Does my 1986 Honda Prelude have a fan that runs after the car shuts off to cool the engine?
Most Hondas of that generation have a fan that runs only while the engine is running . . . my 89 never runs after the engine is shut off. Rocketman
Hi, if the engine is hot or if you have your a/c turned on or both, the fans will kick on if the ignition is engaged (i.e. when the dash lights are on, accessories, etc), regardless of whether or not the engine is running. Does this fan continue to run after you’ve removed your keys and you are walking away from the car ?
My '89 Accord SE-i has a fan that runs after I shut it off all the time in the summer, not so much this time of year.
Hondas, like most newer cars, typically have fans that run any time the coolant is over a certain temp, regardless of whether the ignition switch is on. In my experiance, though, if the cooling system is in good shape they never come on in most climates(except when the AC is on, in which case it turns on automatically). My Buick had similar fan set up and I only had the cooling fan keep running after I shut it off once, after climbing up a hill in Death Valley.
I cold be wrong here . . my 89 Accord NEVER runs after I turn the key off, but maybe I never ran it that hot . . but never is an awful lot. It never runs after the key is off . . . but I have heard other cars, say VWs . . . run after the owner has parked the car and he is walking away from the car. My thoughts here . . . the cooling fan might cool the fluid in the radiator, but how could it possibly cool the engine down if the engine isn’t running/water pump isn’t pumping the coolant through the engine? Rocketman
I think most cars have to get really, really hot for the fan to stay on. My '91 Corsica got up near the red zone once when climbing a VERY steep hill in summer with the AC on. Once we got to the top, let it idle for a little bit, and shut off the motor, the fan stayed on for about a minute. Only time that’s ever happened.
My '92 Accord (232k miles) and my '98 Accord (189k miles), have never done this. I’ve owned both cars since new. I’ve heard the fans in other cars, such as VWs, running after the engine is shut off, but never a Honda’s. I’ll admit I don’t pay much attention to Hondas older than 1990, so maybe there was a design change somewhere.
Thanks everyone for your answers. Got a great deal on this '86 with 85,000miles yes 85K it’s a dream and I don’t want to blow it up. I thought I heard the fan running after I turned it off and looked for the little plastic one that I have seen on other makes before but could not find one so I thought I would ask y’all. So, again, THANKS.