Fan Testing?

[cmm47172]

Just bought a 2009 Aveo that seems to be running hot.
The temp gauge reads at the half way mark after driving 15 miles from a cold start.
I noticed the colloant level was down about a half gallon. I filled it to the proper level and still get the same temp reading.
I never see the fan run.
Thanks for your help.


Questions:
Should the fan run for a short period after turning the engine off?
What is the best way to test the fan to see that it operates properly?
Can I disconnect the fan and hook it directly to a car battery to see if it works?
If I connect it to the battery with the wrong polarity, will it damage the fan?

[Pickles]

...what makes you think the temp gauge reading halfway after 15 miles is abnormal? That is in fact, completely normal. The fan shouldn't kick on till about 215*. And halfway is about 200-215*. Over 215 and the temp gauge jumps to about 3/4

[cmm47172]

I think it is abnormal because I've owned over 50 cars in my lifetime and every one of them usually reads anywhere from the 1/4 mark to somewhere in between the 1/4 and 1/2 mark. Secondly, I have to wonder why the coolant was low. It could have not been filled correctly by the last owner or it could have overheated and dumped out the catch tank overflow or the water portion of the coolant mix could have evaporated due to excessive heat. I really have no way to determine the exact temp given the type of gauge it has. This however is my first Chevy, so I'm not sure especially since I cannot find a service manual on this car anywhere. Haynes/Chiltons does not have one and helm wants $200, more than I can afford.
What is the best way to test the fan?
I have a friend that said the fan should come on immediately after turning on the Air Conditioner.
I'm not sure if he is correct however I will give that a try tomorrow.
Thanks for your reply.
Any additional thoughts are welcome.

[Pickles]

I havent owned nearly as many cars, but all of mine have gone right to 50% then hold there. I also have a scanguageII which reads the temp in degrees, which is what reading i am going off of for temp

My lumina, my dodge caravan, my dodge caliber and my dads dodge magnum all go right to half

[ontarian_frog]

You'll probably never see the fan run after highway driving or in the winter. In slow traffic on hot days, you'll hear it kick in. Does your car have A/C?

[cmm47172]

My car does have AC. I just now started it and then turned on the AC and the fan did not turn on. I believe the next step would be to check the fuses and then try disconnecting the fan and then run it direct to a battery to see if it turns on. Does any one know which fuse runs the fan? The inside cover of the fuse panel doesn't say.

[cmm47172]

I think I didn't look far enough in the owners manual. I think this is what I need to check before going to do the jump the fan test.

[Pickles]

Yes. Check those. To test the fan, take out the fan hi relay, and a run a 15a fused line right from the battery to the bottom left plug in the fuse box for the fan hi relay. The fan should turn on.

[cmm47172]

I don't have a fused line to test with. Couldn't I completely remove the fan from the circuit and run it directly to a bench test battery?

[Pickles]

It would be much easier and safer to spend <$5 to make a fused lead.