Hey I’ve had this problem for a few months now. My car over heats pretty randomly and Im positive it’s the cooling fan. I’ve watched the car over heat on the gauge and my fan doesn’t come on. I turn on my ac and both fans do come on but it actually makes the car over heat more. I’ve changed the thermostat multiple times, took it to a mechanic to check the wiring and they said it was all good. The mechanic changed the cooling temp sensor with a OEM sensor and the problem persists. They told me my water pump had a small leak in it so I changed that myself and again... same problem. Now I’m thinking maybe the radiator is “bad” but there isn’t any leaks.. I’ll leave the thinking to anyone willing to help because I’m just at a loss.

 

Usually a faulty component, radiator in this case, if it is the cause of the problem , would be present all the time. Since it is random there is a good possibility a faulty connection might be responsible . If all was well at the time of checking it could be difficult to pin down. What is needed here is to know exactly how the system is supposed to function then proceed to checking all the possibilities. This can take some time and effort and some places may not want to devote the time and effort to find the problem.

You do realize every time it overheats damage could be taking place..

 

There is the intermittent issue of over heating which is probably caused by a faulty fan or wiring or control circuit
Then there is a secondary issue of the radiator not providing enough cooling.

 

Got it checked by a mobile mechanic today. Hooked my car up to the OBD2 scanner and read the temp, engine doesn’t over heat. Fan kicks on intermittently but not long enough for one person to see.... rookie mistake. Apparently the wiring to my gauge has a short. Thanks to all with the responses

 

you need to perform water/coolant pressure leak test.and test auxiliary fan by supplying 12v to battery to isolate the problem. also inspect aux fan relays and fuses.

 

That is the difference between using a scan tool AND knowing what you are looking at when you see the info.
Your mobile tech did a good job investigating and "knowing what to look at".
Let us know if it has been corrected and approx where the problem was located, if possible , thanks.