Quick question involving the fans under the hood

[drazzie]

hey guys

I own a '96 Camry and the fans turn on automatically as soon as I start the engine. However, my sister recently purchased a '97 camry and the fan does not start when the engine is started, i left it on for a few minutes and it still didnt start. the car runs good though. just wondering if this is normal, maybe the fans for the '97s only turns on when the engine is really hot?

thanks for any feedback

[blackhawk]

you pretty much answered ur question

[toyomoho]

The radiator fan comes on when the coolant temp is around 199F. It the engine is cold and the fan comes on it may be wiring or coolant sensor switch issue. If the A/C is on one or more fans will come on.

[J_Phu]

Originally Posted by drazzie

hey guys

I own a '96 Camry and the fans turn on automatically as soon as I start the engine. However, my sister recently purchased a '97 camry and the fan does not start when the engine is started, i left it on for a few minutes and it still didnt start. the car runs good though. just wondering if this is normal, maybe the fans for the '97s only turns on when the engine is really hot?

thanks for any feedback

or maybe you have an hydrualic power fan and your sister have and electric fan, then agian I could be wrong.

[dc_98_cam]

Check the radiator temp switch ... located at the bottom of the passenger side of the radiator ... should be two wires ... one is black with a red stripe, one is white with a black stripe. Disassemble connector and see if there is continuity .... low resistance across the two wires. Think it should actually be open circuit, or high resistance when the engine is cold. ... The problem could be something else, like a sticking relay.
Do you have a multimeter to check resistance?
What does the fan do when you disconnect the wires at the lower radiator switch ... with the ignition on and the engine cold?

[drazzie]

oh so wait.... my 96 camry's fans arent supposed to come on when i start up the engine?? they are always on when the car is in use even when the engine is cold

[chronoti]

well depends, hydraulic fans run off the ps pump and are always on. so 96 i say no, unless you have your a/c on.

[drazzie]

oh, i never knew this. how serious of a problem is this? should i get it checked out asap? i was wondering why it always takes so damn long to get the engine hot in the morning before i went to work. lol

[fabbb]

Drazzie, It's not serious like you are going to blow up your engine or anything, but it is best for the engine to warm up to normal operating temp as quickly as possible. I agree that your fans should not be coming on as soon as you start your car unless you have the a/c on. If you can't look into this sort of thing, take it to a trusted mechanic and have it looked at. SteveB

[Dave's]

Don't know about your car specifically but in past posts I seem to remember that it's not uncommon for the fan relay(s) to stick. Pretty easy to replace once you find it(them).

[chronoti]

also colder engines burn more gas, other than that not much. but it does sound like a stuck open relay.

[drazzie]

solved the problem, after a minute under the hood i noticed a cable was disconnected from the driver's side of the radiator. plugged it in and the problem was solved.

thanks for everyone's feedback!