Hey! I was standing next to our Max when my husband started it up and I wondered why I was hearing so much "soft" noise coming from under the hood. I asked him to shut off the A/C for a minute, but he misunderstood and shut off the car. He turned the key to the ON position and I heard a fan come on, so we popped the hood and the fan behind the radiator was on.
Our mechanic said this will come on, if the AC system was on when he turned the key, and I believe it was on at the time. So he turned off the AC system and turned the key to the ON position again, and the fan still came on. But on a third try with the AC system off, the fan did NOT come on.
And when he DID start the car up again, and turned the AC system back on, the fan did NOT come on. This is why I noticed the sound in the first place, as I do not typically hear a fan come on. I recognize the sound of the AC coming on, but that is all I normally hear.
Can someone help me to understand what's going on here?
Thx!
Auto Mechanics for Dummies :) -- Question re: Fans
You have two fans. One should come on when the AC system is turned on. The other fan is triggered when the coolant temp reaches 221*. The fans have two speed and are controlled by the PCM through two relays located in the engine bay (located in a black box that should be labeled with the location of the relays). You might try switching the relays and see if that works, as the low speed one may be bad.
Thank you so much for your prompt reply. So the fan was on because the temp was at 221 or above and not because the AC had been left in the ON position? If yes, then this would explain the "fan on / fan off" scenario.
Oh wait ... you did say there are TWO fans, including an AC one, so that one would also have to come on if the system's on-- duh!
BTW, did you buy your Max brand new and how long have you owned yours?
Oh wait ... you did say there are TWO fans, including an AC one, so that one would also have to come on if the system's on-- duh!
BTW, did you buy your Max brand new and how long have you owned yours?
Alright I just double checked on my car. With the motor running(not even up to operating temp) and the AC on, both fans were running. If your fans are not running with the AC the on, it is probably a bad relay.
I bought my Max two and a half years ago from a good friend of mine who got a job with a company car. She no longer wanted to make payments on a car she didn't drive, and gave me a hell of a deal on it. I knew that she had taken great care of it mechanically, so it was a no-brainer.
I bought my Max two and a half years ago from a good friend of mine who got a job with a company car. She no longer wanted to make payments on a car she didn't drive, and gave me a hell of a deal on it. I knew that she had taken great care of it mechanically, so it was a no-brainer.
Be sure to check it at low operating temp, as well as at high operating temp(after a long drive) with both the AC on and off. See if one or both fans work and under which circumstances.
If neither of the fans work, or both don't come on at high operating temp with the AC on, get it looked at soon. The Maxima has an aluminum engine, and that could lead to big problems if it overheats often.
If neither of the fans work, or both don't come on at high operating temp with the AC on, get it looked at soon. The Maxima has an aluminum engine, and that could lead to big problems if it overheats often.