Radiator fan not staying on when AC is on, causing car to overheat

Tiny
JONNYANDREWRYAN
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 HYUNDAI SONATA
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 150,000 MILES
My radiator fan doesn't stay on while my AC is on. I have been told that some cars operate differently, and the radiator fan will not stay on the entire time the AC is operating. However, I called a Hyundai dealership, and the person told me that is should stay on. My car runs fine until I reach approximately the 20 mile mark, and then it starts to run funny. It almost feels like the emergency brake is on while driving. If I continue, it increasingly gets worse, and soon my car will only reach 5 mph, max. Most of the time, there is steam coming from the engine. The brakes get stiff, and the car will not roll once you ease off the gas. It will just remain still. I have replaced the temperature sensor, and my relays are fine. The fans do come on occassionaly, but not for long. I don't know if this could be related to the transmission, or the timing belt, but I was hoping someone else had a similar problem that they got fixed so that they could assist me before I ordered any expensive parts.
Sunday, March 15th, 2015 AT 11:24 AM

6 Replies

Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,761 POSTS
You say the car will not roll. Are the brakes dragging and locking up.
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Sunday, March 15th, 2015 AT 12:52 PM
Tiny
JONNYANDREWRYAN
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I'm not sure how to tell if the brakes are locking up or not. This only happens after I've driven the car for a little over 20 minutes. And it doesn't even happen every time. What could cause the brakes to lock up at around the same point each time? Bc like I said, this never happens in the earlier portion of my commutes.
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Sunday, March 15th, 2015 AT 1:19 PM
Tiny
JONNYANDREWRYAN
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Also, one person who looked at my car said that the transmission fluid smelled burnt. Should I flush it, clean the filter, and add more fluid before considering a new transmission?
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Sunday, March 15th, 2015 AT 2:02 PM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,761 POSTS
You're all over the place here. You've gone from a fan to brake, to steam from the engine to timing belts. I have no idea what is going on in your car and neither do you. You need to get this car checked by a professional to have any idea what is going on here.
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Sunday, March 15th, 2015 AT 2:07 PM
Tiny
JONNYANDREWRYAN
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
You're right. I do have no idea what's wrong with my car. My first concern was whether the fan was supposed to stay on while the AC is running, like it does in most cars. I figured if the fan was faulty then maybe it was the cause of my other problems as well. If the fans are functioning normally for my car, then my next guess would be that something is wrong with the transmission. I'm going to call a hyundai dealership tomorrow to inquire about the fans, bc I don't know how else to find out what is normal for my model of car, other than asking someone else with the same car. One mechanic told me that some radiator fans (such as certain Volkswagens) don't all remain running the whole time the AC is on, but it seems like most cars' do. All I know is that my car overheats for some reason, even tho the gauge on the dash doesn't indicate that it's running hot. I initially thought it had to be the fan, but I recently started considering the transmission. The issue with the brakes is just something I noticed every time the engine starts running hot and accelerating becomes extremely difficult, to the point where I have to pull over and wait until the car cools down in order to be able to drive normally again. And the brakes still work, by the way, the pedal just feels still when I press it, as if I've pumped them a bunch. If I drive 10 miles from my house, none of these symptoms would occur. It's only after a long distance. I understand my description is all over the place, but I'm just describing exactly what I've been going through. I do plan to take the car to get diagnosed, I was just hoping that maybe someone with the same car and problem could give me some insight before I started spending any major money.
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Sunday, March 15th, 2015 AT 2:53 PM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,761 POSTS
The fan operation is dictated by AC pressure and there are many factors that can vary pressure. None of that matters if the car is doing over 30 MPH anyway. You don't even need a fan at that speed or higher. Believe me, you need someone to inspect this car. You descriptions aren't going to get any accurate diagnosis.
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Sunday, March 15th, 2015 AT 2:59 PM

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