Hey all!
I'm on my 3rd summer with this car now (an '02 x-type, 2.5, MT) and I've just noticed (in the last 2 weeks) that the cooling fans seem to run much louder than I've noticed before, and they run significantly longer after the ignition is turned-off than they ever have before.

Of course I've watched, and the temp gauge doesn't move, but as I understand it, it's not really a gauge anyway? More of an indicator-needle?

i've checked coolant levels, and its fine.

any ideas?

 

jag-ooo-r, it is possible that your just running in hotter temps than before and this will cause the car to run a little warmer than normal and also take longer to cool the engine off after the car has stopped. But, along the same lines, if your thermostat is starting to go, the motor can run warmer too. And, like you mention, the temp gauge is more a rough guide of what the motor is doing.

Hopefully this helps you get started down the correct path.

 

Thanks THERMO!

And because your name makes me think you know what you're talking about I'll take your advice and start my path with the thermostat. It's probably due.

Wondering how y'all would go about checking flow on a sealed-loop like this car? I mean, I can't just pop the radiator cap and look for flow to see if the water pump is good. !?!?!?!?

 

Global warming bro!

 

This happened to me about 8 months ago. I noticed that my fans were running seriously long after I turned the car off. Turned out that I had a crack in my coolant reservoir, and it ended up totally blowing out on me probaly 3 days after I really started to notice this. I also have an 02 2.5, and was told this is not an uncommon problem. it cost me about a hundred bucks with labor to replace, if I had the time, it would have been 30 minutes and probably 45 bucks. the thermostat could be going too, but just telling you my tale. Check to see if you have bubbles in your reservoir when you turn the car off. WARNING: Don't pop any caps... they are pretty hot.

 

I've checked the fluid level, I'm good, and it builds pressure well, so I'm not suspicious of any cracks, but the net result of you having a crack and me having a bad reservoir could be very similar, so it helps me narrow-down the cause. Thanks for the info!

I think I'll replace the thermostat and then see where we go.

 

jag-ooo-r, actually, the name is what I used to do for a living. It is short for Thermostatic Monkey. And no, it is not involving car coolant systems. I used to run a nuclear reactor (think Homer Simpson). I don't control power of the reactor, but I do control its temperature (hence the thermostat portion). Believe it or not, with the plant I was running, I could teach most people in about 5 minutes most of what they would need to know to run the plant on a daily basis (hence the monkey part, so easy, even a monkey could do it).

Now I just get to repair the electronic systems that control the reactor. Much easier job, much, much less stress, and I am getting paid about the same. So, a win all the way around for me.

 

low whistle.......
that's dang COOL!!!! i love cool jobs. they make me feel young again.

 

I had mine replaced on my 03-2.5 a couple years ago under warranty, $110.00. Waht caused it was they put the clamp on the upper port with the ears up and with the hood shut it put constant pressure on the nipple and it cracked. When they replace it they did the same thing so I flipped it around and it's ok.

 

Man! This is getting downright EMBARASSING!!

Today I timed it:
it was only 76d outside, and after shutting the car off, parked in the shade (with the temp guage reading normal) the fans ran "full-blast" for over 8 MINUTES!!!

Temp gauge never shows anything wrong.
Ccoolant level is good.
I haven't yet changed the thermostat, but using my point-n-shoot thermometer I'd say it appears to be opening and working correctly.

So what controls the fans? Is there a controller somewhere that can be bad?

 

jag-ooo-r, the ECU controls the fans. The speed of the fans is controlled through a mix of coolant temperature and A/C system demands. Because you are talking about your fans running hard (ie, the loudness of the fans), this would lead me to believe that you have a fan controller that is starting to go. So, even a small signal from the ECU is making the fan controller think it needs to go full blast. Unfortunately, the only fix is getting a new controller.

If you want to do voltage measurements and have a multimeter, I can give you some things to check. Just a warning though, you will be getting your hand near moving fans and a hot radiator.

 

Yup, I think this is the point I'm coming to.

So I'd be VERY appreciative of anything you could steer me to to check. And I have no qualms about running fans and hot radiators. As a matter of fact: I find I am strangely aroused....

Just KIDDING!

Where is the fan controller located? Is it a variable frequency drive?

Something else that would be usefull is if somebody wanetd to do a couple temp-checks with a point-n-shoot thermometer, to compare with what I'm getting. Frankly, I'm not even sure what the temp rating on the thermostat is? but maybe measuring several places and comparing temp would allow us to narrow down any blockage, etc.

 

jag-ooo-r, as for how the ECU controls the fans, it sends a variable pulse width signal to the fan controller. In short, think of a constant frequency square wave, but the time of the high part of the square wave can be made longer and shorter. When no cooling is needed, the high part of the square wave is made very short, resulting in the fan controller making little to no voltage to drive the fans. Therefore the fans will barely turn if at all. The more cooling that is needed, the longer the high part of the square wave is, this leads to the fan controller making a higher voltage, leading to the fans running faster (remember, the speed of a DC motor is a function of the voltage applied, more voltage means the fan runs faster and vice versa).

As for checks to make, the easiest will be to open the hood. Now, start the car and turn the A/C on full speed (lowest temp, dash fan speed on as fast as it will go). Now, place your hand on the air filter box. Do you feel a very strong breeze coming up? If you stick your head down near the filter box, you should have your eyes starting to water because the breeze is that strong (well, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea). If this is the case, your fans are working as they should. If you are getting a nice gentle breeze, this pretty much confirms a bad fan controller. If the fans are not working, then let me know and I will give you the fuses to check and a voltage measurement to make.

