Is there a fan or something in the front, near the wheels/brakes?

I drove my baby more than usual yesterday ~ 200 miles, and after I pulled into my garage, I noticed all sorts of dust and debris was blown out from underneath the front of my car. (We need to sweep our garage)

The front sides near the tires felt very warm. (My husband told me my brakes will get warm...but...I've never felt the air temperature near the front of the car quite so hot before.)

After pulling into the garage, I let the car idle for 10 minutes, then I turned off the car. (I got a little freaked out. ) The fan promptly shut off.

It was a hotter than normal day (mid-80's), and I did get stuck in crawling traffic for 45 min right before I got home. I had the AC on low, and the top was down almost the entire time. I suppose I was braking at least once a minute, but I don't think I was 'riding' the brakes very hard.

So, was this a fan operating as it should have?....or did something rupture/break? Should I have left the car on longer? or when somethin like this happens, do I shut it off right away?

I didn't drive it today. I'd rather talk to ya'll first and have some knowledge up my sleeve before I talk to my husband (just incase i my car has a fan/blower/demonic possession problem. Also, Everytime I call our service guy, they tell me to bring it in...but maybe i'm not being articulate /knowledgeable enough.)

Any opinions or advice on this is appreciated. You guys rock. I've learned so much. Thanks in advance.

 

The engine radiators are in the front corners. There are electric fans behind those (see photos below).

Check the front left/right grills for debris lodged in front of the radiators. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove that.

 

That cutaway is a great pic of this. I usually reach in after cleaning and pull out all sorts of debris in this area.

 

Thanks. That graphic is really neat. I had no idea. So, I did find some debris, not too much.

I guess my question is, should I have shut off the engine?...or should I have let the engine run until the radiator fans shut off? I have never heard those fans running that loudly before, after my drive.

 

You could have shut off the engine, but in these cars it's always a good idea (all the time) to let it idle for a minute or two before it's shut off for the day.

 

Why does it need to idle for a few minutes after we shut it off?

I've been letting it idle for a minute before driving. Not after driving.

 

It is a good idea to let flat (boxer) engines idle a bit before shut off for the day, to let oil circuits stabilize. If not, especially coming from a spirited drive, the engine may smoke a bit when starting on the next day.

I also idle it when I start it first cold and let the the revs stabilize at idle.