Engine shuts off when radiator fan comes on

JOHNNYGRIEVER

MEMBER
2008 TOYOTA CAMRY
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
80,000 MILES

Hi,

My girlfriend recently bought the car listed above used and it is doing something strange.

The car drives fine, but every time the engine is just idling (for example at stop lights) and the radiator fan turns on, the car shudders and the engine switches off. It doesn't seem to happen if the car is actually moving, just stationary at idle. It feels almost like it is using too much power to keep the engine running when the fan engages. I truly hope this isn't an electrical fault. Has anyone experienced this problem before? Is there any chance it could be something simple like a sensor, fuse or relay?

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

1 Reply

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
13,016 POSTS

From the description it sounds like an electrical issue. Either the alternator isn't charging correctly or the battery is weak. At idle the system isn't charging a lot and when the fans engage they draw a lot of power, that ramps the alternator up and increases the drain on the engine which causes it to stall out. The first thing I would do is get the battery load tested, there are some parts stores that will do that for free. Some will also test the charging system, but may not want to do it with the engine under load as it would be when it stalls. Next would be to test the fans for their current draw to see if they are failing and taking excessive power.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-load-test
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator