radiator fan kicking on/off every 15 seconds

O

ofplon

Member
hi -

my 5 is new, w/ 500 miles on it. today is the 1st really hot day since i've had the car, and with the AC on, i noticed that the radiator fan was kicking on every 10-15 seconds, would remain on for like 5 seconds, then shut off, and a few seconds later back on for 5 seconds, then off, and so on, endlessly.

seems like it should just stay on a while.

does this sound normal?

thanks for any thoughts...

-J
 
Are you sure it is your radaitor fan and not your AC condenser turning on and off? I also have a 2008 and have noticed that with the AC on in auto mode it turns it on and off every 5 to 10 seconds or so. Turn off the AC and the noise stops. It does this at all outside temps, even in winter.
 
yqx_five said:
Are you sure it is your radaitor fan and not your AC condenser turning on and off? I also have a 2008 and have noticed that with the AC on in auto mode it turns it on and off every 5 to 10 seconds or so. Turn off the AC and the noise stops. It does this at all outside temps, even in winter.
Click to expand...

this sounds exactly like what i'm experiencing - but with the hood opened, when it kicks on, there is definitely a fan of some kind blowing when it turns on - does the AC condenser have a fan that turns on & off with it?
 
AC compressors cycle... it's just what they do... particularlly with the wacky Auto Climate Control logic IME. As long as your car is running normally and your AC is cold, just let it be. The AC compressor noise is louder in this car than in any of my previous ones, and others have expressed the same thought in the past.

If it concerns you to the point of it bothering you, you've got a warranty, so just bring it up at your next routine oil change.
 
jandree22 said:
AC compressors cycle... it's just what they do... particularlly with the wacky Auto Climate Control logic IME
Click to expand...

That may be a cause. My 06 has Manual A/C and the 08 has the Auto A/C. The compressor's on/off cycle is noted on both, but the 08 one is much more frequent (and kind of annoying during a traffic light wait, :D)...
 
interesting...thanks for the responses.

i called 4 different mazda service centers.

2 said bring it in, it might be short cycling indicating a leak, and the other 2 said it's normal.

i should point out that i am a bit paranoid because 30 minutes after purchasing the car, on the way home, i hit a huge racoon and it did $4k in damage to the front end and components. took 2 weeks to get back. had 100 miles on it at time of accident. very bad luck.

anyway, i am just expecting something to go wrong, assuming they didn't put it back together as well as the factory would have.

yes, that is one loud compresser, kicking on every 10 seconds at stop lights on hot days.

and yes, the radiator fan comes on with it every time - though the fan by itself is dead quiet compared to the AC comp...
 
ofplon said:
i should point out that i am a bit paranoid because 30 minutes after purchasing the car, on the way home, i hit a huge racoon and it did $4k in damage to the front end and components. took 2 weeks to get back. had 100 miles on it at time of accident. very bad luck.
Click to expand...
sheesh, well why didn't you say so! that adds a bit of a twist to the situation, and in light of the new details, I would highly recommend getting it checked out, being sure to tell the service advisor of your previous accident.

The AC compressor still does cycle on and off, on and off under normal operation... but it's hard to say how much is too much.
 
Well at first I thought ofplon was just having new-car paranoia, but the addition of the raccoon story does change things. Those coons sure get big!(boom08)

Might be good to have the system checked out, however, keep in mind that this should have been taken care of under your insurance policy when the car was repaired. If you told the coon story to Mazda, I am sure it would not fall under warranty repair. Something in the fine print about normal raccoon wear and tear.(hi)

By the way, welcome to the forum ofplon.(rei)
 
yes, the repairs were covered by insurance.

but anything that goes wrong now is covered under the bumper to bumper warranty since the repairs were done at an authorized mazda service center. the original AC condenser was destroyed, as was the radiator, which folded around the animal. he went through the grill and was in the engine compartment for a good 5 seconds, poor b*stard...wasn't pretty. i was going 80mph, and he came flailing over the concrete median - he never landed on the ground...timing was uncanny.

i am having it looked at at next week. but from what i gather here, i technically have nothing to be concerned about at this point...meaning, the majority vote is that the condenser/fan cycling every 10 seconds is normal...
 
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ofplon said:
...the radiator, which folded around the animal. he went through the grill and was in the engine compartment for a good 5 seconds, poor b*stard...wasn't pretty. i was going 80mph, and he came flailing over the concrete median - he never landed on the ground...timing was uncanny...
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Well, you could've just hit him with a tire and left him suffering on the road. This was undoubtedly instant death for it. I guess that's just the optimist in me... (shrug)
 
ofplon said:
the original AC condenser was destroyed, as was the radiator, which folded around the animal. he went through the grill and was in the engine compartment for a good 5 seconds, poor b*stard...wasn't pretty. i was going 80mph, and he came flailing over the concrete median - he never landed on the ground...timing was uncanny
Click to expand...

  • 1 minute of silence for the raccoon
  • raccoon: you'll never be forgotten

;)


No, just kidding of course. It was a bad/expensive thing but you are doing all right. The guy left fast, no doubt
 
ofplon said:
i am having it looked at at next week. but from what i gather here, i technically have nothing to be concerned about at this point...meaning, the majority vote is that the condenser/fan cycling every 10 seconds is normal...
Click to expand...

Ours cycles on and off every 10-15 seconds, but it just seems more noticeable in this car than any other car I had before.

Sounds like that with the $4k repairs made to your car, they most likely had to replace/recharge the A/C condenser?
 
mazdadude said:
Ours cycles on and off every 10-15 seconds, but it just seems more noticeable in this car than any other car I had before.

Sounds like that with the $4k repairs made to your car, they most likely had to replace/recharge the A/C condenser?
Click to expand...

oh, yes - absoulutely. there were like 60 parts replaced, service manager said it was like a jigsaw puzzle. so you can understand i've been waiting for something to fail. but in actuality, aside from my concern about the constant AC cycling, i really like the 5. i traded in an '07 bmw 328xi for it and have no regrets - it is more practical for my needs (hauling bass amplifiers & small children). i love the 3rd row, sliding doors, maneuverability, payment vs. bmw, decent mileage, but wish it had ESC. i live in downtown denver, and it's a great little urban hauler. the wife digs it too.

i think the suspension is impressive - it's a very pleasant ride w/out being too pillowy.

and i must end with, when a racoon ambushes your brand new vehicle, you don't exactly feel too compassionate...

PS- is it true these 5's are big sellers in asia and europe? and that they're assembled entirely in japan? i assumed they were thrown together in detroit - do they share a platform with any other makes?

thx...
 
That must have been awful doing that to your brand new car. :mad:

Yes, they are made in Japan! (Thank Goodness!)

And big sellers in Canada, Europe, Asia, just not USA yet. Although the "other" markets get different drivetrain options such as diesel engine, or AWD.

As far as sharing platforms, the only thing I know of is the Mazda3? I think there might be a volvo that shares the platform, but don't quote me on that one.
 
mazdadude said:
As far as sharing platforms, the only thing I know of is the Mazda3? I think there might be a volvo that shares the platform, but don't quote me on that one.
Click to expand...

Yep, the MZ5 is based on the MZ3 platform, which is Ford's global C1 platform (developed by Volvo). The Euro Ford Focus and one of the Volvos (of course) use it too...
 
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