I have noticed this in my brother's Palio too, even after switching off the engine and getting out of the car, the car keeps humming like a plane whose engine is winding down.I would not worry if I were you. Cheers. Hari.
	() Thanks

28th July 2008, 22:11	#3
dinar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: goa Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 57 Times	the rely for the compressor has to be changed, but get all the relays in the ac and radiator fan circuit changed, this problem is common with cars, cause we have a tendency of switching off the compressor quit often for pickup on road.
	() Thanks

28th July 2008, 22:19	#4
newcoolgadgets BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Nagpur Posts: 183 Thanked: 17 Times View My Garage	Thanks for the quick replys. LSW and dinar. I use the AC 90% of the time and haven't ever seen the AC fan running after the ignition is turned off. So this is definitely not normal for a Zen. I will definitely get the relay checked tomorrow.
	() Thanks

28th July 2008, 22:26	#5
vikram_d Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,422 Thanked: 1,188 Times	@luke - that happens in the palio but not in the suzukis.
	() Thanks

28th July 2008, 23:02	#7
vikram_d Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,422 Thanked: 1,188 Times	Strange have never seen this happen in the zen that I owned.
	() Thanks

28th July 2008, 23:13	#8
hkanitkar BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: pune Posts: 668 Thanked: 110 Times View My Garage	@luke - In palio, the radiator fan works for a few seconds ( if not, minutes ) if the engine is hot, after you turn the engine off. There is a definite time delay associated with it - only that i dont know the exact period. Same is not the case with any Maruti vehicle. May be one of the experts on engine- wengine stuff will know about that. @newcoolgadgets - i dont think the fan would start off on its own when the engine is not started/ key is not in the ignition. Maruti cars are not that intelligent :P Better get it checked at a good mechanic/ service station to avoid the nuisance.
	() Thanks

28th July 2008, 23:20	#9
newcoolgadgets BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Nagpur Posts: 183 Thanked: 17 Times View My Garage	I sure do hope the fan does not start by itself...lol! Still, how does the radiator fan receive power from the battery when the ignition is off? Is the fan connected to the battery without going to the ignition?
	() Thanks

29th July 2008, 10:06	#11
ssjr0498 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Blr-Ccu Posts: 958 Thanked: 690 Times View My Garage	Hi, I have observed this phenomenon off late on my OHC Vtec as well. Although never experienced the same on the Zen but guys can you please throw some light as to why this is happening and what makes this happen. Even after removal of the key from the ignition,the fan's (2) on my vtec keep running for a while and then shut off automatically. I was under the impression that if I had kept the ignition on (position 2), as in keeping the key in the position just before the cranking of the engine with the check light's on the dash glowing, the fan would run if the engine were hot. But if I were to remove the key from the ignition, the fan ought to stop as the electrical connection to the sensor should go. But this recent phenomenon as left me surprised! Cheers Shrey
	() Thanks

29th July 2008, 11:03	#12
jayguar BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 300 Thanked: 218 Times	I have experienced the same in my Santro Zip Plus (now sold). The fan did not stop even after 15 minutes. A service advisor at the Hyundai service centre said it was an electrical problem. I don't remember much as this happened more than 3 years back.
	() Thanks

29th July 2008, 20:15	#13
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,997 Thanked: 3,000 Times	This is strange. It must be an electrical issue. We dont have such problems in Baleno even after 120-140kmph 900kms drive.
	() Thanks

29th July 2008, 20:20	#14
vnabhi Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: DC -> DC Posts: 5,998 Thanked: 2,425 Times View My Garage	I think it is normal. I've had this on my brand new Fiesta last year, and the service advisor told me it was normal for the engine to run for a minute or so after the ignition is switced off. I've faced this only for a couple of times so far.
	() Thanks

29th July 2008, 20:46	#15
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 31 Times View My Garage	Have you checked the radiator coolant level? I had the same experience in Ikon a few months back. I topped up the radiator coolant and this problem stopped. The root cause was traced as the leakage in the coupling. Replaced it and the problem got arrested.
	() Thanks