# Cooling fan running after engine is off....



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

2013s and newer have an ECM calibration that does this in an effort to reduce oil coking in the turbocharger. 


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## Greygoose (Sep 26, 2013)

jblackburn said:


> 2013s and newer have an ECM calibration that does this in an effort to reduce oil coking in the turbocharger.
> 
> 
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While that makes sense to me, why hasn't it done it before? Why now when it's so cold out?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Greygoose said:


> While that makes sense to me, why hasn't it done it before? Why now when it's so cold out?


If it's never happened before, check the coolant level in the tank. If it's low, look for telltale dried white coolant stains near the front of the serpentine belt. 


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## Greygoose (Sep 26, 2013)

Just checked.... No leaks and the tank is full. I was wondering if maybe the grill shutters malfunctioned and stayed closed?


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## Luigi (Jun 16, 2013)

I just had this happen to me a few days ago too. I honestly didn't think much of it. 

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## Greygoose (Sep 26, 2013)

Luigi said:


> I just had this happen to me a few days ago too. I honestly didn't think much of it.
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Yeah, I normally wouldn't either since I know cars do this from time to time. But since this one has never done it, I was just a little concerned. 

I'll just keep an eye in it I suppose. Thanks for the help everyone


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Greygoose said:


> Just checked.... No leaks and the tank is full. I was wondering if maybe the grill shutters malfunctioned and stayed closed?


If I'm not mistaken that would set off a check engine light. Have read a few others get debris in there blocking its movement getting a CEL.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

I would not worry about it, mine does this at what appears to be odd outside temperatures, my guess is that it happens when the particulate filter goes into a self cleaning cycle and so outside weather has little influence as even on a 100F+ day it usually doesn't do it and on a cooler day it sometimes does roar for a while and then switches off.


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## Jorday (Jul 30, 2013)

I would bet that your car was in the middle of a DPF regeneration cycle. Every time I get home and shut off the car during a regen it runs the fan for a few minutes even if it's really cold outside. Probably just runs the fan for a couple minutes if you shut down during a regen to move some air in the engine compartment so the exhaust doesn't fry stuff from being so hot during the regen cycle. The fan doesn't seem to be running while the engine is still running, but it comes on if you shut the engine off. If you haven't driven the car much since last night, check your fuel economy bar graph display with the ten 3 mile increments. I bet you will notice there are a few bars that are much lower than normal due to the regen cycle. 

Also, during the summer months when the outside temp is hot, there is a pump that I believe pumps oil to the turbo for a minute after the engine is shut off. I've only ever seen this when it was pretty hot outside and the A/C was running. The 1.4L turbo gas cruze does this same thing.


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## Vetterin (Mar 27, 2011)

My fan has never run after I turn the car off....HOWEVER....I have had the fan start running as soon as the car has been started and won't stop until I turn the car off and restart it. This has happened 3-4 times in the past year. I have unplugged and reset all the electrical connections I could get to in the engine bay which did nothing.....so I just live with it.


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## PanJet (Jun 18, 2013)

I also think it may have been in the middle of a DPF regen. From reading on the TDI forums, that is one telltale way to know if the DPF was regenerating is the fan being on when the engine is shut off. Those things get incredibly hot when regenerating, and they're directly behind the cooling fan, so they're probably just trying to clear some of the excess heat out of the engine compartment from the regen.


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## Greygoose (Sep 26, 2013)

Well, for those of you who said regen, you are correct. I'm off work today and took the diesel in for its first service. He guys at the dealer told me that's what was happening. Thank you for all your help! Now I just have to wait for them to get the oil filter in so they can change the oil.


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## DieselMan33 (Oct 13, 2013)

Mine did the same thing the other day. Also you can definitely smell it, I was a little nervous but I figured that is what it was. 


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## Greygoose (Sep 26, 2013)

DieselMan33 said:


> Mine did the same thing the other day. Also you can definitely smell it, I was a little nervous but I figured that is what it was.
> 
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


x2 on the smell. Like I mentioned earlier, my wife thought she smelled something when it did it. I have a cold at the moment so I can't smell squat. Haha


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## PanJet (Jun 18, 2013)

Just curious, what does it smell like? The other day, I backed into the garage and after I got out smelled a chlorine like smell. I've smelled it before while standing behind a newer DPF equipped Bobcat skidsteer loader. Is that what you're smelling?

