What is the reason why the engine fan does not turn on until the air conditioning is turned on?
2 Answers
This is a normal situation. The radiator electric fan only turns on when a certain temperature is reached to maintain the engine's optimal operating temperature. The fan turns on when the air conditioning is turned on because there is a radiator for the air conditioning in front of the main radiator, and the air conditioning requires cooling as soon as it operates, so the fan starts immediately. Without the air conditioning, the fan only turns on when a certain temperature is reached. Reasons why the engine cooling fan does not turn on when the engine is overheating: 1. The car's cooling fan motor is damaged: Replacing the motor can solve the problem. 2. The fan's power supply fuse or relay is damaged: Located in the engine compartment fuse box, replacing them will solve the issue. The fuse box cover has location information. 3. The radiator temperature sensor is damaged: If the water temperature is not properly controlled and is below the normal operating temperature, the water temperature sensor cannot signal the generator to start the fan, which naturally affects the operation of the car's cooling fan.
I've encountered a similar issue with my car before, where the fan only runs when the AC is on, which is quite common. Normally, the fan should automatically activate once the engine temperature reaches a certain level. If it's not working and doesn't spin without the AC, there could be a few reasons: first, the thermostat switch might be faulty—this switch controls the fan based on the coolant temperature; second, the coolant temperature sensor might be malfunctioning, causing the system to misjudge the temperature as normal; third, the fan relay might be defective, possibly stuck in low-speed mode, causing the fan to only operate when triggered by the AC. The AC system forces the fan to run to prevent the condenser from overheating, but insufficient engine cooling can lead to high-temperature damage. I recommend checking the relay and sensor as soon as possible and using an OBD scanner to read the fault codes—it can save you the trouble of guessing. Delaying this could lead to engine overheating and higher repair costs.