TD6 Ventilation Fan doing weird things

[flyboy]

Hi Guys,
i've just done a quick search and havent found anything related to my issue....
Lately i've noticed the fan waking up and coming on whenever I unlock the car or open a door or even the boot when the engine's not running. The fan seems to fire up for a few seconds and stop and then go again......kind of like the car's breathing??? It lasts for about 30 seconds and then stops. I've had the car for 4 years and havent noticed it before and it doesnt seem like it would be normal? So just wondering if anyone else has had this or knows what's going on?
Its a 2004 TD6....
Thanks guys,
Marcus

[Homestar]

Mine does the same thing, but it doesn't cause a drain on the battery and I think I asked the same question early on when I bought it, and was told this was normal.

Seems a bit odd that it hasn't done it before though. If it is draining your battery, then you could have a faulty fan resistor or whatever it is called - there is a known issue with the fan doing weird things and this being at fault.

Cheers - Gav

[flyboy]

Thanks Gav,
I haven't had any battery drain issues. I moved house about 4 months ago and now the rangie lives in a garage so I probably just notice it now as before it was outside. Good to know it's normal!
Out of interest, any ideas as to the theory behind why it does it?
Marcus

[harlie]

The fans you hear are cooling fans for computers. Certain things trigger a “wake up event” for a few of the major computers, unlocking is one, and opening a door is another. The wake event allows the systems a bit of a head start in loading into memory, establishing comms ect before the car is started - it assumes that if it is unlocked or opened it is going somewhere... My car is never locked while in the garage, and you can hear several ECU fans come to life when a door is opened, even though it hasn’t been locked for several days…

Some systems wake on their own accord every couple hours, do a few checks and then re-hibernate – EAS is one. This level of electronic activity is why the car needs a big and healthy battery.

[flyboy]

Thanks Harlie,
Im still learning things after 4 years!

[jsp]

yes its the e box fans, they get noisy and aprently even fail after time which concerns me, I hear mine going. Its a pain when you want to sleep in the car and you hear it.

If you have the full service history for your car check it out, mine has been replaced twice under waranty for noise issues. I bet they just gave it a squirt with WD40 and charged the owner full price ;)

[neil 90]

While the ECU cooling fans do run on a bit after shut down I think what you may be hearing is the climate control fan giving a quick burst when the doors opened, I think this is to maintain positive pressure inside, most new cars/trucks run positive cabin pressure, so even when the fan is switched off it still runs a bit until it 'goes to sleep'.
I think its to keep dust out and maintain the right temp.

could be wrong though :-)

[Daniel]

While the ECU cooling fans do run on a bit after shut down I think what you may be hearing is the climate control fan giving a quick burst when the doors opened, I think this is to maintain positive pressure inside, most new cars/trucks run positive cabin pressure, so even when the fan is switched off it still runs a bit until it 'goes to sleep'.
I think its to keep dust out and maintain the right temp.

could be wrong though :-)

I think you may be right Neil - in both my L322's the cabin fans give a 20 sec burst after opening and closing doors. The noise generated is far too much to be ECU fans.

[neil 90]

Hi Daniel, Ive paid a bit more attention whilst in mine and im pretty sure thats what it will be,

I will have to do the FSR one day ;)

[Daniel]

I'm probably wrong but I always thought that the small fan that one hears inside the cabin that is being described here as an ECU cooling fan was what I thought a fan utilised to blow cabin air past sensors associated with the climate control.

[bluegreygreen Rangie]

If the noise is coming from up near/ under the pedals its the fan in the elec box in the engine bay which is connected via flex ducting to that area, My old TD6 did it often... i have never heard my new one make the noise



Dave