Freelander 1 cooling fans

hi,

after a bit of advise really as I don't have an overheating issue but my cooling fans come on when the radiator is not hot, not really an issue but thought I would question it.

the radiator never gets hot, the top pipe is hot but the radiator and bottom hose never get hot, therefore the thermostat never opens, should this be the case?

does the thermostat only open when the lower radiator hose is hot?

Thanks for any advise

nick

Knowing what engine would help. But on the whole, the fact that the top hose is hot and bottom hose is cold, suggests that the radiator is working ok.
The fans are controlled by the engine ECU, so will come on if the engine is hot, or the AC is active.

Will also come on if there's a (wiring) fault with the temp sensor as well I believe - eg ef you unpluf the temp sensor, then the fans will come on.

thanks

it's the 1.8 petrol engine

the rad never gets hot unless stationary for a good while, so the thermostat never opens, I assume this is ok ? apologies if this seems a stupid question but I just can't see how the radiator cools the engine as the thermostat never opens to give cool water as it's the bottom rad hose water that needs to get hot to open the thermostat (at about 83 degrees I think), this water is always cool if the vehicle is moving

thanks

NickPalmer said:

it's the 1.8 petrol engine

Click to expand...

That's helpful to know.

NickPalmer said:

the rad never gets hot unless stationary for a good while

Click to expand...

is that a problem?

NickPalmer said:

so the thermostat never opens,

Click to expand...

Of course the thermostat opens.

NickPalmer said:

I assume this is ok ?

Click to expand...

Perfectly normal.

NickPalmer said:

apologies if this seems a stupid question

Click to expand...

Apology accepted.

NickPalmer said:

but I just can't see how the radiator cools the engine as the thermostat never opens to give cool water as it's the bottom rad hose water that needs to get hot to open the thermostat (at about 83 degrees I think), this water is always cool if the vehicle is moving

Click to expand...

The thermostat opens just fine, or it wouldn't cool the engine.

There's no reason to think the thermostat isn't opening, as the coolant isn't boiling.

The radiator is the same used for all Freelander's, so is sized to cool the 2.5L V6, which dumps over twice as much heat into the radiator, compared to the tiny 1.8L engine.

By the top hose being hot, and the bottom hose being cold, it's proving the radiator is working, along with the thermostat.