I've read these things actually have the cleanest emissions of any engine GM has ever made. I forget where I read that.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Greygoose, 

I am glad to see that you are having all of your concerns resolved at the dealership. Let me know if you need any further assistance. 

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## steveg241 (Jul 18, 2013)

It smells like burning plastic usually. During a regen the DPF heats up to 800C. This is why the fan must go on whether the car is running or not. Don't try to stop it by turning off the car and then back on, this only defeats the purpose. Let the car do what it does as this is how the computer is programmed. All is well in CTD land.


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## nike12000 (Sep 13, 2013)

Vetterin said:


> My fan has never run after I turn the car off....HOWEVER....I have had the fan start running as soon as the car has been started and won't stop until I turn the car off and restart it. This has happened 3-4 times in the past year. I have unplugged and reset all the electrical connections I could get to in the engine bay which did nothing.....so I just live with it.



that happened to me after I did the intake mod suggested on here fans kicked on like a jet engine and stayed that way restarted the car and " knock on wood" not happened since....


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## DieselMan33 (Oct 13, 2013)

PanJet said:


> Just curious, what does it smell like? The other day, I backed into the garage and after I got out smelled a chlorine like smell. I've smelled it before while standing behind a newer DPF equipped Bobcat skidsteer loader. Is that what you're smelling?
> 
> I've read these things actually have the cleanest emissions of any engine GM has ever made. I forget where I read that.


Like said before it is like a burning plastic smell/ metal getting hot smell. The chlorine smell is probably just the exhaust. All newer diesels have that sweet odd smell to them because of all the emissions. I need to go start my dmax up just because I miss the smell of a older diesel. 


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## Jorday (Jul 30, 2013)

Smells like ammonia a little bit to me. Another sign that a regen is underway is that the exhaust gases coming out of the tailpipe is super hot if you stop and walk behind the car at idle. It's hot enough to burn even from a few inches away. 

The Duramax trucks seem to bump the idle speed up every so slightly during a regen, that's was the easiest way to tell with both of the DPF equipped Dmax trucks I had. I haven't noticed this with the cruze though.


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## DieselEnvy (Jun 22, 2013)

I must say that the regens of the diesel Cruze are MUCH less noticeable than that of the VW Common Rail TDI. I have ~3,300 miles on my Cruze, and I think that I only caught the engine in regen mode once (?)...

My previous Jetta did it more frequently, and had more noticeable characteristics (elevated idle speed, "touchier" accelerator, hot exhaust, loud fan, etc...). When I would shut it down in the garage during a regen, I thought it was gonna burn the garage down...

Maybe the DPF in my Cruze is all clogged up... :wacko: ...I (_optimistically_) hope not :smile:


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## Jorday (Jul 30, 2013)

Yeah, if it weren't for the fan coming on after shutting the car off and the mpg display dropping for 15 miles or so I'd probably never even know. Mine seems to regen about every 800 miles or so.


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## farmallgray (Nov 28, 2013)

So there is nothing on the DIC to tell its in regen mode? I thought there was something that tells you to keep driving till it is done. Or is that something different?


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## Scott M. (Apr 23, 2013)

It will tell you to keep driving only if it has failed to complete a regen after a certain amount of attempts. No news is good news.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

I have never noticed a regen after I parked the car, but I do a lot of long highway trips so I am guessing that's when it gets them done.


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

I've only noticed a regen once shortly after getting the vehicle but in 4500mi since never noticed. My typical driving is around town but many times I'll be driving for 30 straight minutes or mix a 20 min straight highway run in. Must be more then enough for regens because I've never caught it in the middle since or had a warning light.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

I drove my '07 Jeep CRD the same way, come to think of it, and that thing would regen all the time.


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## [email protected] (Nov 19, 2013)

As some have mentioned, cooling fans running after the car has turned off happens when the car was in the middle or just finished a regeneration cycle of the DPF. The regen raises the temperature of the DPF to "coke" the soot in the DPF, and when its hot you can smell the heat.


