just started noticing this past 6 weeks or so my cooling fan turning on more often...actually like first time i've ever heard it turn on, period. i'd guess that it's come on about 7-8x in that period; of course, that's how many times i've actually heard it go on. and it doesn't necessarily coincide with hot weather or long drives. once it came on after a simple 2-3 minute drive within wahiawa to p/u lunch. and there have been some hot days driving to kahuku in mid-morning without it going off.

most recently i noticed it after driving from aina haina to ala mo shopping center. after getting out of the car, i heard it running, so i stayed around to see how long it ran for, ~3 minutes. i could feel air being sucked in from the lower grilles and hot air blowing out from the scoop area.

haven't had any issues with starting or driving. i've faithfully checked my coolant reservoir every month or so w/o any significant coolant loss. only i notice is the brownish sludge that's building up on the bottom. i figure it's time for a coolant change or flush, as i'm at 43k now.

any thoughts? i'm only concerned because in 42k miles of driving, i've never heard the cooling fan turn on at all. and all of sudden i've heard it go on a handful of times.

ontop of this, my brother's '02 mcs had a big overheating problem recently which required alot of time to fix. he did tell me he had to constantly check his coolant level, even after having the tank replaced via the recall. and the thing that concerns me is that he reported his fan turning on more frequently in the months leading up to the overheating incident. in addition, he said that one of his associates also reported more frequent running of the cooling fan before needing to take his mcs into the dealer for overheating issues as well.

today i checked if the fan turned on intermittently with the a/c on, which it did. i'm thinking trying a radiator flush to get the gunk outta the coolant system, which i believe it's time for anyways.

do your folks' cooling fans turn on more frequently now cause of the summer weather?

or am i being a worried wart just cause i'm nearing that dreaded 50k miles, no more warranty thing?

 

Kyle,

I'd say you are due for a system flush at dealer, ESMHawaii, or DIY (but you'd have to get your hands dirty at DIY ). Your thermostat could be bad but I heard you ordered an m7 one so do this when you flush.

 

no doubt man it certainly sounds like its time to flush it.

 

i wish i can answer that, when i had a fender bender, they replaced my entire radiator.. so i guess that was my flush~!.but if you get a m7 thermo...we should have a DIY...mine is still in a bag..

 

yep, mine's still in the baggie which is sitting in my mini, ready to be installed...for like the past 6 months at least.

i might get a flush soon as my mini will be in for a few tune-ups in the upcoming month or two...so no need to get down and dirty for now.

hopefully that will "fix" it. today again while driving within wahiawa for lunch, i heard my fan turn on for a bit while idling at the light. but no fan on after parking.

 

Have any of you try DIY flushing the coolant? It's time consumming?

 

get bmw/mini coolant & distilled h20. - loosen bottom rad hose drain & refil with your mixture desired- I used 15% antifreeze rest H20 & redline water wetter. Use 50% coolant if you desire. This method doesn't drain all coolant out but enough to get rid of that ugly brown in overflow tank- 30-45 minute job-