1988 Honda Accord Fan

AECAMINO

MEMBER
1988 HONDA ACCORD
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
130,000 MILES

The 1988 Honda Accord has two fans, the regular one and the one for the AC.

The one for the AC works fine and turns on when the AC is on.

The regular fan never comes on unless the AC is on. I understand that the regular fan is designed to come on and off as needed, but it never comes on unless the AC is on.

5 Replies

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,815 POSTS

Hi aecamino,

Does the A/C (condenser) fan comes on when the A/C is not ON?

When A/C is not turned on, the radiator fan together with the condenser fan would only work when the fan switch is activated by means of the coolant temperature reaching a predetermined value.

Under normal circumstances, the fan would come on only after more than 20 mins of starting engine.

Did you try running the engine without the A/C turned on for more than 20 mins and checking the fan operations?

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Monday, February 2nd, 2009 AT 2:54 PM

AECAMINO

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3 POSTS

Both fans work when the AC is on.

IF the A/C is off the regular fan never comes on no matter how long the engine is running.

Thanks!

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Monday, February 2nd, 2009 AT 3:25 PM

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,815 POSTS

Hi aecamino,

Do you have overheating problem?
Is the weather very cold?

Under normal circumstances and moderater temperature, it would take about 20 to 30 mins for the engine to heat up for the fans to work.

If the weather is very cold, the heat generated by the engine while idling would be sufficiently cooled by the radiator without the fans and you might need to run for a long time before it heats up sufficiently to activate the fan.

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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 AT 7:04 AM

AECAMINO

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3 POSTS

Thanks for responding.

I live in Southern California and the weather is not cold. The tempewrature gets hotterbut it does not reach the overheating point. The water in the radiator tends to evapoarte more frequently and I have to add water on a weekly basis.

Thanks.

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Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 AT 9:24 AM

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,815 POSTS

You are welcomed.

This a strange because if the fans do not work, it would overheat after running without the A/C.

The fan thermosensor ( fan switch) is located at lower part of radiator, unplug it and jump the terminals with a wire and turn on ignition switch. If the fans works, then the thermosensor is faulty.

The necessity to add coolant frequently should not be due to evaporation. I suspect there is a minor leak in the system and it would get worse along with time. You should get a pressure test done to find the leak. Is the reserve tank depleting as well as radiator or just the radiator is losing coolant?