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## MilTownSHO (Oct 9, 2013)

Noticed this for the first time the other night when I parked in the garage. Well below freezing temperatures, regen makes sense to me, but I wasnt worried about it to begin with.


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## grs1961 (Oct 23, 2012)

The electric fan (as opposed to the belt-driven fan) in my Nissan Skyline Silhouette, purchased way, way back in 1986 (traded on an Astra in 2001) would run on after the engine was switched off if it felt was necessary, so having the fan in my diesel run after switch-off was not a surprise.

Don't cars in the US have electric fans as additions to belt-driven fans?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

grs1961 said:


> The electric fan (as opposed to the belt-driven fan) in my Nissan Skyline Silhouette, purchased way, way back in 1986 (traded on an Astra in 2001) would run on after the engine was switched off if it felt was necessary, so having the fan in my diesel run after switch-off was not a surprise.
> 
> Don't cars in the US have electric fans as additions to belt-driven fans?


My Saab did that often too, and the Volvo would after being run hard but very rarely. In a gas car, it's usually to keep the fuel rail from vaporizing on top of a hot engine. The diesel Cruze has a different purpose obviously. 

Belt driven fans died off in most cars with the switch to FWD platforms. Most RWD setups these days have even ditched them for electric fans. 


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

The last car with a belt driven fan in Australia that I owned was a 1986 Falcon Wagon. Every car I have owned since came with 2 electric fans, 1 comes on with the a/c and they both come on if the engine reaches a certain temperature, even with a/c off.


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## PanJet (Jun 18, 2013)

Pretty much the only vehicles that still have belt driven fans in the U.S. are trucks, and even some of those may have converted in the last few years. My mom's 2007 Yukon with a 6.0L V8 even had electric fans.


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## Morgan4102 (Jun 29, 2015)

*Me Too*

I have a 2011 Chevy Cruze....not a turbo charge that does the same thing....took it to the shop (this started after a recall on my emission system was done) they're telling me this is part of the recall...really?


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## Morgan4102 (Jun 29, 2015)

*2011 Chevy Cruze*

I have this same issued but, it only started after an emissions recall. I took it back to the dealership (because it had never happened before) and they said it was part of the recall....what?


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## Morgan4102 (Jun 29, 2015)

*2011 Chevy Cruze*

Oh and mine is not a turbo


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Morgan4102 said:


> I have a 2011 Chevy Cruze....not a turbo charge that does the same thing....took it to the shop (this started after a recall on my emission system was done) they're telling me this is part of the recall...really?


It's not very often that I catch a regen while it's happening, so i wouldn't worry about it. I didn't know they made a non-turbo diesel! What country?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

diesel said:


> It's not very often that I catch a regen while it's happening, so i wouldn't worry about it. I didn't know they made a non-turbo diesel! What country?


Sounds like he's talking about a 1.8 LS, in which case it's in the wrong section and this just showed up after a quick search.

The 1.8 was not a part of the emissions recalls as far as I know - that only affected the 1.4 LT/LTZ/Eco models.


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## coolsharky (Jul 7, 2015)

My car is doing the same thing but it is a 2014 turbo gas engine. I don't know much about DPF but is it doing the same thing basically even though it's running on gas?


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

coolsharky said:


> My car is doing the same thing but it is a 2014 turbo gas engine. I don't know much about DPF but is it doing the same thing basically even though it's running on gas?


No.

But the fan might be running if the car really is in need of cooling off. Perhaps a run up a mountain and shutting it off at a scenic overlook.


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## Su8pack1 (Apr 17, 2014)

That happens to ours all the time. We have a John Deere Diesel Gator which also does it. Just cooling things off.


