Register now to get rid of these ads!

cooling fan relay problem?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by bellyjello, Dec 3, 2009.

  1. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    I purchased a kit from jegs to wire up a cooling fan. It has the relay and thermal switch. The kit gets its power from the battery. I can remove the relay from the plug and jump the fan on. I replaced the relay with another. Still isn't solved. There is also a 15 amp fuse coming out of the fuse box into the plug for the relay. Fuse is good. Is this needed? The relay is a 30amp relay? I don't know maybe the thermal switch is bad.... I'm not much of an electrician... The kit is #10560.... Any trouble shooting would be appreciated.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2009
  2. reefer
    Joined: Oct 17, 2001
    Posts: 787

    reefer
    Member

    The feed and load seem alright..the wire from the switch should go to the relay and you must have an earth wire as well to enable the relay to pull in....ie, four wires in total.
     
  3. Remember grounds first. Then work on the other. Do you have a wiring diagram? My fans from cooling perforcm has larger relays. We all would be surprised at the amount of amps the fan uses at start.
     
  4. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    I have one ground. The fan runs when you use a jump wire
     

  5. s it wired per the instructions? is the relay grounded?

    take the wire off the sensor and touch ground....does the fan come on?
     
  6. oj
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 6,454

    oj
    Member

    Newer ice cube relays have a diode across the coil circuit to prevent contact bounce (messes with computors), if you wired the coil backwards it'll short the diode and cook the relay. Did the relay have a color code and pigtail from the socket? Look and see if those wires got crossed, if so and you plug another relay into the socket it'll cook too and it ain't like there is any smoke and fire, it just won't work you might hear a 'snap'. Toasted.
     
  7. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    I think I wired per instructions. So if I un plug the sensor and touch the ground it should come on... Makes since. The sensor heats up and closes to ground... right? I'll try that later on tonight. Would it be alright to pm you guys after dark? Thanks for all the input....
     
  8. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

  9. I think you have it wired wrong. Like the guy above said we need to see it. Wiringg the fan and relay is not rocket science, PM anytime.
     
  10. Here is the wiring I like for a electric fan.


    [​IMG]
     
  11. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    [​IMG] Heres the instructions. I think iwired it right. OJ mentioned the coil. It has accel HEI. If I flip the two wires around on the ignition would that work. I grounded the sensor wire nothing happened
     
  12. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Noooo, don't reverse polarity on your ignition coil. He's talking about the coil inside the relay that activates the switch. The inside of those relays is a little electromagnetic coil, when you complete the circuit with your sensor, it throws it's larger high current switch by magnetism. Release the magnet, and a spring returns the high current switch to an open position. In your case, the magnet's +/- is yellow and grey. The high current switch connects red to purple.

    If you've tested red and yellow to both be hot, and grounding grey doesn't work then you have a bad relay. Because you jumped red to purple, and the fan came on, correct?

    If you think about how relays are constructed, it's why size matters. Larger case and heavier weight means bigger switch, bigger magnet, stronger return spring.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2009
  13. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    Here is the actual what I have. [​IMG]
     
  14. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    I'll go down and try to ground the sensor wire again. I tried two different relays. I place a male end into the plug for the sensor. If I new anything about wiring I'd be dangerous
     
  15. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Continually repeating you know nothing about wiring is not going to help the issue. It will only cause you to learn less as you go. Strange but true.

    DC electrics are super simple stuff, think of it like water in a pipe. Flows in (+) flows out (-) Can't flow water without a complete circuit. It really is that easy and only gets harder when you try to understand higher level concepts that don't really matter at the DIY level.

