Fans Running Full Blast When Warm?
#1
Fans Running Full Blast When Warm?
Hello Everyone. My apologies if this was asked before. I did some searching but couldn't really come upon a definitive answer.
To give you a brief history, the radiator, thermostat and radiator cap are all very new (Radiator was rotting into dust literally). Even added a bottle of water wetter. The car has no problems keeping cool (gauge is always in the correct area) and warms up quick enough. My problem is this, when the car finally warms up to the point that the fan needs to kick on to cool off the coolant, the fans kick in to high gear like they would with the air conditioning on. Problem is the air conditioning is not on. Once the fan is on I wait and wait for it to turn back off but it does not.
The fan is sucking up so much energy from the alternator that turning on my fog lights for example dims all the lights on the car. I can slightly hit the gas in Park and watch my lights bright up as the RPM's go up. I'm not sure what is causing this. I half suspected the coolant temperature sensor but I'm getting no OBDII codes. Although it is easy enough to change and cheap. The other possibility was a possible water pump going bad but this doesn't sound likely as the cars ability to stay cool seems just fine, even in hotter weather.
Thanks for looking.
To give you a brief history, the radiator, thermostat and radiator cap are all very new (Radiator was rotting into dust literally). Even added a bottle of water wetter. The car has no problems keeping cool (gauge is always in the correct area) and warms up quick enough. My problem is this, when the car finally warms up to the point that the fan needs to kick on to cool off the coolant, the fans kick in to high gear like they would with the air conditioning on. Problem is the air conditioning is not on. Once the fan is on I wait and wait for it to turn back off but it does not.
The fan is sucking up so much energy from the alternator that turning on my fog lights for example dims all the lights on the car. I can slightly hit the gas in Park and watch my lights bright up as the RPM's go up. I'm not sure what is causing this. I half suspected the coolant temperature sensor but I'm getting no OBDII codes. Although it is easy enough to change and cheap. The other possibility was a possible water pump going bad but this doesn't sound likely as the cars ability to stay cool seems just fine, even in hotter weather.
Thanks for looking.
#2
if its showing the right temp on your gauge, then I doubt it's the coolant temp sensor that is newer. what is the lb's on your radiator cap? it could be your FAN2 relay by the battery, or your new thermostat may stay too far open...btw there are 2 thermostats.
#3
The cap pressure is 13 psi. 2 Thermostats you say? Where would this 2nd thermostat be? The thermostat only opens a maximum amount doesn't it? I'd understand if it stayed stuck open but then it would take a while for my car to heat up no? Especially in cold weather, which is not the case.
#4
u said it "warms up quick enough"... too quick?
the second therm is between the OEM intake and the 'front' head... it's a small pita to replace... but my best guess would be the connector to the temp sensor(directly behind the 2nd therm) simply needs to be cleaned and scuffed
is there any moisture around the alternator? Yet the problem seems electrical... I'm not sure if the ECU controls the fan, or if the temp sensor triggers the fan.
the second therm is between the OEM intake and the 'front' head... it's a small pita to replace... but my best guess would be the connector to the temp sensor(directly behind the 2nd therm) simply needs to be cleaned and scuffed
is there any moisture around the alternator? Yet the problem seems electrical... I'm not sure if the ECU controls the fan, or if the temp sensor triggers the fan.
#5
If you have a 3.0 liter engine, you have 2 temperature gauges. One is for the gauge in the dash and the other is for the ECU to use. If the ECU temperature gauge is bad, sending out too high of a temperature reading, the radiator fans would be on and the temperature gauge would show normal because it is run by another sensor.
Get a quality OBD code reader (not one of those cheap azz $30 pieces of crapola) hooked up and it will tell you the temperature of the engine coolant as reported by the ECU temperature sensor. Best time to do this is with a cold engine that has not been started yet. That way the reading should be the outside air temperature.
There are more things to consider but without knowing what year/engine you have, I'm not going to get into them. All the year models of the Maxima have differences from each other, they are not identical.
Get a quality OBD code reader (not one of those cheap azz $30 pieces of crapola) hooked up and it will tell you the temperature of the engine coolant as reported by the ECU temperature sensor. Best time to do this is with a cold engine that has not been started yet. That way the reading should be the outside air temperature.
There are more things to consider but without knowing what year/engine you have, I'm not going to get into them. All the year models of the Maxima have differences from each other, they are not identical.
#6
I have the 3.5L Engine. When ordering my thermostat from Rockauto I only saw one option. It takes about 2 or 3 blocks to warm up on a 50-60 degree day. Seems normal.
