Do Rad fans stay on?

[red vtec]

Should the Rad Fans stay on when I switch the ignition off? I noticed mine do not. But on other cars I have the fans continue to work for a few minutes if the engine is hot to help cool it down.

Thanks

Chris

[Simon350S]

Think the later cars do, my 85 doesnt though and iirc my old 88 N/A didn't either. Not sure when it was introduced?

[rogerch]

I was about to answer no, when I realised my fans almost never come on, even in the hight of summer, (and it gets hot here) I need to be stuck in traffic for some time before the fans come on and then as soon as you are free again the temperature drops and the fans go off, so I don't think I have ever turned the engine off with the fans running. Not very helpful but I would check the efficiently of your cooling system. (mine has been flushed and the radiator re-cored)

Edited July 12, 2010 by Roger the Dodger

[Quicker]

unlike front engined car - the electric fan would actually continue to cool the engine bay for some time after the car is turned off - our rear-engined cars would not have any benefit to leaving the fans running unless we were using an electric water pump and circulating coolant from the rad (where the fans are spinning) to the engine bay....

[Bibs]

On any car that runs the fans after the engine is switched off the water pump will be running to circulate the water rather than it relying on a breeze on the block. The problem is that when you switch a hot engine off it actually rises in temperature as the water and block superheat each other ie you've lost the effect of the cooling circuit working.

It was introduced to the Esprit on the V8 which is a very hot engine under any circumstances. I think it's active for up to 15 mins after you've switched the engine off.

[Advantage]

The Carlton (and I think the Elan) have a post shutdown leccy waterpump. The 4cyl Esprits don't, but the V8s do, so there's no advantage for a 4cyl car to have the fans running after shutdown. The V8s can sometimes energise the fans for a while after the engine is off, so mind your fingers!

[Vulcan Grey]

bad relay.