Car Off, But Fan Keeps Running - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

dpage · 06-23-2005, 10:43 PM

I have a 1990 Toyota Camry Wagon 6 cylinder. Today I came home from work, turned the car off and the both the radiator fan, and the one next to it, were still running. Has never happened before. Couldn't get them to turn off until I pulled a couple of fan relays out. Can someone tell me how to fix this problem. I live in a fairly remote area and if I have to take it to a shop it will cost an arm and a leg. Please help me

karazy · 06-24-2005, 03:55 AM

I'm not positive about your vehicle, but my I4 gen2 wagon and several cars before this, were designed to do this. The fan is directly connected to the battery thru the temp sw/. If the bulb is hot, the fan will kick in. I remember that on really hot days that it could cycle on/off more than once. How long was it running, before you pulled the relays? I don't remember it running more than a couple of minutes at a time. If it has truely never happened before, then maybe your coolant is lower than normal, or something else is failing in the system.

dpage · 06-24-2005, 08:51 AM

Thanks for the reply. I don't ever remember hearing the fan run after the car was turned off before (I've had it for 8 yrs). It doesn't run when the ignition switch was turned to AUXILLARY - only runs in the OFF/TAKE THE KEY OUT position. I pulled the relays after about 20 min or so and you could touch the engine way before that.

RedPhoenix · 06-24-2005, 09:06 AM

If its REALLLLLY hot out and my car is running for a long time it will do that. atleat i thought so.

dpage · 06-24-2005, 09:27 AM

It's only been up to 70 here, so it's not hot. Like I said, I could put my hand on the engine and the both fans were running. Also, the temp guage was lower than normal. Thank you for responding - I am perplexed. Debbie.

karazy · 06-24-2005, 10:34 AM

20 mins is a little too long. You may have a bad switch or relay. Do the fans come on now that the engine is cold?

Mike Gerber · 06-24-2005, 01:43 PM

Try putting the relay that you took out back in. If the fans run again, try tapping the relay and see if they go off. If they go off, you have confirmed you have a bad relay. If they still run, try replacing that relay with another one from somewhere else in that box of relays with the same markings. If the fans now go off you have confirmed that the original relay was bad. Go to an auto parts store and see if you can get a replacement aftermarket one. If not, on to the nearest Toyota dealership.

Mike

skewe · 06-24-2005, 02:05 PM

i know that older honda , such as the early 1990's preludes used to do that

TOYOTA CARS · 06-24-2005, 02:11 PM

When I read your title, I thought your car was possessed. I've never heard of a fan running when the car is off. I've never had that happen in my Gen 3.5 i4 Camry. Even after 500 mile road trips.

xpeed · 06-24-2005, 02:17 PM

Actually, there's some high powered cars that have the fans running even after the car is turned off. For example, the Lancer Evolution 8 and the WRX Sti fans still runs even if you turned off the car. The purpose of this is to cool off the engine and the radiator if it's too hot. Like everyone says, wait and see if it turns off or not. If the fans still runnin after thiry minutes, then it's a problem.

dpage · 06-24-2005, 11:36 PM

I read somewhere on this site of a fan problem that was solved by banging on the relay to unstick the inside, so this morning I banged on my relays with a wrench before plugging them back in. The fans didn't start then, nor did they run after I turned the car off any of the 3 times I drove today. I don't know if knocking the relays around worked, or if God performed a miracle, but the problem disappeared. I just want to thank everyone for their goodness, time, and effort in answering my plea for help. THANK YOU.

JetspeedCamry · 06-25-2005, 01:47 AM

I had a similar problem like this with my 88 V6. I simply took the relay out, tapped it, put it back and all was well. So, my relays were sticking, due to age i suppose. That could be your problem too.

Mike Gerber · 06-25-2005, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpage

I read somewhere on this site of a fan problem that was solved by banging on the relay to unstick the inside, so this morning I banged on my relays with a wrench before plugging them back in. The fans didn't start then, nor did they run after I turned the car off any of the 3 times I drove today. I don't know if knocking the relays around worked, or if God performed a miracle, but the problem disappeared. I just want to thank everyone for their goodness, time, and effort in answering my plea for help. THANK YOU.

If it happens again I would tap the relays one at a time to determine which one is causing the problem and when I find the defective one, I would repalce it. You never know if it will turn on by itself some time and run the fans until the battery is dead.

Mike