Tips to Maintain Your Volvo’s Cooling Fan

by techplusaadmin June 2, 2018

What does the cooling system do for your Volvo and how does it work?

All vehicles require a cooling system in order to function properly. The temperatures under the hood of your Volvo can get extremely high, which necessitates an on-board cooling system to help regulate the temperature and optimize engine performance—especially during hot months of the year. The cooling system includes cooing fans that are adhered to the radiator. Their sole purpose is to draw air into the radiator to help cool down the engine. Without cooling fans working well, the coolant liquid cannot help bring down the engine temperature. This leads to concerning performance issues in your Volvo, making it critical to address such issues quickly and efficiently.

What are the main components of the cooling system?

Your Volvo’s cooling system is comprised of a complex system of parts, all of which rely on each other to work properly and perform the task of cooling the engine down. The main components of the cooling system all require maintenance and servicing at one point or another; it’s important to be aware of these various parts so that you can attend to their maintenance regularly:

• Radiator
• Cooling fan
• Water pump
• Various sensors
• Thermostat
• Belts and hoses
• Overflow tank
• Water and coolant

If any one of these components is compromised or experiences failure, it can lead to significant engine damage over time.

What are the symptoms of cooling fan failure?

It is crucial to be aware of how your car is performing on any given day, but when it comes to the cooling system, it’s important to keep an eye on a few things in particular. You should always be aware of the temperature of your engine, especially during the warmer months of the year that can take a toll on your Volvo’s functioning, making it harder to cool down the engine. Cooling fans are designed to kick on when the car is idling and running at low speeds, as this is usually when the engine is not drawing in as much air to help cool the engine. Here’s what to look for if your cooling fan isn’t working properly:

• Engine runs hot
• Engine overheats

What could cause the cooling fan to malfunction?

There are a number of reasons why your Volvo’s cooling fan may stop working or experience issues. These are the most common culprits of cooling fan malfunction that your Volvo specialist will likely want to rule-out as a cause of the issue:

• Blown fuses
• Faulty or malfunctioning sensors
• Electric motor failure

Performing a differential diagnosis is an important first step in fixing cooling system issues, as the problem may not be the cooling fan itself, but a blow fuse, a malfunctioning sensor, or a burnt out electric motor.

What you can do to prevent cooling fan issues

Taking a preventive approach to cooling issues is the best way to keep your money in your pocket and your car running optimally and reliably at all times. It is especially important to service your cooling system before a long road trip, before the summer months of the year, and after the winter months. Here are a few other tips to help keep your cooling system running well all year round:

• Follow routine service plan
• Hire a Volvo specialist to handle all repair and maintenance work
• Follow up on concerning symptoms
• Perform ongoing inspections of the cooling system

Cooling system issues usually come up when outside temperatures get higher and the strain on the engine becomes heightened. Keeping your engine from overheating is the number one priority of the cooling system—a very important function that must not go overlooked.

The Volvo experts here at Tech Plus Automotive, located in Scottsdale, AZ, always take a preventive approach in maintenance and repair work; we fix cooling system issues, but we also look at how the problem started in the first place and what we can do to keep it from happening again. In this way, we are the most efficient, reliable, and affordable automotive specialists in the area. If you’d like to schedule an appointment to have your cooling system inspected before summer hits, please contact one of our helpful Volvo experts today.