SeaCay

Drove the turbo to and from Sebring on Sat, then to a party that night. Didn't even go near it at all on Sunday. I go outside at ~9:00 PM, and the rad cooling fans are on, full speed mode. WTF???? It was 60 deg F outside, engine was stone cold, car was locked up and keys on my dresser. So I had to disconnect my battery ground cable to keep the battery from being fully discharged. Back at it today, and the problem persists. Damn.

So, before I start tracking the problem down, has anyone in here ever had this exact thing happen to them? If so, what was your final diagnosis? I'm just trying to limit the time spent on tracking the problem myself. Your sweat is better than mine, right?

Anyway, if you have a stone cold solution, chime in please. Otherwise, I'm tearing the freakin engine out on Sat.

(While I'm in there...)

fastmover

I would check to see if you have a sticking relay, or try disconnecting the temp switch on the radiator, see if either of those will turn off the fans.


Semper fi.

SeaCay

The temp switch would be the first thing I'd check, but as convoluted as the turbo coolant system is with the fans married to the A/C system, the fan resistor blocks, the rad temp switch, and multi-speed fans, anything is possible.

fastmover

Well you got to start somewhere. Take your pick. A/c could be doing it also, just got figure out what is keeping the relay energized.



Semper fi.

Mike Buck

Sounds like thermo switch in the radiator. In the mean time, you can pull the big silver relay in the fuse box to cut the fans when the car is off, easier than the battery cable. My car had the same issue. Easy fix.

SeaCay

Thanks Mike (fastmover too ), nice to have someone with the exact same symptom set in order to compare notes.

CurlyDE

I had a similar issue last year. I second Mike's suggestion ...

JayVee

I also had this exact problem and it was the thermofan switch. It fails in the short circuit condition. Pull the connector off the switch and the fans should stop. There are three temp grade options when you replace the switch, and I opted for the middle range since I had no idea what the temp range was on the one that was in the car. It's possible to remove the switch and install a new one without losing much coolant if you cover the front of the engine with a trash bag and work fast.