How to check if a vibrating radiator is caused by a bad fan
Noise and vibration coming from under the hood often stem from a damaged radiator fan assembly, bent blades, or a failing fan motor. If left unverified, a broken or non-running fan can lead to poor engine cooling, potential overheating, and costly engine damage.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Relying on passive heat dissipation and monitoring the temperature gauge during stop-and-go traffic or hot weather.Did this help you?
- 2turning on the a/c to force the cooling fans onDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Is it a problem if the radiator fan never turns on?”source ↗
“My engine just doesnt make alot of heat. My new electric fan on my new radiator never runs.”source ↗
“Is this going to eventually cause a problem?”source ↗
“1991 NA Miata coolant fans never turns on unless the a/c is on but do not turn on under normal conditions.”source ↗
“Therefore the car overheats unless the a/c is turned on.”source ↗
“I’ve had a few mechanics work on the car and I am not sure exactly what was done but from what I can tell online it appears I am missing the coolant sensor?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 4Why does the outdoor AC fan stop while the compressor keeps running?
- 4How to replace an AC condenser fan motor yourself