Radiator fan stays on after turning off car, coolant not leaking

pa167k · May 8, 2021

My 2007 Odyssey radiator fan stays on for a few minutes after turning off the car, the thermostat does not show engine is hot however i keep having to put coolant in my tank every other month because its almost empty. After taking it to a shop they confirmed that there is no leak from the radiator however the check engine light recently came on and it shows the code P2185 which says I need to replace the engine coolant temperature sensore, my question is ; would a bad sensor cause the coolant to be burned out quickly ? Thanks.

thscott · May 8, 2021

Clearly you have a leak if you are adding that much coolant.

Ted · May 8, 2021

pa167k said:
After taking it to a shop they confirmed that there is no leak from the radiator

They should have pressure tested the full cooling system, not just the radiator. Is there any smell of evaporating coolant from a hot engine? Is there more smoke or odor from exhaust?

The code is saying there is a problem within the circuit. The ECTS is only a part of the circuit, and thus only one POSSIBLE cause. Along with wiring and connectors. And... Here's a representative list of possible causes:
Low coolant level
Faulty Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor
Stuck or leaking thermostat
Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor harness is open or shorted
Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor circuit poor electrical connection

foxfai · May 8, 2021

If its leaking, you would either see steam coming from the hood while driving or drips when you parked.

But I can't think that your engine burn that much coolant without throwing a code.....

And the fan running when it's turn off doesn't sound right and that seems to be a completely entire issue.... (usually turbo engine do that)

foxfai · May 9, 2021

After re-reading your post, assuming that the temp sensor gets hot and leaks while driving that might explains it...

geotek · May 9, 2021

Ted said:
They should have pressure tested the full cooling system, not just the radiator. Is there any smell of evaporating coolant from a hot engine? Is there more smoke or odor from exhaust?

The code is saying there is a problem within the circuit. The ECTS is only a part of the circuit, and thus only one POSSIBLE cause. Along with wiring and connectors. And... Here's a representative list of possible causes:
Low coolant level
Faulty Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor
Stuck or leaking thermostat
Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor harness is open or shorted
Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor circuit poor electrical connection

There might be a couple of other possibilities. The water with anti- freeze 50/50 boils at 223 degrees. If it disappears there is a reason, it does not just get out of there. What I found in the past is the hoses going to the heater core had a pinhole in it which would only leak at high temperatures. When it leaked, it would drip on to the exhaust system so it would not show on the ground.
The other is the beginning of a blown head gasket. Pull the dip stick and check for signs of water. Usually you see signs of oil in the radiator, but when they start maybe not.
The heater hose are difficult to check. Do not forget to look under the carpet as well.

Radiator fan stays on after turning off car, coolant not leaking

pa167k

thscott

Ted

foxfai

foxfai

geotek

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