Celica Forums General Discussion General Radiator Fan Question

Hi, need a a question about a radiator fan answered. My wife just bought a used 88 Corolla as her winter beater. I popped the hood last night while the car was idling to notice the radiator fan wasn't moving. Is this normal? Do they only turn on at certain temperatures or is there a fuse or motor problem? Thanks, any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh yeah, it doesn't have A/C or an A/C fan either. Not sure if that helps. Thanks.

it should turn on when the engine runs for awhile, a real way to see if its going to be a problem is to drive it hard for like 10-20 miles, and if it over heats, then the radiator problem, and if that happens then check your fuses, and or get a new radiator (or one froma junk yard)

if its an electric fan then yea they only turn on when the car gets hot other then that they stay off

If the car has air-conditioning, turn on the air conditioner. The fan is set up to always run if the air conditioner is on. If it doesn't run, the fan motor, wiring, or fuse may be the problem.

Then, take note if the fan comes on when the engine is hot, without running the air conditioner. Just how hot can vary, but if it gets to the "red" zone without the fan coming on, you have a different problem, possibly the thermostat.

But yeah, it isn't necessarily a problem if its not running all the time.

Great! Thanks for for the help guys.

Yup. You usually have two fans. The one that is directly in front of the AC compressor should only operate once the AC is turned on, and it should stay on as long as the AC is on.

The other fan will kick on when your coolant temperature hits a certain temp.