    If 2 relays didn't work, look real close at yellow and grey wires. How sure are you it's got keyed 12V at the relay post? Have you verified with a test light or voltmeter?
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2009
  16. that yellow and gray are not on the same termiaaaaaaaal are thet. as you can see i.m on some real good legal drugs forgve the typing errots
     
  17. Domino
    Joined: Jul 2, 2009
    Posts: 529

    Domino
    Member

    If you remove the wire going to the sensor and ground it, does the fan run? If so, did you use a lot of thread tape on the sensor? It could be preventing the sensor from grounding. Fans relays are usually triggered by a ground to prevent ignition run on caused by the fan motor.
     
  18. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    Ok Did the test When ignition is on I have power at the fuse coming from the wire marked cooling fan switch(painlesswiringharness) Followed that wire out to the end where it ties into the relay, No power. I pulled that wire out of the loom. Back inside the firewall. Then I hit a bunch of spagehetti..... wire doesn't lead right to fuse box. It goes under the dash and looks like it ties into an orange wire leading to the automatic shifter. ?
     
  19. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    325w, the yellow and grey wires are on different terminals. I'll have to look at some more tomorrow..... I have at least three months to figure it out. when I do I'll let you all know. Thanks for the pointers and test help. Good night
     
  20. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    One last thought. If I wanted to put a manual toggle on the fan, If the relay would fail and heat up. Would I wire from the red wire to switch the wire from switch to purplewire? would i need an in line fuse?
    Thanks again
     
  21. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    I think its the 12 circuit universal streetrod
     
  22. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Good luck!
     
  23. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    O.K. I had today off for Ohio gun season, Thought I work on the nova wiring instead..... This is what I found out with the cooling fan wiring. I traced the wire through the loom, found it was cut and ran the other way into the auto shifter to . It is now powering the backup lights. Where can i get the power now for the relay switch for the fan? The car has a 12 circuit painless wiring harness. I would like to keep the reverse lights. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
     
  24. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Test light your extra posts on the fusebox to find one that shuts off with the car and you won't need a manual switch.

    If you don't have extra posts, they make little things that sorta slide alongside your fuse and have a terminal poking out so you can piggyback an existing circuit. Kinda cheesy but many of us have used them with great success, and with the tiny amount of current the switch uses, no worries about overloading. Sold in everyday parts stores alongside crimp connectors. Many of your fuses will only be hot with the ignition. But not all.

    good luck
     
  25. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    Here is an Idea, If I switch the wire back from the backup lights to the grey wire that controls the yellow wire to the relay, than piggy back a circuit to the backup lights .... Off to the parts store to purchase a piggyback circuit thing. Thanks
     
  26. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    Heres what happened. I bought a piggyback fuse and ran the reverse lights to it. I then wired the relay up. I then grounded the sensor wire and the fan kicked on. I plugged the wire in to the sensor. I started the car and temp went 230.... Fan didn't kick on. I un pluged the sensor and grouned the wire and fan kicked on. Temp went down to 220. I must have to much pipe dope on the sensor. Or it might be bad. Whats a safe tem for aluminum heads?
     
  27. Son why don.t you forget the marked wires and find a dead fuse in you box an add wire as per the instructions then put a 30 amp fuse in that hole. Are find the fan fused cirict marked on the box then come out a bit and cut the wire wire as per instructions. Wish I was closer to help.
     
  28. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Too much pipe dope on your sensor. You're not really supposed to use much/any
     
  29. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    I'll try that tomorrow and let everyone know. I might switch ports with the temerature gauge. The sensor wire would be a little shorter then. They are going into the thermostat housing in the same water cavity, but sensor is on the front and gauge is on the side.
     
  30. bellyjello
    Joined: Aug 6, 2004
    Posts: 433

    bellyjello
    Member

    Still having a problem. When I ground the wire coming out of the sensor the fan kicks on. I pulled the sensor. I cleaned all of the pipe dope off of the threads. I heated up a pan water to boiling. I used a multimeter checked the sensor when I heated it up in the water and it appeared to work when it heated up. I placed it back in the intake turned on the car and the fan didn't kick on when it heated up..... Its wired right... I might switch the port on the intake
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.