Electric fan stopped working

[augie1010]

Hi: It has been a while. Fan stopped working a few days ago, temp went up and i noticed the fan was not coming on. 90K Gn, resistor has been removed , so no low speed, and i have the Dennis Kirban fan switch that hooks into the a/c circuit. Fan uded to come on around 180 by the ecm, or i could switch it on with the manual switch. neither work, check relay fuse, and it is ok, jumped the fan and it works, so I am looking for the next step, relays?? Any help would be appreciated, we finally are starting to get warm weather here in RI, and I need the fan

Thanks
David

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Replace the relay?????

 

[TurboBuRick]

Where did you jump it? At the relay plug?

Check for ground and 12v signal at the relay plug?

 

[mikes86ttop]

Hey David, Mike from the A&W shows. Give me a call if you need a hand. I just sent you a PM with my cell #... Mike

 

[augie1010]

Thanks for the info guys, I ordered a couple of relays, but I have not received them yet, I jumped the fan right on the fan terminals, not at the relay. I also noticed that the relay plugs are very dirty, they almost look like the got hot and melted a little. I tried to order a pair of connectors from Classic Industries, but could not complete the order on line, just kept looping around, so i might try on tuesday on the phone. David Good to hear from you Mike

 

[turbo nasty]

Try Caspers electronics

 

[augie1010]

thanks for the info, i will try Caspers

 

[Darkstar72]

Thanks for the info guys, I ordered a couple of relays, but I have not received them yet, I jumped the fan right on the fan terminals, not at the relay. I also noticed that the relay plugs are very dirty, they almost look like the got hot and melted a little. I tried to order a pair of connectors from Classic Industries, but could not complete the order on line, just kept looping around, so i might try on tuesday on the phone. David Good to hear from you Mike

I found the same thing (melted) on my relays and found out that the black "goo" was actually put in from the factory when built as a means of weather sealing. It's not melted...it's normal. I cleaned mine up as best I could with QD electrical contact cleaner and haven't had an issue with my fan since.

 

[augie1010]

Thanks for you info, I thought that they looked a little"cooked", even though I have never overheated the car on the street on yhe track. I just received the relays today, so i am going to plug them in and see if that gets the fan running. If not I guess it is the fusible links that are left, or a broken wire, yukk. I will let you know what I find.

Dave

 

[TurboBuRick]

I doubt the relays are the problem

Do you have a 12v test light?

 

[augie1010]

I do have a test light. I replaced the two relays, hi and lo, and the fan still does not work. I guess I need to check the fusible links, i think there are two at the starter. Not sure what else, unless i have a broken wire, or??

thanks for the help
Dvae

 

[Darkstar72]

Did you blast any electrical contact cleaner into the connectors for the relays where seat? New relays won't work if it can't make a connection.

Also, if I remember correctly, with the relay seated in connector take your test light and ground out the green wire at the relay and the fan should come on. If it doesn't come on jumping the green wire then you have to go hunting with the light.

 

[TurboBuRick]

Use the test like a check for power at the relay plug on the big red wires. They come directly from the fuse links on the starter.

 

[augie1010]

I just took the car for a ride, it is about 80degrees here today. Got the car over 180 and the computer did not turn on the fan. So neither my manual switch nor the computer will turn the fan on. I can hear the relay click when i hit ,my manual switch, so can i assume that the power is reaching the relays? I really appreciate your help on this, thanks very much

Dave

 

[TurboBuRick]

I would still have someone verify the relay is clicking when you are activating the toggle switch. If you are 100% sure the relay is clicking then there is a good chance you have a bad fuseable link or bad wire on the starter like previously mentioned.

Again use your test light to check for power at the relay plug. Unplug the relay and test the pin that the thick red wire goes to. On the low relay there will be 2 thick red wires going in 1 pin. That is the power wire that comes from the starter (fusable link) and feeds the fan when the relay is activated.

And FYI the ECM and the Toggle are switching ground to activate the relay. Not power.

 

[augie1010]

Had a friend of mine come over and we started to check the connector, etc. Found the connector to the fan, 3 wires, was melted, and the power was not making it to the other side of the connector. I pulled the pin out of both sides of the connector and used a joiner to connect the wires and the fan came on. I have ordered a new pair of connectors and I have just received the high and low speed relay connectors from Capers, so i have some soldering to do, but I have it working again. By having the manual switch in the car, I probably run the fan too much, and have burned up the connectors. I appreciate all the input from all of you in trying to fix my GN. Thanks
Dave

 

[Darkstar72]

Thank you for posting the resolution! Too often I’ve read through threads to learn and see what issues others have come across only to find it left totally open ended. Glad you got it figured out.

 

[captndave737]

That happened to me. The fans draw a lot of power and if the connection isn’t really tight you’ll get arcing and melt the connectors. The terminal that was melted on mine was the ground side since it carries the current for both the high and low speed fan.

 

[augie1010]

Once again, I have found a lot of answers on this website. I appreciate all the help that I found from you guys, I think it is only fair to let you know how things turned out. I was able to order the fan connectors from Classic or Casper's, they both have them. I did receive the relay terminals from Casper's and they look a lot better than the ones I have on the car now. Now if someone can find a windshield wiper cover that works, I would really be getting somewhere.
Thanks again guys for all your help
David
87 GN

 

[GNRick]

Regarding the connector that went bad, are you referring to the large connector that holds the green, yellow, and black wires? I just wired a switch with an in line fuse directly to my fans, bypassing the factory wiring, ecm, relays, ac high pressure switch, harness fuses, etc. This way I can always turn on my fans when needed.