Most modern cars have a sticker that says something like
"Keep your fingers away from the fan" simply because they are on a thermostat and will run on after the engine is switched off . Be careful .

 

My Cooper S has done it once about 2 weeks ago - which immediately reminded me of a VW GTI I owned nearly 20 years ago that did it all the time.

As with you car, the weird part was it was not particularly hot (the car or the weather) when it occurred.

 

My fan runs periodically after shut down. It certainly isn't uncommon for it to happen. I think part of the reason for the increased frequency (in my case) is the altitude here in Denver forces the engine to work a little harder.

 

Thanks guys for easing my mind

Having driven a 1973 BMW 2002 for the past 29+ years, it's going to take some time getting used to these "modern car" nuances

 

I have not had my MINI fan come on after shut down, but my 2001 Volvo Cross Country does this after running the air conditioner. It actually comes on about 20 minutes after shut down. This is a "feature" documented in the Volvo owner's manual. That the MINI might do this seems congruous with modern vehicle temperature management.

 

Could be due to the fact that when stopped there is no airflow through the rad, but water still flows around the hot engine due to thermal cycling and therefore gets hot enough to operate the thermostat. Probably!

 

The fan can indeed come on at any time. Usually it comes on in very hot weather, with the A/C on, when the car is idling. But under some circumstances it can come on after the engine is off. This will again, usually happen on a hotter day, when you've operated the A/C, but other combinations can set it off.

If you've just run the engine relatively hard, and shut it off without allowing it to idle for even 30 seconds, the engine can 'hot-soak' where the extreme heat of the pistons and the block equalize with the still coolant. The fan comes on because the thermostat was triggered.

The best way to prevent the fan from comming on, is to allow the engine to idle for a short time after it's been run hot, hard or long.

Still, once it came on for no particular reason... We drove a short distance, on a cool evening, didn't drive it hard, A/C was off, and went for ice cream with friends. We took our merry time, and when we got back to the car, quite a while later, the fan started up just as we were getting in.

 

Fan still runs after turning engine off

Hi - I realize this is an old thread, but I hope someone can shed a little light onto my problem.

I have an 06MCS, and the fan has NEVER come on after I've turned off the ignition. THat is, until this week.

I've done a ton of hot weather, long distance driving and this didn't happen. Now, after driving 2 blocks in freezing temps, this car is doing it all the time. I've had me, my dad, and a couple other mechanic friends check it out, and they don't really know what to think. Any ideas? (I'm an 8 hr drive from the nearest mini dealership.) Thanks everyone.

 

Might help:
http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-ge...irst-generation-faults-fixes/118392-mini-cooper-s-problem-engine-fan-stays.html