What is this connector?

Will Rhoades

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Found this connector drawing 6.5v even when ignition is off. Can anyone tell me what its for?
 

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High speed fan trigger wire. Goes to the fan relay that has green with stripe wire.
 
It normally goes to a switch on top of the intake, under the throttle cable. Unless the fan circuits have been modified, it should be connected. Also, it triggers the delay relay which should have been removed anyway. If the delay relay is still in place, it'd be wise to take it out of the car, since it's a source of electrical problems.

Look at your two smaller fan control relays; one has a solid green wire on its connector, the other has a green with white stripe. That's the high speed relay and the wire would be attached to that connector you have.
 
I have the same wire and wondered the same thing. I'll check it out too! With that disconnected, does that mean the fan is not functioning properly?
 
it may not have been plugged back on a reassembly or pulled to stop the fan delay relay from activating..as John mentioned its best to just remove the large rectangular fan delay relay
the HI fan should still work with A/C on (if system is charged) but with that plug disconnected it wont come on if the coolant in intake gets over 220*F which usually isn't a problem since most have already changed out the factory 180* thermostat for a 160* thermostat and also changed out the stock chip which has a 195* fan turn on for a turbotweak or modern chip that usually has fan turn on at 168*.
 
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it may not have been plugged back on a reassembly or pulled to stop the fan delay relay from activating..as John mentioned its best to just remove the large rectangular fan delay relay
the high should still work with A/C on (if system is charged) but with that plug disconnected it wont come on if the coolant in intake gets over 220*F which usually isn't a problem since most have already changed out the factory 180* thermostat for a 160* thermostat and also changed out the stock chip which has a 195* fan turn on for a turbotweak or modern chip that usually has fan turn on at 168*.

I just installed the Kirban temp gauge in place of the stock idiot light which means that factory wire is no longer used. With that logic, does that mean the fan doesn't "know" when to turn on?
 
the idiot sender switch (passenger front of intake ) and the HI fan sender switch (driver top of intake) are two separate things
putting a gauge where the idiot sender was just stops the coolant lamp in the dash from coming on if you overheat
 
I looked on my intake below the throttle and it is snapped off. What is the official name of that part and where can I buy it? Do you think advance auto would carry something like that?
 
Its my understanding that at a certain temp, that switch grounds the wire (the wire that is disconnected in Will Rhoades' picture) and triggers the high speed fan. If that switch fails, your high speed fan won't come on and your car will probably run hot. However, the previous owner of Will Rhoades' car probably just disconnected the green wire from the high speed relay and grounded it. So the high speed fan comes on as soon as he turns the key on. Engine does not even have to be running. You could also put a switch in line with that green wire to turn the high speed fan on when you want it on. I learned to drain the coolant before replacing that switch or coolant will drain out and you will have a mess. The last switch I put in lasted about a year. I bought it from Advance.
 
I just noticed you said there was 6.5volts in that wire. Are you sure? Maybe John can enlighten me.
 
That wire, green with white stripe, is a trigger for the Delay Relay, and daisy-chains to the high speed fan relay. If you ground that wire, the fan will go into high speed, and the delay relay will trigger the timeout (10 minutes or so) before the fan shuts off.

That's in a perfect world.

Since the high speed fan turns on the instant you start the car, the delay relay is defective. Nothing new there.

And, if you're seeing voltage at that pin, this confirms the delay relay being defective. As I've said forever, remove that relay and your fan trigger problem will cease to exist.
 
John, I disconnected the fan delay relay years ago. So I either grounded the wire to the delay relay or the wire to the high speed fan relay, cant remember for sure. Anyway it works fine. When I get motivated I'll replace that radiator fan switch and hook up the wires (not the delay wire) as GM intended.
 
Thanks, John.....I went out and disconnected mine yesterday.....didn't really matter.....damn battery is dead anyway.....(sigh):grumpy:

Bruce '87 Grand National
 
I went ahead and ordered a new switch. Last night I took that connector and grounded it out to the intake while the car was running and sure enough, the fan came on! Upon further inspection, it appears that the "delay relay" that everyone is referring to was removed years ago - that answers my question as to why I had 2 mystery wires by the fender:)
 
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