As for the fan controller. If you look down in front of the battery in the upper driver's side corner of the fans, you will see a finned silver module about 3x5x1" in size. That is the fan controller. It is the only module in the area. You undo the screws holding it in place, undo the electrical plug and remove. The hard part is simply getting enough room to have your hands in there to remove the screws. The rest is pretty easy.

 

My 2004 3.0 x-Type stared making an awful rattle/grinding at start-up and periodically during the trip over the weekend. Many years of automotive experience and some time with the hood open/me on the ground and all around the car led me to believe that it was the serpentine belt or because of the rotary "grinding" sound a pulley associated with that system. The sound diminishes or disappears if I rev the engine and returns again around idle. This morning my girl took it into work and turned the car off, She called me and I could hear the fans running over the cell phone, NOT normal! She said it sounded like a commercial A/C unit on a building it was so bad. I had her start the car and turn it off and the noise/fans stopped immediately. Now I'm wondering if the problem is one and the same or 2 separate conditions all together? Any input advice etc would be greatly appreciated. $$$ is too tight to pay the Jag shop to fix it.

 

Update, My girl now informs me that when she moved the car from the gym parking lot to her office garage a couple miles down the road that the car is leaking red fluid from the drivers side, front of engine compartment. I'm assuming that these cars have the red coolant and that this is most likely a water pump. I do not see how it could be leaking ATF or power steering fluid from this area of the engine. The car has 76,000 and we have had it for a month. It seems to fit; a change in driving habits and that many miles. FML. I will update with what the dealer says. Thank goodness for AAA (Triple A)

 

After a trip to my dealer yesterday, I discovered the thermostat is $50, and the fan controller is over $400. (apparently it cannot be purchased without the entire fan assembly?)

So I replaced the thermostat last night, but not the fan controller.
so far, it appears that may have been the problem. My drive this morning saw the temp gauge just 'under' the center, and the fans shut-off in a timely manner after turning the engine off.

So we'll assume mine is fixed! I thank all the posters for their help, and quite particularly Thermo!

So let's see if we can't help 2004xtype3.0 out abit?
I'd say that you're probably correct that it is the water pump going (or gone!). But count yourself lucky: this is a part that is readily and inexpensively available at Autozone / Oreileys, etc, and is one of the easiest to replace of ANY water pumps I've ever done.

Only thing: be sure to capture as much of the coolant as possible for re-use, unless it's very old, in which case, be sure you purchase the correct stuff. You don't wanna try to save a buck and put in the wrong coolant, as this will become much more expensive for you in the long run.

Good luck!

 

I have a spare fan control module if you need to buy one. It is good and came out of a 2003 X-Type.

I had this problem recently but it was due to low coolant level due to a broken hose at the reservoir.

Do you smell antifreeze from the car?

Is the A/C working ok?

 

XType, the red fluid, does it have a sweet smell to it or is it very oily to the touch? If it is sweet smelling, then it is anti freeze. If it is oily in feeling, it is tranny fluid. Granted, if you loose too my tranny fluid, the car will tend to not shift into gear and will give you the feeling that your car is stuck in neutral. Where if you are loosing coolant, you will see your coolant overflow bottle is low. I would venture to guess you are loosing coolant and based on what you are describing, you are suffering from "the cracked nozzle on the bottom front of the overflow bottle". Unfortunately, most end up replacing the overflow bottle to fix the leak.

As for your fan issue, if the fans are making as much noise as you are saying, then I would venture to guess that you have a bearing going out on 1 of your fans and the blades are contacting the outer edge of the shroud or the bearings are just making that much noise.

 

Thanks for all of the guidance guys. I ended up taking my x out of the dealership. Crooks, they wanted $700 to replace a cracked "bleeder" hose that runs from the radiator, around the drivers side and connects to the overflow container. Also,they told me there was a leak at the torque converter output shaft and a "major" oil leak; front tires "bald". I made them put it on the lift, the oil leak is more like a very minor condition. I check my fluids twice weekly and always look on the driveway for leaks. Beings that my x does not have the belly pan any leaks would show up right away. The driveway has not been soiled even one drop since I purchased the car. The seal on the output shaft to the driveshaft was completely dry, not a drop. The trch says "eeeh, er I meant that they often leak and would suggest replacing it as a "preventative" measure. The tires, that they state on the work order are bald and brand new, they still have the lil knobbies all over them, there is 3/8" tread.

So back to the bleeder hose, I had them pressure test it in front of me and the problem ended up being a leak at the hose clamp that connects the hose to the radiator. I pulled out a pair of pliers and a pocket knife and cut off the first 3/4" and replaced hose; filled with fluid and now we are good to go for the fluid leak!

Again thanks for the help!! Now I just need to teach myself how to fix my failed A/C clutch plate that is rattling up a storm. Not a fun Sunday project at all.

 

Hi all

I have a very similar problem. The fan seems to be excessively loud and takes several minutes to stop after I've switched off the ignition. This doesn't happen all the time, but I've noticed it a few times over the last month or so. Going on the above thread, it sounds like it might be the thermostat switch, coolant levels, or a bearing in the fan.

2 questions - how do you top up the coolant levels? I read somewhere that there isn't a radiator cap on the X-type. Is there a simple way of topping up the resevoir? - Apologies if this is a really stupid question - I'm not too familiar with cars....

2nd question - how long can I let this problem run? The car is due a service in a month, so thought I could ask them to take a look when it goes in. But I don't want to risk causing any serious or costly damage by leaving it for a few weeks.....

Any help would be much appreciated