why does the engine fan go on?

[MaltaCooperS]

COLOR=RpyalBlue]xxx[/COLORi have a september 2002 cooper S with only 1150 miles on it.

when i drivie the car the engine temperature gauge is perfect, bang in the middle as should be, but when i swtich off the car after a drive of say 10 mins or more then the engine fan goes on to cool the car down.

is this normal? i mean , it is not particularly hot now, the climate control was off, and i drive slowly since it is still running in

pls let me knopw what u think undefined

[MaltaCooperS]

thanks for solving the problem. its just that i assumed the fan would only go on in severe heat or after a full throttle drive.

i'll definitely make sure i drive it for more than 12 mins and i'd do the bonus italian job too

[Malin Dixon]

Quote: Originally Posted by MaltaCooperS

COLOR=RpyalBlue]xxx[/COLORi have a september 2002 cooper S with only 1150 miles on it.

when i drivie the car the engine temperature gauge is perfect, bang in the middle as should be, but when i swtich off the car after a drive of say 10 mins or more then the engine fan goes on to cool the car down.

is this normal? i mean , it is not particularly hot now, the climate control was off, and i drive slowly since it is still running in

pls let me knopw what u think undefined

Cars can overheat after the engine has stopped, because there is no air to cool the radiator and the water pump, which is driven by the engine has stopped.

If the electric fan comes on, the radiator will be cooled a lot, which can also get water around the engine by convection.

Some cars have temperature switches that bring on the fan even when the ignition is off, and I've seen these come on after the engine stops.

I know that the outside temperature sensor runs all the 24hours/day on the MINI, so I guess the car could be programmed to run the fan after the engine stops, if the outside air is hot enough.

It certainly sounds like it's working normally.

[zied]

this stupid fan has gone off in my car when driving from the driveway into the garage in the middle of winter when the temperature was under 50 degrees Fahrenheit. It can stay on for days until I unplug it. Of course the dealer can never replicate the problem. I have gotten very use to unpluging it when it stays on for greater than 15 minutes after turning the engine off.

The bad news is, is that when you plug it back in, even when it has not been started for days, it will still go back on... some sensor problem. If I drive it far enough that it legitimately heats up, then it will turn itself off upon stopping the engine.

[Malin Dixon]

See the thread labled "Mini in the shop with fan permanently on" as others have had the same problem.

[sjbartnik]

Quote: Originally Posted by Malin Dixon

See the thread labled "Mini in the shop with fan permanently on" as others have had the same problem.

I think it's important to differentiate here. It is normal for the MINI to turn the cooling fan on automatically even when the engine and ignition are off. It doesn't even necessarily have to be a particularly hot day for this to happen.

It is NOT normal of course for the cooling fan to remain on indefinitely and drain the battery. That indicates a problem, obviously. However, the fan is working normally if it comes on after the engine has been shut off and eventually shuts itself off.