What temp does fan turn on?
 

My car seems to settle in around 190 - 195 which I am thinking is Celsius. I never hear the fans turn on. 2000 boxster S. I guess I noticed because I could hear my friends fans on the right vent running last week when he parked.
Thank you.
David

I don't think that 190-195 read out is Celsius. If it was then that translates to 374 - 383 Fahrenheit. Which is crazy hot and your engine would be toast.

Your gauge is F and 190 - 195 is not overly hot. It translates to 88 - 91 C. My fans kick in about 195 or slightly higher.

The temp gauge is very inaccurate past 180
Using the app Torque, my fans come on around 212-215 F
On the gauge that is just creeping past the '8'
At 180 on the gauge, the temp is 179 - 183 on Torque

Thanks guys. Maybe I just need to drive around a bit more.

Sounds like you heard the engine bay cooling fan. This is MUCH louder than the front radiator fans, and is triggered by a separate sensor.

I've noticed this as well. I can only ever hear my right side vent turn on. The driver's side is much quieter. Do the 2 side vents have different uses? ie: air intake on 1 side and exhaust of hot air on the other

The left/driver side is the air intake for combustion inside the engine.

The passenger/right side is for air to cool the engine compartment (outside the engine). That fan kicks on when the compartment sensor and the engine temperature both rise above preset levels.

I've read that those levels are 215 F (engine temp) and 140F (compartment temp) but the 215 F would indicate that my dash gauge is way off, because mine kicks on at an indicated ~185 F engine temp on hot days when the car isn't moving much. I've also read that the fan stays on when the car is turned off, but mine has never done that, either.

Maybe it's just my car, an 03.

Engine Compartment Purge Fan

To reduce the temperature of the engine compartment, a fan actuated by the DME is installed behind the ventilation grille of the passenger side rear fender vent.

If the fan is active, fresh air is fed into the engine compartment. There is a temperature sensor mounted in the engine compartment to provide temperature input to the DME.

Standard Operation:
1. With engine running or ignition on:
If the engine temperature is higher than 102° C and the engine compartment temperature is higher than 60°C, the engine compartment fan is switched on for 30 seconds by the DME control unit and the engine compartment is thus ventilated.
2. With the engine off and vehicle is stationary:
If the engine compartment temperature is higher than 60° C when the engine is switched off (ignition off) or if the engine stalls (engine speed: 0 rpm), the engine compartment fan is switched on for 20 mins.

Note: If the engine temperature has not dropped below 80.25°C after the engine compartment fan has been running for 25 seconds, a fan fault is registered and the coolant level warning lamp is activated (flashes).