does the radiator fan run all the time? i went to the grocery store and came back and my engine felt pretty hot, but the temp. gauge was normal and the fan wasn't running(the engine was still on). anyone have any comments?

 

No, it does not run all the time.

 

First off, "Normal" for the temp gauge is probably quite a large range of temperatures. The gauge isn't linear. So you can tell if it's cold, or you can tell if it's overheating, but anything in between is pretty much going to read "normal".

That being said, no, your radiator fans are not always on, unless you hook them up that way. They will usually come on under high load (AC, headlights, etc).

If you need to cool your engine down for some reason, prop the hood, turn on your headlights, and put the heater on full. but I'm sure that's not what you were asking in this post.

Hope that helps.