The fan on my 206 keeps running long after i have parked and switched off the car. Is this normal as no warning lights are coming on? A loud whirring noise starts in the area of the radiator when the car becomes stationary, are they connected?

Jane James, September 2008

Yes that's normal as long as it switches off by itself after several minutes. While you are driving the engine generates heat and transfers it to the water circulating through the engine and radiator. Air flowing through the radiator gets rid of the heat. When you stop there is no more air flowing through the radiator so the water temperature goes up a little bit, enough to trigger a small temperature-sensitive switch which, operates the fan and pushes air through the radiator again. When the temperaure falls to normal again the switch opens and the fan stops. You should find that the same thing happens at the traffic lights or in slow traffic especially on hot days - you can hear the fan cut in and go for a while, then it will stop again.

Paul J, September 2008