GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello I think there maybe a problem but it maybe normal so I thought I'd ask here before taking it to the dealership. Today I got in the car and it was cool out so I turned on the heat and I noticed the radiator fans came on. The engine was still cold so I seemed very odd. I think it may also be the reason why my fuel economy hasn't been that good. If anyone can tell me if their car does the same thing or not it would be greatly appreciated.Thanks Mike

I will have to check mine for heat. I know the ac comes on with the defrost to dry the air . The fan comes on when the ac is on. The ac compressor should not run for heat only as far as I know.

I checked this morning and the fans do come on when the defog is on only. But this still seems odd to me.You get in your car on a cold snowy morning start it so it can warm up and turn on the defog to melt the snow and ice from the windshield and even though is -30C the fans turn on. So either i'm missing something or its a stupid system.

the ac comes on to dry the damp air so it clears the fog off the window faster. think of it as a dehumidifier for your car.

The fans will run any time the A/C is activated, whether that be by you or by the switch being moved to defrost or floor/defrost. There probably isn't anything in place to tell the fans not to run when the A/C is on at cold temps... Pretty much normal behavior as far as I can tell, wheter it makes sense or not.

Somebody with a service manual needs to chime in but I thought, at a certain ambient temp, the rad fan and compressor were disabled, like 40F maybe but not sure.

normal- a/c comes on (hot or cold) when defrost is selected.fan runs when a/c on