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## Kamya2005 (Jun 11, 2015)

I am having the same issue and i have smell something burning also. My fan is running also when i shut my car off.. I am wondering is this a big issue


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## Gator (Jul 14, 2013)

Kamya2005 said:


> I am having the same issue and i have smell something burning also. My fan is running also when i shut my car off.. I am wondering is this a big issue


the car was in regen mode and didn't finish. That's the smell,and why the fans are running. It will finish the regen on your next driving cycle. Nothing to worry about this is normal. If the fans are on every time you turn the car off then it may have a issue. If only once in a while you are fine.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Kamya2005 said:


> I am having the same issue and i have smell something burning also. My fan is running also when i shut my car off.. I am wondering is this a big issue


You might want to drive a bit longer next time, like out on the highway, but not required. This will allow it to finish the regen. That beings said, i have interrupted a regen 3-4 times and it's finished just fine.


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## Danny5 (Dec 22, 2011)

I have had the misfortune of interrupting a regen one too many times. Without an indicator, it can happen. You'll know when it does because you'll get a nice message, dpf full, engine power reduced.


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## Diesel14 (Sep 25, 2013)

In response to your fans running....did you complain to the Dealer about a "Dirty sock smell" coming out of your vents? If you did, GM has a system called "Afterblow" it runs the fans to purge the ducting to prevent the smell. It is factory set to "OFF" since having mine turned on I have no smell, but, I've only heard the fan run twice since switching it on


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## jjandshelly06 (Aug 30, 2020)

2011 CHEVY CRUZE I just had my fan running from when I started my car. Briefly there was a smell that was almost like a candle/wax burning. Fan didn't go off when I parked it for a few minutes. Went to the place I was going then back in the car fan running again it finally stopped during my drive about 10 min in. And my Engine light was on(now I have had the engine light go on and they always say its the TURBO but nothing is wrong w/ it AND the engine light goes off a couple days later). When I got home about a 25 min drive the fan was going again and continued in the garage for a few minutes after. The Fan issue sounds like the people's issues above. I hope it really is "nothing" to worry about.?


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## LiveTrash (May 24, 2015)

jjandshelly06 said:


> 2011 CHEVY CRUZE I just had my fan running from when I started my car. Briefly there was a smell that was almost like a candle/wax burning. Fan didn't go off when I parked it for a few minutes. Went to the place I was going then back in the car fan running again it finally stopped during my drive about 10 min in. And my Engine light was on(now I have had the engine light go on and they always say its the TURBO but nothing is wrong w/ it AND the engine light goes off a couple days later). When I got home about a 25 min drive the fan was going again and continued in the garage for a few minutes after. The Fan issue sounds like the people's issues above. I hope it really is "nothing" to worry about.?


You mention it's a 2011. Is this a European Diesel model or a gas Cruze?

This is the sub-forum for Diesel Cruze's, but I believe the afterblow can apply to all Cruze's. By the sounds of it, you simply have this function enabled. Or is this a new thing that's happening?


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

LiveTrash said:


> You mention it's a 2011. Is this a European Diesel model or a gas Cruze?
> 
> This is the sub-forum for Diesel Cruze's, but I believe the afterblow can apply to all Cruze's. By the sounds of it, you simply have this function enabled. Or is this a new thing that's happening?


The afterblow is the hvac fan. And it doesn’t cause the cooling fan to do anything.

The diesels will run their fan if certain things are hot. I’m not realllly sure why because without the engine running it’s almost non existent levels of cooling. But it does serve as a nice warning of “ENGINE HOT DO NOT TOUCH IDIOT!”


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## st1100man (Dec 17, 2017)

My 17' has done this a couple of times lately. Temps are down to about 10 F lately. Parked in my garage when I shut it off, It smelled like hot brakes or manual clutch. I'm glad to hear there is a logical reason for it.


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## NUMBER2 (May 23, 2019)

st1100man said:


> My 17' has done this a couple of times lately. Temps are down to about 10 F lately. Parked in my garage when I shut it off, It smelled like hot brakes or manual clutch. I'm glad to hear there is a logical reason for it.


Fan after run is normal on many cars for a variety of reasons these days. Calibrations can sometimes be, or seem weird, but generally they exist on purpose. Thermal syphoning coolant, preventing oil coking in the turbo, or sometimes simply due to the surface temperature of the exhaust (this is modeled and correlated in engineering developmen). Underhood components that don't meet temperature requirements will sometimes create the need for special fan calibrations based on sensor/modeled criteria to keep them cool, even if coolant/oil/refrigerant/ect...are not overheated.

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