[Tigger]

Hi all.

Please let me know if you have/have not got this special feature on your Cooper/S...

About 70-80% of the time I turn off my car, the engine fan starts churning for about 5-10 mins making a very loud fanning sound. It's more likely to happen when I have been in any sort of traffic. I have checked that my temp is still normal and nothing seems to be wrong. (btw this is not the steering fan). It drives me nuts cos it makes me feel that there is something wrong.

Please help with some advise....thanks

[Racer]

When you turn the engine off the water pump stops - the temp goes up briefly and the fan cuts in to keep it down - 5 mins is about right - It seems noisy because you've got no engine / exhaust noise - It's perfectly normal

[Paul]

Indeed, no need to panic.

Be cool.

[erichui]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tigger

Hi all.

Please let me know if you have/have not got this special feature on your Cooper/S...

About 70-80% of the time I turn off my car, the engine fan starts churning for about 5-10 mins making a very loud fanning sound. It's more likely to happen when I have been in any sort of traffic. I have checked that my temp is still normal and nothing seems to be wrong. (btw this is not the steering fan). It drives me nuts cos it makes me feel that there is something wrong.

Please help with some advise....thanks

i reckon its cool to have the car off and still having the fan on , make it looks like u got some time of turbo timer or something just j/k
btw, 70-80percent of time time when u turn of the car and the fan comes up seems a bit more than what i used to get in the pass (for me its probably around 5percent of the time if not a little bit more) i think u are located in sydney as well right?
is ur car stock btw? mine was. btw i've used to have a engine temp gauge installed, and whenever im stuck in traffic or aren't moving for a while, the temperature climbs up quiet a bit compare to when its moving.. i guess this is normal since the intercooler i think work best when the car is moving.

[kapps]

This is odd. I've never heard my fan go on after I turn the engine off although I can hear it blasting full speed when I pull into the garage on hot days. I live in Florida and we easily get into the 95+ degree range. It's a 2002 MCS.

[sjbartnik]

Yep it's normal for the fan to come on for a little while even after the engine has been shut off. I've found that the predictor for when this will happen is not necessarily the ambient temperature outside but the manner of driving just before the engine was shut down. I've found that it's much more likely that the fan will come on after engine shut off if the car has been sitting idling or has just been driven slowly in stop-and-go type traffic where there is little airflow through the radiator.

I've had the fan come on after engine shutdown in all sorts of temperatures, from the 50s F (though admittedly, very rarely) through the 90s F. So ambient temperature is not a very good predictor of whether or not you should expect the fan to come on.

Just know that it's perfectly normal. You'll notice under the hood that there is a warning sticker indicating that the fan may start at any time (that means at any time, not at any time the ignition is on, because if that were the case it would have said so).

[zied]

Be careful. Not all fans work properly. Mine has been on non-stop for over 2.5 weeks, although I do unplug it when the engine is stopped. It immediately comes back on when replugged. I've had it drain the battery (to the point I have had to re-charge it to get the car started) 3 times in the last 2 weeks when I thought I would let it run for 10-20 minutes in the driveway. the dealersip is in denial about the problem, but with a 3-4 week waiting list to get an appointment for service, I will not be even able to have it checked out until a week from Friday. The fan may go 3-6 weeks working properly than freak out. The first time it happened was the Friday after Thanksgiving day '03 when all I did was move the car from the driveway into the garage when it was under 50d F. All dealers were closed in the area and Mini Roadside assistance suggested letting it run until the battery was totally dead and have it towed over 75 miles to the nearest dealer. Maybe thats what I should have done. It might be working properly now if I did.

[Tigger]

I currently have a Pilo Intake and Cat-back...Seems like this is a normal thing. However, I have never had this in any other cars I have driven.

Sydney is winter now and temps are not high. Anyways... thanks for the advise guys.

[erichui]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tigger

I currently have a Pilo Intake and Cat-back...Seems like this is a normal thing. However, I have never had this in any other cars I have driven.

Sydney is winter now and temps are not high. Anyways... thanks for the advise guys.

i think what sjbartnik said is quiet true, btw i also have a pilo intake, but i doubt it will have any effect to the fan.

[MukiMunki]

It's definitely the engine requiring cooling after use. My Dad's old Fiat used to do the same.

The intercooler radiates heat generated by the supercharger forcing air into the engine to reduce air temp in the intake and so increase the density of the air (boosting power) - it is not related to engine cooling.

[Shaun]

Mines done this a few times My One used to run very hot and the fan never came on. Last week we had a real hot day and the fan on the S came on after I had locked up and walked away.
Its coz when you stop the car there is no cold air entering the engine bay and the water isnt being pumped round any more so the temp climbs quickly.

[IML337]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tigger

I currently have a Pilo Intake and Cat-back...Seems like this is a normal thing. However, I have never had this in any other cars I have driven.

Sydney is winter now and temps are not high. Anyways... thanks for the advise guys.

It's interesting that it's happening at this time of the year

I used to get it in summer all the time, but I haven't heard it come on for months... I know the fan comes on when the coolant temp is 105, and normal operating coolant temp is 90. It's normal for it to go up, but for the fan to run a lot in in this weather might mean you are low on coolant or something else is going on. Don't panic, but might be worth getting it checked at the next service or something?

I can't find a link, but it might be worth switching your odometer over to the coolant temp display a few times while you're cruising around town, and seeing what temp it runs at - it should hang around 90 at this time of year, unless you're thrashing it

Hope that helps!