Hey everyone, this is an incredibly n00bish question so bear with me.

What is the purpose of the radiator fan and when does it come on? I noticed today after driving around a while and looking under the hood that the fan wasn't on (and for all I know hadn't been on while driving).

Also how quickly does it take for you all's temperature gauge to get to running temperature (needle at 12 o'clock). I only ask because it seems to me I reach that middle point within 10 minutes of driving. Thinking something may be broken.

 

For smog reasons it heats up fast. Usually in less than 5 unless it is really cold.

Fan runs off a thermostat, cycles as needed. All is normal.

 

Ahh interesting. I was comparing this Jeep to my old '96 truck where the fan runs 100% of the time and it takes 15-20 minutes to reach the 12 o clock operating temperature.

thanks for the info!

 

Hey i was wondering the same thing thanks for the help

 

It's typical for fans to be turned on as hot as 210 degrees. Yes, mine heats up real quick, too. They run them hot to help with complete combustion. All you have to do is turn on your A/C and stand outside your Jeep with it running. You'll hear it come on. If you don't, take it in to get it seen about.

 

There has been some speculation that the temp gauge is just an "idiot light with a needle" - that is, it only shows "cold", "kinda cold", "normal", "kinda hot", and "hot". I have noticed that it moves rather quickly from "cold" to "normal", which makes me think this is true. I don't think it's a true temperature gauge, but rather a computer-controlled indicator that shows one of several predefined positions at predetermioned temperatures.