I noticed about 2-3 weeks ago that the radiator cooling fans dont turn on, even after driving for more than 20 minutes. When I get to a stop, the car smells like its burning up.
but the fans do turn on when the a/c is on (both left and right)...

just want to know if thats right? and what do i need to do to fix the problem?

 

is the temp gauge showing overheating? have you checked the coolant level?
if there isn't enough coolant, the sensor may not switch on fan. just a little more info.

 

the ecm controls the cooling fans based on three variables, the vehicle speed sensor,
engine coolant temp, and the AC switch.

with the AC off, the fans should not operate with the engine coolant temp under around 203F. when it gets above that due to other factors such as low coolant or leaking coolant, busted rad, etc, the fans will come on. the fans have also have a 3 step control (high,low,off) and the speed will vary like i said, depending on the engine coolant, as well as the vehicle speed.

with the AC on, the fans should operate till you hit around 50mph. after that, it shuts off to be efficient most likely but again, if the engine temp rises above that certain limit (203F ish) the fans will turn on.

 

thanks G
okay you say they dont turn on when temp under 200F or so

but when I drive for more than 20 minutes or more... with the a/c off. why does my car smells like its burning up when I get to a stop?

 

do you smell it through the air vents? it could be numerous of things. could be oil residue heating up and burning, something like a loose wire melting, i don't know. you should pop the hood and inspect the area for odd findings...and sniff around w/ the engine warmed up.

 

I smell it when I get out my car and small amount of smoke is coming from the radiator. but I will pop the hood and check it out

guess i will ride with my a/c on till I fix this problem

thanks G4nismo

 

I'd check the leak around rad area and the coolant level. Driving low coolant could cause serious damage. Your engine is not cooled by the fan, but by the coolant...

 

I have just the opposite. Once up to temp my fans never cut off. I have replaced the thermostat, radiator, CTS, and water pump. Any ideas?

 

Ya man he's right, i had a slight coolant leak also i just kept topping it off when it needed it. Then one day the radiator cracked and lost ALL coolant on a hot day... Heat spiked up and warped my heads. Long story short had to buy new engine