Driving it and paying attention these past few days, I realized that it takes a bit of time for the fans to kick on (normal) but once on they take quite a while to shut back off. They DO shut off but it just seems to take a while. Sometimes even when coming off of the highway it seemed like they were still on. I'm not absolutely positive of that. You know it could be acting normal but I haven't compared it to another Maxima to know and I just started driving the car on a regular basis a few months back (It was my wifes before).
To me, if the fans are drawing enough power to dim all the lights of my car then something isn't right.
Driving it and paying attention these past few days, I realized that it takes a bit of time for the fans to kick on (normal) but once on they take quite a while to shut back off. They DO shut off but it just seems to take a while. Sometimes even when coming off of the highway it seemed like they were still on. I'm not absolutely positive of that. You know it could be acting normal but I haven't compared it to another Maxima to know and I just started driving the car on a regular basis a few months back (It was my wifes before).
To me, if the fans are drawing enough power to dim all the lights of my car then something isn't right.
#7
Yes, and I would also look into the condition of the alternator and wire grounds. You mentioned rust before so perhaps your ground connections need cleaning. Also, unplugging and plugging in the alternator connections may dislodge rust, freeing up the alternator with a clean path to deliver electricity to the rest of the vehicle.
#9
Since you have the 3.5 engine, there is only one temperature sensor, not 2 like the 3.0. So if the dash gauge shows that you are not over heating, then you probably aren't.
In your 1st post, you said that the fans are running at high speed. How did you determine this? With the a/c turned off, the fans aren't supposed to run until the engine temp reaches 212º F (100º C). In regular city driving, the water temperature goes up and down between 180º and 200º F (82º and 95º C), which means the fans should not run at high speed.
What I think is that your thermostat is the problem. I think your thermostat is not opening up enough to allow full full water circulation. Maxima.org has many, many threads where people put non-Nissan thermostats in and the car did not cool properly.
But I still think you should get an OBD reader to see what the coolant temperature is running at.
In your 1st post, you said that the fans are running at high speed. How did you determine this? With the a/c turned off, the fans aren't supposed to run until the engine temp reaches 212º F (100º C). In regular city driving, the water temperature goes up and down between 180º and 200º F (82º and 95º C), which means the fans should not run at high speed.
What I think is that your thermostat is the problem. I think your thermostat is not opening up enough to allow full full water circulation. Maxima.org has many, many threads where people put non-Nissan thermostats in and the car did not cool properly.
But I still think you should get an OBD reader to see what the coolant temperature is running at.
#10
is your defrost on by chance?
Since you have the 3.5 engine, there is only one temperature sensor, not 2 like the 3.0.
I honestly think I will change the Temperature Sensor. It may be a waste of money BUT it is only $20 and it is very easy to change. Worst comes to worst I was suppose to change the transmission pan soon (Is rusting just like every other underbody component of this car) so while I'm there I could ask them to take a closer look. I'll report back once the temperature sensor has been changed.
But I still think you should get an OBD reader to see what the coolant temperature is running at.
#12
I honestly think I will change the Temperature Sensor. It may be a waste of money BUT it is only $20 and it is very easy to change. Worst comes to worst I was suppose to change the transmission pan soon (Is rusting just like every other underbody component of this car) so while I'm there I could ask them to take a closer look. I'll report back once the temperature sensor has been changed.
I've never heard of that capability in the Maxima, so I'll go with no.
#13
#15
Oh and I guess you guys were right about it having one temperature sensor.
http://parts.nissanusa.com/nissanpar...partcode=22630
I have to ask, how difficult is it to change the thermostat I thought it was a simple 3 bolts until I had my radiator, thermostat and hoses changed out. The mechanic said he had to take out the alternator for some reason.
http://parts.nissanusa.com/nissanpar...partcode=22630
What I think is that your thermostat is the problem. I think your thermostat is not opening up enough to allow full full water circulation. Maxima.org has many, many threads where people put non-Nissan thermostats in and the car did not cool properly.
Last edited by Jibberish18; 09-24-2014 at 09:49 PM.
#17
As others have said, It can be done without removing the alternator.
#18
Well I've decided to buy a Bluetooth enabled OBDII scanner and connect it to my Android phone. This should give me a way of looking at any perimeters I'd like in real time, including coolant temperatures. Plus it's cool! I'll report back with findings.
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ballerchris510
3rd Generation Maxima (1989-1994)
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09-10-2015 09:35 PM