Fans like a jet!

Suddenly the fans in my '08 X3 seem to be running full-tilt. The car sounds like a jet engine... Is this an indication of a faulty thermostat? Or something else...?

Among the possibilities:

- coolant leak

- air trapped in cooling system

- fan switch gummed up

- oil level low

- electric water pump faulty

- A/C on all the time

Thermostat would be my last suspect.

Does the '08 have more than one radiator fan?
I thought there was just one and it had variable speeds.
Yours must be running on highest speed for that noise.
You would have to monitor what is happening as engine warms up from cold start.

Originally Posted by Supercourse

Among the possibilities:

- coolant leak

- air trapped in cooling system

- fan switch gummed up

- oil level low

- electric water pump faulty

- A/C on all the time

Thermostat would be my last suspect.

Does the '08 have more than one radiator fan?
I thought there was just one and it had variable speeds.
Yours must be running on highest speed for that noise.
You would have to monitor what is happening as engine warms up from cold start.

If I mentioned that my A/C isn't working properly would that help fine-tune the recommendation?? I have it set at 59 and it's fairly cold... But setting it at something reasonable like 67 is useless..

Other mentionables... Oil was changed, by me, days before the fan issue... Liqui Moly 5w-30... Computer says the level is perfect (7qts added).... and the coolant level is at minimum according to the "floating stick" when you open the resivour..

And I believe it only has a single radiator fan.... It doesn't start on "high speed" right away.. but if it's driven for a little bit, then it's like a jet..

Hard to say.

Might be 2 separate problems - worn bearing in engine cooling fan, and A/C no longer up to snuff.

But if the climate system is working hard to keep up, the engine fan might be running on high speed for long periods.

Would be easier to diagnose if it was the HVAC blower that was making the noise and not moving the cold air into the cabin efficiently.

Thanks for all the replies... I have my indy set to mount up some new Yokomaha tires on the 2nd and they'll also check out this issue.. I'll post what they discover then.

HELP!! I have a similar problem. I just recharged my a/c and after doing so, my fan sounds like this too. But, my a/c works better than ever. Is this normal and it was just low the whole time? It only runs when the ac is
On and it is 110 degrees here.

no need to be alarmed. the fan working over time to cool your motor and keep you cool with the AC is perfectly normal. Just keep an eye on your temp gauge and leave extra space between you and the car in front of you to allow for better airflow.

p.s. have a local automotive AC shop check your system as it is probably low.

My fan is doing that as well, also A/C works fine untill outside temp go's over 86 degrees as day warms up, A/C puts out little to no cold air. Any ideas?

Originally Posted by CraigsX3

My fan is doing that as well, also A/C works fine untill outside temp go's over 86 degrees as day warms up, A/C puts out little to no cold air. Any ideas?

MY issue seems to have gone away just as quickly as it came on.. But, my indy did tell me my freon was .5lbs low... The work order says they evacuated the system and recharged it... So i don't know if they really did that, or simply added that .5bls.. But now my A/C is working and the radiator fan is running normally...