406 HDi fan going bonkers

Hi All,

I've just (three days ago) bought a 406 HDi (90) GLX (X reg) to handle
my 100 mile round trip commute to work. On the way to work there are
no problems, but on the return journey, about 10 miles from home, the
fan starts up and runs constantly at pretty high rate.

The engine temperature is running at just under 90 and apart from this
there are no other problems - water level in the rad is OK, and there
don't seem to be any split pipes so far as I can see from a cursory
glance.

Is it likely to be a thermostat problem or is there a common problem
with these cars that might be causing this.

One last thing, the journey to work starts quite hilly and then ends on
A roads all the way, obviously the return is the reverse and so the
hills are at the end of the journey.

Cheers for any answers

Toby

 

The fan nomally kicks in when the temp goes over 90, AFAIK. You could
replace the fan thermostat which is normally screwed into the side of
the radiator and see how it goes.
While you're at it, flush the coolant system out in case there is a
build up of sediment which is making the coolant system less efficient
and relying more on the fan. Pug radiators have a tendency to start
rotting pretty soon.